28-year-old Nina was complaining of sleepless nights for the past 7 months. She would often wake up palpitating and scared. Finally, after much insistence from her friends she decided to consult a psychologist about it. As the counsellor explored the various events that have happened in her life, it was found that Nina had just moved into a new city and was living alone in an apartment that was unused for over 2 years. As a child at the age of 6, she was once trapped in a closet for over 4 hours and no one knew, until her mother found her missing during dinner time.
Since then, she had unconsciously developed a fear of being alone in a closed room. She was developing signs of Claustrophobia which is the fear of being locked in an enclosed place. She finally decided to move out into a bigger flat to prevent her condition from getting worse.
"Phobias are the most common mental disorder," says R. Reid Wilson, PhD, spokesman for the American Psychological Association. The sad part is that many people do not identify the root cause of their phobias to be able to overcome it like Nina.
What is Phobia?
"Phobias involve the experience of persistent fear that is excessive and unreasonable," says Wilson, who is author of the book 'Don't Panic'.
A person with phobia fears the object or even the anticipation of approaching the situation where he/she would have to face the object of his/her fear.
A fear is different from a phobia because while most people get the jitters if a spider crawls on their arm, people suffering from arachnophobia (fear of spiders) are physically and/or psychologically impaired by it; to the extent that they might not be able to walk out of the house in the night because they cannot see the spiders, if they are there.
Whether it is Ophthalmophobia which is the fear of being stared at; Aviophobia or, fear of flying; or Zoophobia, the fear of animals; phobias can be crippling. Some might even develop Phobophobia which is fear of developing a phobia.
People are generally not treated for their phobias. A small percent of people go in for treatment because they are not totally disabled by it, so they find their way around it and continue to live with it. For e.g., people with Hemophobia or the fear of blood would just avoid going to hospitals and using sharp objects.
Signs of having a phobia
When a person with any kind of phobia anticipates or encounters being in the presence of the feared object or situation, they experience immediate anxiety. All phobias can limit one's daily activities.
• The physical symptoms of anxiety may include a racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, chest or abdominal discomfort, ringing in your ears or trembling.
• The emotional component involves an intense fear of losing control, embarrassing oneself, or passing out.
• And as a result, behaviourally, people try to escape and/or avoid the feared situation wherever possible.
There are a variety of interventions in the field today, to work with phobic. Some of them are Systematic Desensitization, Imagery Techniques, Relaxation techniques and Cognitive- Behavioural Modification.
When to seek help:
• If your fear of an object is persistent and interfering with your ability to lead a normal routine life.
• If the frequency and intensity of your fear is too high to be controlled in the situation.
• If you are avoiding situations that matter to you and your loved ones because of your anxiety.
• If you suffer from overwhelming blushing/trembling/sweating in social situations.
If you would like to discuss this further or need some help or support in this or any other area, our counsellors would be happy to help.
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