We all know plenty about phobias. And even if we didn’t, the internet is our greatest friend when we want to find out about pretty much anything. We might even find out why our neighbor is picking his nose so often, if we knew where to look.

There are many judgmental voices all around us when it comes to this subject. It’s easy to laugh about a lot of things, and when it comes to phobias, where you meet the most unexpected fears possible, taking your pick isn’t too hard. The point isn’t that phobias are funny. They really aren’t. I can’t even imagine being so scared of speaking in public (glossophobia) that you feel like fainting only when thinking about it, and yet having to do it anyway – since most educational systems around the globe force you to, at some point.

What happens, though, is that there are a lot of individuals who take phobias as some sort of joke and start pretending that they’re afraid of… cows, let’s say. That’s bovinophobia, and yes, it is an actual phobia and people who do suffer from it don’t find it funny in the least. And there are also a lot of people who self-diagnose with several phobias. These people are even greater in numbers. So we end up by hearing how everyone around us has some sort of phobia.

What is important for people to understand is that not every fear of something is automatically a phobia. Just because someone is afraid to go out at night all alone doesn’t mean they have a phobia, it simply means they have common sense. It could be dangerous.

Phobia ≠ fear.

Phobia = irrational and excessive fear of an object or situation (definition from A.P.A.)

Before taking a look at anything else, however, let’s discuss some myths on this topic.

Myths vs. Reality

“Phobias can’t be cured.” – Wrong. Therapies such as CBT have dealt with phobias for a long while now and managed to achieve this “impossibility”.

– Wrong. Therapies such as CBT have dealt with phobias for a long while now and managed to achieve this “impossibility”. “Phobias start for no reason.” – Wrong. Nearly all cases of phobia treated so far have been successfully linked with one or more specific events which served as a trigger and it is believed that they are the result of a combination of external factors (traumatic events) and inner predispositions.

– Wrong. Nearly all cases of phobia treated so far have been successfully linked with one or more specific events which served as a trigger and it is believed that they are the result of a combination of external factors (traumatic events) and inner predispositions. “Phobia cures take too long.” – Did you notice how I mentioned CBT just now? That’s in no way a long term therapy. It is specific and oriented on fast results. So wrong again.

– Did you notice how I mentioned CBT just now? That’s in no way a long term therapy. It is specific and oriented on fast results. So wrong again. “Phobias can be genetically passed down generations.” or “ People are born with phobias.” – No relevant research has yet proven this correlation to be significant.

or “ – No relevant research has yet proven this correlation to be significant. “Children will automatically develop parental phobias.” – While this could happen, it is not a fact.

Now that we cleared the path a bit, let’s see what the symptoms of having a phobia are, because they are pretty specific and easily identifiable elements. And once again, do NOT self-diagnose. If you think you might have a phobia, please consult a specialist.

Symptoms

Nausea

Breathlessness

Dizziness

A sense of the world around not being real

Fear of dying

These symptoms may surface as a result of being exposed to the feared object or situation, and they could also occur because the person is simply thinking about the element. In more severe situations the symptoms can turn into full-scale anxiety attacks.

Once we consider all these elements, phobias don’t really seem like such a joke anymore, do they? It must be quite hard, actually.

What’s your opinion about people who have or claim to have phobias?

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Read the second article about phobias here: Phobias II: Types & T.A. Perspective

Read about some unusual phobias here: 10 Unusual Phobias