Phobia – symptoms of anxiety like tension and trembling

Phobia is a type of neurotic disorder. It involves the symptoms of anxiety like tension and trembling. There is also a sense of collapse and also a sensation of butterflies in the stomach. Please visit the site of ‘anxiety neurosis’ for more details about these symptoms.

Fine, all of us have butterflies in the stomach once in awhile, so, are we phobias? Perhaps not! In phobia, these symptoms only occur in a specific situation like in the dark or in a close place. This will leading to avoidance of being in such place or in such situation. If you have fulfill this criteria, then yes, you are phobia, otherwise, you are as normal as you and me.


SOME TYPES OF PHOBIA:

  1. Agoraphobia – fear of crowds, travel (situations away from home)
  2. Social phobias – where he/she might be observed (e.g.: small dinner party)
  3. Simple phobias – afraid of something like dentist or intercourse
  4. Triskaidekaphobia – afraid of Friday the 13th
  5. Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
  6. there may also be free floating ‘fear of fear’ or fear of disgracing oneself by uncontrollable screaming

TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT

Is important to know the specific cause of phobia and why that can be that way. For example, one person might be afraid to travel by car (not bus) because he afraid that he might be followed and harmed. If because the patient is deluded that he is being followed, then it is a case of paranoid rather than phobia. Other example is he/she might also be afraid of a close place because of her/his bad experience when they are younger.

Some medications like paroxetine can be prescribed to the patients. This medication is good to reduce panic attacks. Apart of that, cognitive therapy will also be helpful. The fundamental idea of this type of therapy is that the mood and thoughts can form a vicious cycle. Cognitive therapy will tackle the vicious cycle by tackling the thought. For example, one might be afraid to travel by car because she afraid that she might be followed by her late husband. By using this kind of therapy, the therapist will encourage the person to find other explanations by challenging him and make he/she sees either their fear is reasonable or not by finding the evidence for and against the thought. The therapist will help her to look for other perspectives and to come to a positive conclusion.

Reference:

  1. Oxford handbook of clinical specialties. 5th edition. 2001.

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