"You’ve probably heard of arachnophobia, thanks in part to the movie with the same name, and claustrophobia, but what about gamophobia or phobophobia? Here’s a brief introduction to phobias, from the familiar to the more obscure:
Acrophobia: Fear of heights .....(I have this one bad!!)
Agoraphobia: Fear of being in a public place...( I dated a guy that got crappy when we were in a store that was crowded, and had to get out in open space.)
Ailurophobia: Fear of cats
Androphobia: Fear of men
Anthropophobia: Fear of human companionship
Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders ...(Okay I have this one too! I hate Hobo's as we have them where I live bad every year.)
Bathophobia: Fear of deep places ....(this one is as bad as high places to me cause I could still fall.)
Claustrophobia: Fear of enclosed spaces....(Okay I have a bit of a problem with this one too, boy maybe I am a sickoo..lol)
Cynophobia: Fear of dogs
Entomophobia: Fear of insects
Ereuthophobia: Fear of blushing
Gamophobia: Fear of marriage...(okay the last guy I dated I think had this problem, always ran away when women got this close, I got him to at least 2-months from saying I DO..lol)
Gephyrophobia: Fear of crossing a bridge...(this one bothers me if its a high bridge)
Gymnophobia: Fear of seeing a naked person
Gynephobia: Fear of women
Hedonophobia: Fear of pleasure
Hypengyophobia: Fear of responsibility....(I know my kids have this one..lol)
Hypnophobia: Fear of sleep
Ichthyophobia: Fear of fish
Mysophobia: Fear of dirt
Nostophobia: Fear of going home...(wished my kids had this one now, moved them out they came back.)
Nyctophobia: Fear of night or darkness
Ophidiophobia: Fear of snakes...(okay I hate snakes too)
Pathophobia: Fear of disease
Pediophobia: Fear of children or dolls
Phobophobia: Fear of phobias
Psychrophobia: Fear of the cold
Scopophobia: Fear of being stared at
Spectrophobia: Fear of mirrors
Tocophobia: Fear of childbirth
Theophobia: Fear of God...(okay I confess I did this one to my kids when I use to tell them I was going to put the fear of GOD in them if they didn't knock off what they were doing)
Triskaidekaphobia: Fear of the number thirteen
Zoophobia: Fear of animals
(Okay now that I know I'm truely messed up in the head, guess I better head to a shrink appt. FAST!!)
Do You Have Social Phobia?
- Are you afraid you'll embarrass yourself if you have to give a talk or attend a social gathering with people you don't know well?
- Do you sometimes panic in unfamiliar social situations?
- Do you know that your fear of social situations is unreasonable or excessive?
- Do you avoid social situations whenever possible?
- When you can't avoid social situations, do they cause significant distress or anxiety?
- Does your distress or fear of social gatherings interfere significantly with your work, relationships with friends and family, or normal routines?
If you answer yes to three or more of these questions, you may have social phobia. If so, talk with your doctor or a therapist about your concerns. Social phobia can be mild, moderate, or severe. ends and family, or normal routines?
Symptoms: Extreme fear of situations that pose little or no danger or that are no more dangerous than other situations that don’t induce fear.
Common phobias: Include fear of flying, heights, animals, insects, injections, and the sight of blood. Facing the situation or object that induces the phobia produces anxiety immediately, sometimes in the form of a panic attack. Children may cry, have tantrums, freeze, or cling to an adult. Although adults with phobias realize that their fears are excessive or unreasonable, they try to avoid the situations that provoke them. They may refuse to fly in an airplane or visit the home of a friend who has a dog. But this avoidance may interfere with their ability to function normally at work, at school, or in social situations. Many people with this condition also have social phobia, a fear of social situations.
Cause: Traumatic events often lead to specific phobias. Genes are also believed to play a role because the tendency to develop specific phobias runs in families.
Prevalence: More than 10% of people have specific phobias.
Who’s at risk: Women face a slightly higher risk than men. Individuals who have a close relative with a specific phobia are at higher risk. A terrifying or deeply troubling experience, as well as a genetic predisposition, increases the likelihood of developing specific phobia.
Effective treatments: The main treatment is a form of behavioral therapy called desensitization, also known as exposure therapy, in which people are gradually exposed to the source of their phobia until it no longer scares them. Relaxation and breathing exercises can also reduce symptoms. No medication has proved effective in controlling specific phobias, but antianxiety drugs may help. For example, if you’re afraid of flying, an antianxiety medication can control your fear enough that you can get on the plane.
Symptoms: A persistent and powerful uneasiness, self-consciousness, and fear of humiliation in ordinary social situations with unfamiliar people or where scrutiny by others is possible. These situations usually cause anxiety and sometimes a panic attack. This phobia often leads people to avoid parties and other gatherings. Adults with social phobia realize that their fear is excessive or unreasonable, but most children do not. The symptoms and diagnostic criteria differ somewhat for children and adults. In children, common symptoms are crying, throwing tantrums, and withdrawing when in the company of unfamiliar peers or adults. But children with social phobia are capable of appropriate social relationships with familiar people. Their symptoms must last at least 6 months, whereas in adults the symptoms can come and go with the waxing and waning of stress. For example, a person who has social phobia when single may find that it nearly disappears after marriage, but it flares up again after divorce or the spouse’s death. In both children and adults, the symptoms tend to be ongoing and severe. More than half of those with a social phobia also have a specific phobia. Because social phobia shares some of its symptoms with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, it can be difficult to distinguish them. But there are important differences. Though social avoidance is sometimes a symptom of panic disorder, it’s not the main symptom. People with panic disorder may withdraw from social situations, but they also avoid other situations, such as driving through tunnels. And though fear of embarrassment or humiliation can be a symptom of generalized anxiety disorder, it’s not the main source of anxiety.
Cause: Preliminary animal research suggests that reduced brain levels of serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters that affect mood and anxiety, may be a cause. Researchers are also studying the amygdala.
Prevalence: About 4% of Americans have social phobia.
Who’s at risk: Social phobia is twice as common among women as it is among men. It rarely starts after age 25, and children, adolescents, and young adults are at the highest risk. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is usually combined with medication in treating social phobia. Two forms of cognitive-behavioral therapy are especially
beneficial: anxiety management training and cognitive restructuring. Anxiety management focuses on teaching relaxation techniques such as deep breathing to help control anxiety. Cognitive restructuring teaches people how to recognize the thought processes that lead to the phobia and replace them with new assessments and expectations. Group cognitive-behavioral therapy and advice on improving social skills can also help build confidence in social situations."
