Phobia – causes, symptoms & therapy

Whether something is described as an anxiety disorder or a phobia varies. Sometimes the degree of illness of the phobia differs from that of the anxiety disorder, which is more general and does not have to be related to a specific object.

An initial fear, aversion or fear can develop into a phobia that severely restricts life. The phobia can be directed at anything and everything. In the case of a phobia, freedom from fear can only be achieved by consistently avoiding the feared object.

Both anxiety disorders and phobias describe an increase in fear that has become pathological and, in most cases, relates to a specific object, place, situation, activity or person.

The end result of the phobia is chronic avoidance behavior and a fear of fear. The now existing phobia with a concrete reference object can trigger further fears and lead to the inability to live. In principle, the same applies to panic or anxiety disorders as to phobias.

List of common phobias

• Arachnophobia (fear of spiders)

• Acrophobia (fear of height and depth)

• anthropophobia (fear of people and society)

• doctor phobia

• Aviophobia (fear of flying)

• Demophobia (fear of crowds and crowded places)

• Dentophobia (fear of the dentist)

• Haematophobia (fear of blood)

• Herpetophobia (fear of reptiles, crawling animals)

• claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces)

• Scholionophobia (fear of school)

• Social phobia

• Vaccinophobia (vaccinations)

causes

The causes that lead to a phobia can be different. Fears are often latent at a young age, for example a childhood fear of heights. Without ever having actually fallen, the phobia develops the feeling that one could fall.The fear increases and is related to everything high: stairs, towers, mountains, high-rise balconies. Instead of thinking about behavioral training, avoidance behavior is practiced.

The causes of a phobia are usually multifactorial. A phobia can also be triggered by a traumatic experience. It is not always clear why someone develops a phobia of buttons.

The triggering experience usually lies in the darkness of early childhood experiences or in the unconscious. A panic disorder can accompany a phobia. In the case of individual problems – for example agoraphobia – it is assumed that a panic disorder is the cause of the phobia.

When to the doctor?

Not every phobia needs to be treated. However, if the level of suffering is very great, it makes sense to see a doctor, especially if the person affected cannot overcome the phobia themselves and suffers considerably from its consequences.

A mild phobia does not always have to be treated by a doctor or psychotherapist if it does not restrict life too much and does not lead to complications or difficulties in everyday life. The doctor or psychotherapist should therefore be consulted for this disease if the patient is severely restricted in everyday life due to fear or suffers from a significantly reduced quality of life. Symptoms such as nausea, tachycardia or uncontrolled bowel movements can also be the consequences of a phobia.

Many people also suffer from other psychological complaints or from depressive moods, although these also indicate a phobia that should be treated by a doctor.

As a rule, the disease can be treated by a general practitioner or by a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. There are no particular complications. However, the success and duration of treatment depend heavily on the severity of the phobia, so that no general prediction is possible.

symptoms and course

Symptoms of a phobia are present when there is a pathological fear of an object, living being, activity, place or situation and avoidance behavior is practiced. The morbid fear triggers negative fantasies, fears and physical symptoms such as tachycardia , feelings of powerlessness , dizziness or fear of death just by thinking about it . The medical classification of the phobia is evaluated according to the phobic reference object and the severity of the phobia and assigned to the mental illnesses.

Criteria for the existence of a phobia are situation-related incomprehensible fears of high intensity that can persist for a long time. For the sufferer, the danger signaled by their fear is real. Social contacts are increasingly being avoided out of shame at being excluded. As the disease progresses, the phobia often leads to limitations in self-development and the ability to live. Nevertheless, many sufferers do not seek treatment because they fear confrontation with the triggers of their phobia.

treatment and therapy

The trigger of the phobia is important for psychotherapeutic or drug treatment. With behavioral therapy measures, the confrontation with the feared object is intensified over a longer period of time.

First of all, the triggers of the phobia can be discussed. Later, one looks at pictures and films of the frightening objects or situations. The phobia can only be resolved if the behavior and the thought patterns and feelings related to it are changed.

In the first step, it is important to be aware of how dangerous the situation that triggers the phobia actually is, what the worst-case scenario could be, and what coping strategies are possible.Furthermore, learning muscle relaxation and breathing exercises can help you better control anxiety by applying the techniques in the appropriate situations.

In the last step, it is crucial to face the fear-inducing situation and to face it neutrally. If you remain in this situation for a long time, the intensity of the fear gradually reduces. Through this method of confrontation, at some point (through getting used to it) those affected realize that the situation they were afraid of is not dangerous at all.

When it comes to phobias, fears are a normal part of life. But you have to learn how to deal with them. To prevent the widespread phobia, existing fears can be treated as early as infancy.