Phobias
An estimated 19 million adults in the country have a phobia that is severe enough to interfere with their work, school, interpersonal relationships, or daily life.
Is Treatment Available In My State?What are Phobias?
A phobia is a fear of something specific that is unlikely to harm the person. The intensity of a person’s fear in response to the trigger can range from intense discomfort to debilitation. Notably, the individual who has the phobia likely knows that their fear is irrational or disproportionate, and yet the extreme fear continues.
Phobias are relatively common in the United States. An estimated 19 million adults in the country have a phobia that is severe enough to interfere with their work, school, interpersonal relationships, or daily life.
What are the Three Types of Phobias?
While phobias may pertain to anything, there are three main types of phobias:
- Specific Phobia: Having an irritational fear of a particular kind of object or situation, such as snakes or heights.
- Social Phobia (social anxiety): Fear of being evaluated negatively that can lead to feeling embarrassed or humiliated.
- Agoraphobia: Being fearful of situations or places from which it may be difficult to escape.
Each of these types of phobias can be mild to extreme, and they may affect individuals’ lives in various ways.
What are Specific Phobias?
Specific phobias occur when someone has an intense fear of a specific object or situation where the perceived threat experienced is significantly greater than the actual threat. Thinking about or facing the subject of a phobia induces feelings of intense fear or panic. These phobias typically start in adolescence but can develop at any time.
Some of the most common phobias are fears of:
- Spiders
- Snakes
- Insects
- Flying
- Dogs
- Thunder/Lightning
- Water
- Needles/Injections
While the phobias listed above are the most common, people can develop irrational fears of almost anything. Sometimes, these fears are the result of specific events from an individual’s past. Other times, the cause is unknown.
What is Social Phobia?
Also called “social anxiety disorder,” social phobia is the extreme fear of interaction with other people. Social phobia is more than just being shy; the fear is so intense that it affects a person’s work, school, social, or home life.
Someone with social phobia may feel:
- Afraid that others are always judging them
- Weary of meeting new people
- Self-conscious in everyday situations
- Rejection or humiliation
Most people experience these emotions from time-to-time. However, people with social anxiety disorder feel this way most of the time and have such intense fear that it changes the way they live their lives.
Lifestance Health specializes in Phobias treatment with multiple locations in 33 states. Services and available treatments vary by location.
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What is Agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia is not necessarily a fear of being outside, as many people think, but rather fear of losing control of a situation. Individuals who live with this condition go through such intense anxiety in triggering scenarios that they might structure their lives to avoid those triggers fentirely.
People with agoraphobia may be afraid of:
- Public transportation
- Going out alone
- Waiting in long lines
- Large, open spaces
- Cramped areas
- Large crowds
- Elevators
- Venturing outside their “comfort zone” (often in or around their homes)
When confronted with these situations, someone with agoraphobia may have a panic attack. These intense fears can impact an individual’s ability to work, socialize, and lead a healthy life.
Can Phobias Be Cured?
Qualified mental health care providers can treat many phobias, which can lead to full cure. For specific phobias, therapists may use exposure therapy, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, to help individuals gradually work through their fears. Individuals with agoraphobia or social phobia may need more complex treatment plans.
Medication is not typically used in the treatment of phobias. However, because phobias can be a type of anxiety disorder, some individuals may receive medication to treat the anxiety. A psychiatrist or advanced nurse practitioner may prescribe medication for comorbid conditions, such as panic disorder, panic attacks, or generalized anxiety disorder. These medications can sometimes ease anxiety associated with phobias.
Telehealth for Phobia Treatment
Online therapy, or telehealth, can be used to help individuals with phobias. Telehealth may be preferred by some, especially those with severe agoraphobia. Some individuals with social phobia find it easier to talk to someone through video chat rather than in face-to-face discussions.
References
Matthew Solit, MSW is the North Division Executive Clinical Director at LifeStance, serving the therapists and clinical directors across 21 states. Prior to stepping into the role of ECD, he served as Michigan Operations Director, with a primary focus on clinical operations. Matthew has over 20 years of varied leadership experience, most of which has been in the mental and behavioral health field. Throughout this, he has also made time to provide direct clinical care to those in need. He has spent time working in inpatient, outpatient, and sub-acute settings, working with an extensive variety of clinical challenges.
Matthew received his B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona and his master s in social work from the Catholic University of America in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He has engaged in numerous speaking events on topics from clinical diagnostic skills-building to clinical best-practices and risk management. Matthew spends his off time with his wonderful family and two dogs. He enjoys cooking, woodworking, and gardening outside of his work with those in need.
Phobias FAQ
A phobia is an irrational fear of something that in reality is unlikely to harm someone. The individual who has the phobia usually knows that their fear is irrational, but that does not stop them from fearing it.
Fears of animals—dogs, snakes, insects, and mice —tend to be the most common phobias. Other common phobias include fear of closed spaces (claustrophobia) and fear of heights (acrophobia).
Research suggests that phobias can run in families, and that there may be a link between your own specific phobias and the phobias of your parents, based on shared genetics and learned behaviors.
Benzodiazepines, which are anti-anxiety medications, can help reduce anxiety. When appropriate, doctors prescribe these for short-term use and start with low dosages.
Yes and no. As we age, our bodies produce less adrenaline, so the intensity of our phobias may lessen. However, older people often have a greater sense of vulnerability, so their phobias may feel worse.
Talk to someone who can help. LifeStance is your resource for finding the right mental health professionals to help manage phobias and other related mental health issues.
