Phobias

A phobia is a common type of anxiety disorder.

Plenty of people are afraid of things. A fear only turns into a phobia when you start arranging your life around avoiding it.

If you have a phobia, you feel an overwhelming need to stay away from whatever causes your anxiety. Coming into contact with it brings on anxiety, panic, or both. Sometimes just thinking about it is enough to bring these feelings on.

A phobia can be caused by many things, including:

• animals
• objects
• places
• situations

If your phobia is of an object or animal you don't see often, it's unlikely to affect your day-to-day life. But if you come across the cause of your phobia regularly, you may find it very hard to lead a normal life.

Simple phobias are fears of specific objects, animals, situations or activities. Some common examples are:

• dogs
• spiders (arachnophobia)
• snakes
• enclosed spaces (claustrophobia)
• dentists
• flying

Some people manage to cope with their fears on their own, but others will need help and support to deal with the problem.

Complex phobias can affect your life more than simple phobias do. They're often tied to a deep-rooted fear or anxiety about a particular circumstance or situation.

If you talk to a doctor about your anxiety, it may help to identify a complex phobia.

Agoraphobia and social phobia are two common examples of complex phobias.

Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult, or where help wouldn't be available if things go wrong.

It often involves several connected phobias together. Someone with agoraphobia may also fear being left alone (monophobia), and they might fear places where they feel trapped (claustrophobia).

So a person with agoraphobia may find it difficult to:

• travel on public transport
• visit a shopping centre
• leave home (in extreme cases)

Some people feel very apprehensive and anxious if they have to leave home to go to the shops. Others may feel fairly comfortable travelling a short distance from their home.

If you have social phobia, you may feel afraid of:

• being in social situations, like weddings
• performing in social situations, like public speaking
• leaving home because you might meet people (in extreme cases)

With social phobia, the thought of being seen in public can leave you very anxious and frightened. These situations can make you feel vulnerable.

If you deliberately avoid meeting people in social situations, that is a sign of social phobia.

Phobias are the most common type of anxiety disorder. In the UK, an estimated 10 million people have phobias. They can affect anyone, whatever their age, sex or social background.

People with a phobia usually have to keep away from whatever causes their fear. How far they will go to do that differs from person to person.

Take someone with a fear of spiders (arachnophobia). One person may simply not want to touch a spider. Another may not be able to look at a picture of one.

Every phobia can limit your daily activities, and phobias can cause severe anxiety and depression.

Panic attacks are common in people with phobias. They can be very frightening and distressing, and the symptoms often come on suddenly, without any warning.

Phobias usually develop during childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. They often begin after a frightening event or a stressful situation. But it's not always clear why a particular phobia starts.

If other people in your family share your phobia, you've most likely all learnt it from a family member when you were children.

Most people with a phobia know they have one. Many live with it for years without a formal diagnosis, simply taking care to stay away from the thing they're afraid of.

If your phobia gets in the way of your day to day life, it may help to speak to your doctor. They may refer you to a specialist, such as a psychologist, who can help.

Almost all phobias can be treated successfully, and they can be cured.

Treating a simple phobia means slowly getting used to the thing that causes your fear. This is called desensitisation, or self-exposure therapy.

Every phobia is different, so no single programme will work for everyone. You may decide to get help from a specialist, such as a psychologist. Or you might put together your own self-help plan.

Our mental health self-help guides are based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). They can help people with anxiety and other mental health problems.

Complex phobias often take longer to treat than simple phobias. Treatment might involve talking therapies, such as counselling, psychotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Speak to your doctor for more information about treating a complex phobia.

Medicine is not usually used to treat phobias.

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