Sometimes phobias are confused with fear, without thinking that these words are not synonymous with the same concept. And the reasons for their appearance are completely different. The basis for the appearance of phobia lies deep in the subconscious and it is difficult for a person to get rid of it. He realizes that sometimes he experiences unreasonable fear, but he does not realize why.
In other words, a person's phobias are strongly expressed obsessions. They are manifested in certain situations and people are not able to substantiate them logically, they are irrational. Phobias are quite common in modern society. People are afraid of snakes, public speeches, dogs, closed or open spaces. There is even euphobia, that is, fear of getting good news.
The signs of a phobia include those when a person actively avoids some situations, objects, in the contacts with which he experiences discomfort, excitement or fear. The symptom of obsessive fear manifests itself almost instantly, often immediately goes into a panic, the pulse becomes more frequent, blood and blood pressure rises, the head may start to spin, in some cases a person may even lose consciousness.
Other symptoms of phobias include the following:
- the appearance of spasms in the throat, all signs of suffocation may appear;
- the body seems to be a stranger, the person, as it were, ceases to own it, uncontrollable reactions are possible;
- physical stress;
- vomiting;
- loss of control over the situation and over self, hysteria.
What are phobias?
Phobias are divided into species depending on the subject, the object of human fear:
- Fear of space. To this type of phobia include claustrophobia (fear of enclosed space), agoraphobia (on the contrary - fear of open space).
- Sociophobia - fears associated with social, public life, such as fear of people, fear of blushing, fear of public speaking and others. This also includes this kind of phobia, like the fear of losing a loved one.
- The third group - nosophobia - of various kinds of fears associated with diseases, for example, the fear of cancer, psychophobia - the fear of developing a mental disorder.
- Contrasting phobias. These include, for example, the fear of swearing loudly in a public place.
- Thanatophobia is the fear of death.
- Phobias associated with fear of harming themselves or close people.
- Various fears of animals.
- And finally, phobophobia is the fear of fear itself.
Treatment of phobias
In fact, about 10% of the world's population is affected by phobias. For example, in the US, mostly women suffer from them, not men. It is almost impossible to cope alone with such a problem, therefore, when symptoms of obsessive fears appear, it is necessary to consult a specialist. As a rule, the main options for treating phobias are medication and psychotherapy.
- Drug treatment.
The patient is attributed psychotropic drugs that block the splitting of serotonin. Thus, they keep the serotonin in the brain, which helps to fight the depression that occurs against the background of a phobia. The effect of such treatment is about 50-60%, besides, one should not forget about the side effects of psychotropic drugs and the possibility of getting used to them. - Psychotherapy. The treatment of a person's phobias involves a variety of types of psychotherapy, but it is the phobias that are considered the most difficult to treat and require special attention. Therapy, as a rule, takes quite a long period, because for its success, first of all it is necessary to identify the root cause of the onset of fear.