Phobias are emotional but cause the body to exhibit physical symptoms.
Feelings of panic and dread or terror
Recognition that the fear is abnormal
Reactions that are involuntary and out of control
Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, sweating, intense anxiety,
and an
overwhelming desire to leave the situation
Extreme measures taken to avoid the feared object or situation
Impaired ability to function at normal tasks due to fear
Taking usual measure to avoid the cause of your fear
Treatment:
According to the American Psychiatric Association, phobias are treatable.
Treatment can be through medication, behavior modification, or
cognitive-behavioral therapy. In behavior modification, which is effective with
those who experience object or situational phobias such as fear of flying
(pterygophobia), a trained therapist assists the person to confront his fears
and to control his physical reaction. This may done through a form of deep
breathing or exposure therapy in which the person is gradually exposed to his fear
and shown coping skills.
Medications can be added in the treatment of panic attacks associated with
agoraphobia or social phobia. Paxil, an antidepressant, has been approved
by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for social phobia.
Beta Blockers work by blocking the stimulating effect of epinephrine
(adrenaline) which increases heart rate and elevates blood pressure. A sedative
in a low dose can be prescribed for a short period.
Most people have some fear or aversion to some object or situation in
life. It is when this fear becomes so intense that it causes not only an
emotional reaction, but a physical one as well, that it becomes a phobia.
When life has become miserable due to fear, when leaving the house becomes
impossible, when employment becomes difficult, seek treatment. There is
hope. Remember an old German proverb: “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he
is.”