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welcome! to anxieties 101!
after looking things over here at anxieties 101,
try out "the layer down under," (part of the emotional feelings network of sites) & read a special "i
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Making the site work best for you!
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notice that there are many underlined link words in each article below. The reason for this is that you've reached
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The reason for this opportunity
is very simple & yet you may be unnerved by all those underlined words! I've been in recovery from post traumatic stress disorder, depression & many other dysfunctional ventures & thru it all I've discovered that emotion & feeling
work may be the missing link that many people miss when trying to find solutions to their problems.
Developing a sense of curiosity about why you feel the way you do, is essential in finding the solution you so desperately are searching for. If you
can't find what you came here looking for, visit the homepage for the emotional feelings network of sites by clicking here & read the options on
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Sincerely,
Kathleen
 
Phobias can affect people of all ages, from all walks of life & in every part of the country. The National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has reported that 5.1% to12.5% of Americans have phobias. They're the most common psychiatric illness among women of all ages & are the 2nd
most common mental illness among men older than 25.
By definition, phobias are "irrational fears," that interfere w/one's everyday life or daily
routine. If your fear of high places prevents you from crossing necessary bridges to get to work, that fear is irrational.
If your fears keep you from enjoying life or even preoccupy your thinking so that you're unable to work, sleep or do things you wish to do, then it becomes irrational.
A phobia is something
a person fears to the point that they feel they have to change how they behave.
One key to diagnosing
a phobic disorder is that:
the fear must be excessive & disproportionate to the situation.
Most people who
fear heights wouldn't avoid visiting a friend who lived on the top floor of a tall building; but a person w/a phobia
of heights would.
Fear alone doesn't distinguish a phobia; both fear & avoidance must be evident. (Lefton, L. A., 1997)
Subtypes of Phobias....
- Animal
type of phobia...
Cued or triggered by coming in contact, thought or imagination of animals or insects
- Natural environment
type of phobia...
Cued or triggered by objects in the environment, such as storms, heights
or water
- Situational type...
Cued
or triggered by a specific situation, such as public transportation, tunnels, bridges, elevators, flying, driving or enclosed
spaces
- Blood-injection-injury type....
Cued or triggered by witnessing some invasive
medical procedure
- Other type....
Cued
by other stimuli than the above, such as of choking, vomiting or contracting an illness
If the object of
the fear or "phobia" is easy to avoid, people w/specific phobias may not feel the need to seek treatment.
Instead, they allow
their lives to consist of making important career or personal decisions to avoid a phobic situation.
- When avoidance behavior is carried to these extreme lengths & measures, it's considered "disabling" to
life.
Specific
phobias are successfully treatable much of the time, so there really is no need for those experiencing this extreme disruption in their lives to continue to do so.
When a person has
a persistent, irrational fear of an object or situation & a strong urge to avoid that object or situation, he has a "simple phobia" or "an inappropriately intense reaction triggered
by a single stimulus."
This is the point
where people begin to stay in their homes to avoid all contact with the fear inducing stressor. This behavior begins to become habit. Soon the simple phobia disorder could escalate to
include another disorder.... co-existing with the already existent phobia.
Approximately 8
% of the adult population suffers from one or more specific phobias in a single year. Much
higher rates would be recorded if less rigorous diagnostic requirements for avoidance or functional impairment were used.
Again I mention,
usually specific phobias begin in childhood. There is a 2nd peak of onset in the middle 20's of adulthood (DSM-IV). Most phobias persist for years or even decades
& very few people w/phobias get better spontaneously or w/out treatment.
Specific
phobias generally don't develop from exposure to a single traumatic event (i.e., being bitten by a dog or nearly drowning) (Marks,
1969). Usually there's evidence of phobia in other family members & social or
vicarious learning of phobias (Cook & Mineka, 1989).
Spontaneous, unexpected panic attacks can also appear in the development of specific phobias, but the most common pattern is
that of avoidance behavior towards the object or situation of fear.
The most common
specific phobias include the following feared stimuli or situations:
- Insects (especially spiders & bees or hornets)
"Symptoms" of Simple Phobias
- Marked & persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, seeing
blood)
- Exposure to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes
an immediate anxiety response, which may take the form of a situationally bound or situationally predisposed Panic Attack
Note: In children,
the anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or clinging
- The person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable
Note: In children,
this feature may be absent
- The phobic situation(s) is
avoided or else is endured w/intense anxiety or distress
- The avoidance in anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared situation(s) interferes significantly w/the person's normal routine, occupational (or academic)
functioning, or social activities or relationships, or there's marked distress about having the phobia
- In individuals under age 18 years, the duration is at least
6 months
what causes phobias to develop?
No one knows for
sure how phobias develop. Often, there is no explanation for the fear. In many cases a person can readily identify an event or trauma, such as being chased by a dog that triggered the phobia.
What puzzles experts
is why some people who experience such an event develop a phobia & others don't. Many
psychologists believe the cause lies in a combination of genetic predisposition mixed w/environmental & social causes.
