Phobias
Phobias, an intense and uncontrolled fear of situations, objects or activities presents among the most common forms of anxiety disorders. Phobia victims experience persistent and excessive irrational fear of certain objects or situations. The resulting fear and distress in some cases becomes intense to an extent of causing chronic attacks to the victims. The severity of the attacks however differ with some individuals experiencing mild attacks while others suffer fully-fledged panic attacks coupled by grievous devastating symptoms. Phobias constitute the most common forms of social disorders with approximately 8% to 18% of Americans suffering from the condition (Nordqvist).
Concepts Related to Phobias
It is noteworthy pointing out that leaving the extreme cases of phobias untreated could predispose the victims to persistent and chronic mental, psychological and emotional health damages. Concepts such as specific phobia, agoraphobia and social phobia are some of the significant concepts related to phobias. Specific phobias, also known as simple phobias constitute a powerful and irrational fear of a particular trigger that is however known (Nordqvist). They are referred to as simple phobias since one can easily link them to a discernible trigger. Specific phobias may not frequently occur in the everyday life of an individual and they include the phobias of things such as heights and snakes.
Social Phobia and Agoraphobia
Social phobia, also known as social anxiety is a profound and strong fear of public gatherings due to the fright of humiliation, rejection and scrutiny by people from huge social and public settings. The idea of large social gatherings is usually frightening to people suffering from this condition. Agoraphobia, on the other hand refers to the fear of being in a place where ones escape may be difficult as the places would often cause one to feel helpless and trapped, such is the case of an individual being in a lift. People with agoraphobia have an increased risk of panic disorder. Social anxiety and agoraphobia are known as complex phobias, as their triggers are less easily recognized.
Importance of Addressing Phobias
Unfortunately, phobias are often unreported, probably because many people suffering from the condition tend to find ways of avoiding their trigger causes. It is therefore important to be aware of the distinctive features of the disorders so as to address the issue once it arises. According to Moore, people with phobias exhibit distinctive features and characteristics which among others would include; panic and intense anxiety, not being able to function properly, the incapacity to control one’s feelings with the physical effects ranging from sweating, abnormal breathing, accelerated heartbeat, trembling, hot flushes, choking sensation, chest pains, confusion, nausea and dizziness(2).
Development of Phobias
Various researches and studies indicate that a significant percentage of the phobias develop and advance from the early childhood years, through to teenage years or early adulthood. It is therefore a rare and uncommon for a phobia to develop in persons who have attained the relative age of 40 years and above.
Controversies and Questions About Phobias
Although much has been studied and researched about phobias, the social anxiety disorder which is a common type of phobias has had scholars and researchers left with many questions and controversies surrounding its diagnosis and treatment. No clear pathophysiology has been identified for the disorder so far, bringing forth the question of where to draw the line between shyness, social anxiety disorder and even avoidant personality disorder (Dalrymple 993). People with avoidant personality disorder have a lifelong pattern of extreme shyness, social inhibition and suffer from severe feelings of inadequacy. Much of the evidence to date suggests that among individuals with SAD, it is often under-recognized and undertreated. Questions also emerge as to how best individuals suffering from SAD should be treated with researchers continuing to differ as to whether SAD and avoidant personality disorder are two different disorders or not. Again, despite all that has been discovered about SAD in the past years, controversies and numerous questions remain about its etiology, diagnosis and treatment (Dalrymple 993). There also exists a controversy as to whether anxiety disorders are autonomously linked to increased risks of suicide cases. Suicide is certainly a distressing public health concern with more than one million suicide cases reported annually across the globe and researchers would often wonder why somebody who is scared of death would want to commit suicide (Sareen 941).
Treatment of Phobias
Phobias have significantly helped in the study of psychology through new researches conducted to help people suffering from this condition. Certain examples would include the use of psychotherapy which is a collaborative process, where psychologists and the patients team up together in finding and developing skills that would be helpful in managing and controlling the condition. Psychologists have also come up with other approaches to treat phobias such as group psychotherapy, family psychotherapy, exposure treatment, flooding, counter-conditioning, systematic desensitization and anxiety hierarchy (Moore). The techniques developed to help in treating phobias have undoubtedly contributed to the field of psychology in great and positive ways. Increasingly, psychologists are also seeking and turning to alternative treatments for phobias to augment traditional means through the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Moore). These techniques have grown in the recent years. Over the past years, the mysteries of anxiety disorders and phobias have been revealed through basic and clinical research, and patients who suffer from phobias can be certain that the diagnosis and efficient treatment of the condition are underway as they now form part of the researchers and psychologists everyday activities, all in efforts to helping the victims and in impacting the field of psychology positively.
Works Cited
Dalrymple, Kristy L. “Issues and Controversies Surrounding the Diagnosis and Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder.” Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 2014, pp. 993-1009.
Moore, Annabelle. “The Many Treatment Methodologies for Phobias: Finding the Best Fit.” 2018. Applied Psychology OPUS. 2018.
Nordqvist, Christian. “Everything You Need to Know About Phobias.” MedicalNewsToday ,2017. . Accessed 09 May 2018.
Sareen, Jitender. “Anxiety Disorders and the Risk for Suicide. Why Such Controversy?” The Cutting Edge:Depression and Anxiety, 2011, pp. 941-945.
