Physicians Health

Have you ever felt yourself trapped in panic and had a strong desire to escape? Maybe you have felt that way before but if someone asks you why you won’t be able to answer.

This psychological reaction towards a certain situation, person or object is called a “phobia” from the Greek word fear. Psychology has already tried to give answers to many questions but despite its progresses the human subconscious world still remains a mystery.

Phobias differ. They may be caused by objects, crowded areas, open spaces and even social relationships. Phobias may be genetic or they may be the result of environmental, social, behavioral factors.

In this entry we will take a look at some of the common phobias all of which interfere with our normal life.

If you have ever been locked in a small room when a child or stuck in an elevator without being able to go out for some time then you may have claustrophobia. Claustrophobia is a fear of closed spaces like airplanes, buses, cars and so on. In this case the space limitation makes the person panic and the heart begins to accelerate faster. A claustrophobic person may even feel dizziness. Claustrophobia is among the most common phobias.

Some people can parachute and feel like on the ground while the others can not even reach the second floor or look out of the window because of the height. This type of phobia is called acrophobia which is the fear of heights.

Social phobias probably interfere the most with our everyday life.  From the very first day of our lives we learn to communicate with others and to overcome shyness. Some people manage to do that while the others fail and develop the symptoms of social phobia. Social phobia is a fear of being displayed in front of the public, being assessed and so on. The person suffering from social phobia has a number of psychological complexes.

Mysophobia is a fear of various microbes and contaminants like dirt.

Autophobia, or monophobia, is a fear of being in isolation. People suffering from this phobia are afraid of being left alone. The presence of another person is exactly what an autophobic person needs. If there are people who tend to living in loneliness and seclusion, there are others who are unable to remain alone at home or rest alone. They always need someone to be with them.

Nevertheless phobias can be treated through various therapies, and the most known ones are behavioral and cognitive. They help a person to control his or her fear.

Photo: © Maarten Dors

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