Most specific phobias do not cause a serious disruption in a person's life. n these cases, individuals experiencing
a phobia, don't seek professional help as a rule. Finding ways to avoid whatever it is that triggers their panic, they simply endure the distress & try to cope w/the extremely uncomfortable feelings they feel when they encounter the object or situation of their fear.
When the object
of fear or event is unavoidable, these individuals will consult their physicians, requesting medication to help them thru the situation.
Simple phobias in children
Several studies have documented that mild fears are common in children of all ages. It appears that girls report fears more than boys. Several themes are consistent among children of different age groups. These fears aren't only consistent among age groups but also in various cultural groups. Simple phobias
in children are overwhelming irrational fears including:
- Falling from a high place
- Having a burglar break into a house
- Specific objects such as an animal
- Situations such as being in the dark, for which there is no logical explanation
A phobia should therefore be considered
only when the fears are excessive, persistent to a specific situation or object & result in impairment in some area of the child's functioning.
These fears are very common among young children. One study reported that as many as 43% of all children aged
6 to 12 have 7 or more fears that aren't considered "phobias."
Most common
fears of children go away w/out treatment. Few children who suffer from fears or even mild phobias ever receive treatment for them. It's important for parents to remember that if a child's fear is so extreme that they refuse to go outside in fear that "perhaps a dog may be out there," that children deserve professional attention to attend to their basic needs.
Parents can minimize fears, if educated
An example of how
a parent can help is:
If the child is
afraid of a big bad wolf, a parent can try saying, "Let's find the big bad wolf & tell him that he has to go back to the woods.
When we find the big bad wolf, we will walk him to the front door, open the door & make him leave. Then we will lock the
front door so he can't come back in."
The technique of
walking the large animal or monster to the door & making him leave is almost always effective. You can use any other technique
as long as it shows the child that you're not afraid, that you accept his/her fear, & that you're willing, ready & able to help your child achieve some control over the fear.
A parent can help minimize
the number of fears the child experiences by:
- Being careful about television shows & movies that children watch; find out before hand if the content is appropriate for their child
- Look at the
content from the perspective of the child in making this determination
- Parent can
initiate conversations about fears that children have; allowing the child to "talk about" what they're afraid of
- A good idea
for parents is to "personalize the situation" the child may state they're fearful of
- Add positive light in thinking & discussing the reasons for the fear
Parents of children who are afraid of storms i.e., should prepare their child if a storm is coming. Staying close to the child, holding the child & offering conversation about what to expect in a thunderstorm can help the child to anticipate the storm w/out being anxious or upset.
Comparing the thunder to drums or other similar sounds may help them decrease their fear for the loud sound. Teaching your child songs to sing in anticipation of a thunderstorm can also help them to build positive coping methods, by singing about the rain or thunder they have a healthy outlet to turn to instead of feeling anxious or upset.
Treatment for Agoraphobia
Treatment
usually involves desensitization or exposure therapy thru which the sufferer is exposed to the source of the phobia & gradually learns to
overcome the fear.
Exposure therapy can significantly reduce or end phobic reactions for at least 7 years.
It's based
upon having the person relax, then imagine the components of the phobia, working from the least fearful to the most fearful. Graded real-life exposure has also been used with success to help people overcome their fears.
The following methods
are helpful in controlling Agoraphobia symptoms:
- Making "dry runs" to unfamiliar places to gather info to reduce
unknown factors
- Educating ones self by reading books on the subject of anxiety
Medications Used In Treatment of Agoraphobia
Therapy is often combined with medication, such anti-anxiety & anti-depressive medications are sometimes used to help relieve the symptoms associated with phobias. Dependency on the medication is a possible side effect of this treatment.
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Social Phobia
Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, involves:
People w/social phobia have:
While many people w/social phobia recognize that their fear of being around people may be excessive or unreasonable, they're unable to overcome it. They often worry for days or weeks
in advance of a dreaded situation that involves being in the presence of people.
Social phobia can be limited to only one type of situation - such as:
-
Fear of speaking in formal or informal situations
-
Eating, drinking or writing in front of others
-
In its most severe form, may
be so broad that a person experiences symptoms almost anytime they're around other people.
Social phobia can be very debilitating - it may even keep people from
going to work or school on some days. Many people w/this illness have difficulties making & keeping friends
Social Phobia (Now diagnosed as Social Anxiety)
Physical
symptoms often accompany the intense anxiety of social phobia & include:
If you suffer
from social phobia, you may be painfully embarrassed by these symptoms & feel as though all eyes are focused on you. You may be afraid of being w/people other than your family.
People with social phobia are aware that their feelings are irrational. Even if they manage to confront what they fear, they usually feel very anxious beforehand & are intensely uncomfortable throughout.
Unpleasant feelings may linger after the encounter because of worry about how they may have been judged or what others may have thought or observed about them.
Social phobia affects
about 5.3 million adult Americans or 7% of the population. Women & men are equally likely to develop social phobia. The disorder usually begins in childhood or early adolescence. There's evidence that genetic factors are involved. Social phobia
often co-exists w/other anxiety disorders or depression.
Substance abuse or dependence may develop in individuals who attempt to "self-medicate" their social
phobia by drinking or using drugs.
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