Phobia is an irrational fear for a particular thing, action, organism, place or situation. Today, one can go about naming hundreds of phobias that affect human beings, but in essence all phobias fit into three main categories: specific phobias, social phobias and agoraphobia. Let’s have an in-depth look into each of these categories.
Specific phobia is a type of phobia which gets triggered due to a specific stimulus. For instance, an individual can experience panic attack while driving, taking an elevator or by merely viewing an insect. It could also be a fear of being trapped in a closed room. Specific phobia can disrupt one’s day to day activities because of the nature of the phobia. For example, a person with a driving phobia will try his best to avoid being seated in the driver’s seat. He would prefer staying dependent on others for his travelling needs to avoid confronting his phobia.
On the other hand, social phobia is characterized by the fear of being judged by others. Individuals affected by social phobia usually avoid social functions and other gatherings due to the irrational fear of being judged by other attendees. The victim feels that he will be singled out and scrutinized in the crowd, thereby leading to an embarrassing situation. For instance, a person with social phobia will avoid parties fearing that people around him will start laughing at his clothes, or confront him with questions that would make him feel awkward.
Experts reckon that social phobias pave way into an individual’s life in the teenage phase. A child suffering from social phobia would shy away from talking to his teachers and coach. The child would have a hard time standing up in the class to raise questions about his doubts or to seek permission to go to the restroom. The condition worsens as one attains the adulthood phase of life. Reports suggest that people suffering from social phobia often fall prey to depression due to their isolated lifestyle choice. Also, it’s not uncommon to notice these individuals resort to alcoholism to kill their boredom, and to find relief from the unbearable stress.
Agoraphobia is a type of phobia wherein a person fears open spaces. These individuals are more prone to suffer from panic attacks. More than often, the victims try to avoid crowded and public places to cope up with their fear. An agoraphobia victim would usually shy away from visiting airport, gymnasium, clubs, busy stores, restaurants and other prominent places, thereby killing loads of joyful moments in his life.
Today, individuals go out of their way to avoid an object or situation that can scare them by giving life to their biggest fears. Remember, all the phobias out there are nothing but illogical dread of touch. However, every phobia out there requires personal attention and different kinds of treatment for an effective cure. Specific phobias can be handled effectively with the aid of a therapy; however agoraphobia and social phobia cure might require additional aid such as anti-nervousness medicines.
Thanks, this helped me!