Fear is a strong emotional response to danger, real or imagined. A phobia, Greek word, is a persistent, irritational fear that is out of all proportions to its cause. People with phobias recognize that their fears are excessive and constraiing, but they feel powerless to confront them and often go to great lengths to avoid the dreaded objects of situation.
Phobias can be of the following types;
Specific Phobia:
Fear of a specific object, situation, or event. Common examples include fears of animals, insects, the dark, germs, storms, heights, illness and death. From 5-10% of the population suffers from such phobias at some point in life. Women are more likely than men to be affected.
Specific phobias often arise during childhood. Although most disappear as a child matures, a few may persist for life. Some feared situations are easy enough to avoid, but others, such as a fear of flying (aerophobia) or of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), can interfere with an individual's lifestyle and work.
Social Phobias:
A compelling desire to avoid situations in which its necessary to face the scrutiny of others. People with this disorder fear being embarrassed or being humiliated. For examples some persons are terrified in engaging in casual conversations; others cannot tolerate eating in a public place, using public testrooms, or interacting with a member of an opp sex. Typically a social phobia begins in adolescence and often lasts for life. About 3-5% of population suffers from some type of social phobia. Men and women have the disorder in roughly equal numbers.
Agoraphobia:
An intense fear of being alone or trapped in a public place. (Agoraphobia is a Greek term for fear of market place) This is the most limiting of all phobias, causing some people literally to become prisoners in their own homes.
About 0.6% of population have agoraphobia, with a women outnumbering men. some 2/3 of people with agoraphobia experience panic attacks, periods of intense anxiety characteristics by chest pains, a rapid heartbeat, sweating, difficulty in breathing, and other symptoms easily mistaken for a heart attack.
MEDICAL TREATMENTS:
Drug Therapy:
Most phobias sufferers are able to cope with their fears without medication.The exceptions are people with severe agoraphobia after panic attacks; they may require a prescription medication.
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Phobias can be of the following types;
Specific Phobia:
Fear of a specific object, situation, or event. Common examples include fears of animals, insects, the dark, germs, storms, heights, illness and death. From 5-10% of the population suffers from such phobias at some point in life. Women are more likely than men to be affected.
Specific phobias often arise during childhood. Although most disappear as a child matures, a few may persist for life. Some feared situations are easy enough to avoid, but others, such as a fear of flying (aerophobia) or of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), can interfere with an individual's lifestyle and work.
Social Phobias:
A compelling desire to avoid situations in which its necessary to face the scrutiny of others. People with this disorder fear being embarrassed or being humiliated. For examples some persons are terrified in engaging in casual conversations; others cannot tolerate eating in a public place, using public testrooms, or interacting with a member of an opp sex. Typically a social phobia begins in adolescence and often lasts for life. About 3-5% of population suffers from some type of social phobia. Men and women have the disorder in roughly equal numbers.
Agoraphobia:
An intense fear of being alone or trapped in a public place. (Agoraphobia is a Greek term for fear of market place) This is the most limiting of all phobias, causing some people literally to become prisoners in their own homes.
About 0.6% of population have agoraphobia, with a women outnumbering men. some 2/3 of people with agoraphobia experience panic attacks, periods of intense anxiety characteristics by chest pains, a rapid heartbeat, sweating, difficulty in breathing, and other symptoms easily mistaken for a heart attack.
MEDICAL TREATMENTS:
Drug Therapy:
Most phobias sufferers are able to cope with their fears without medication.The exceptions are people with severe agoraphobia after panic attacks; they may require a prescription medication.
(Continue)
