Phobias and Fears

Fears and phobias will help you learn about fear, the difference between fear and anxiety, what causes phobias, the types and most common symptoms of phobia, how a phobia is diagnosed, and information on phobia treatment.

Is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. Known by a number of names (Acrophobia, Allodoxaphobia, and Fear of Heights) the problem often significantly impacts the quality of life. This surprisingly common phobia causes countless people needless distress.

Is the abnormal fear of expecting or experiencing a difficult or embarrassing situation from which the sufferer cannot find an escape. The word is an English adoption of the Greek words agora and phobos, literally translated in modern Greek as "a fear of the marketplace". This translation is the reason of the common misconception that agoraphobia is a fear of open spaces. This is most often not the case since people suffering from agoraphobia usually are not afraid of the open spaces themselves, but of public spaces or of situations where a person is afraid of having a panic attack and will not be able to receive help. Another misconception is that agoraphobia is a fear of "crowded spaces" (which would be a social phobia

Is an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces. A person with claustrophobia suffers from panic attacks, or fear of having a panic attack, in situations such as being in elevators, trains or aircraft. If a panic attack occurs while they are in a confined space, then the claustrophobic person fears not being able to escape the situation. Those suffering from claustrophobia might find it difficult to breathe in closed auditoriums, theatres, and elevators.

Is the fear of being alone.  Monophobia can make a person feel very insecure, anxious and depressed. If you fear being alone you may become over needy of other people and feel as if you must be around people at all times. While we all, to varying degrees, need people in our life, if you feel you must have people around all the time then this need is controlling you.

People with panic disorder have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. They cannot predict when an attack will occur, and many develop intense anxiety between episodes, worrying when and where the next attack will strike.  Some people's lives become so restricted that they avoid normal everyday activities such as grocery shopping or driving. In some cases they become housebound.  When a person's life become restricted in this way, the condition is called agoraphobia. One-third of people with panic disorder develop agoraphobia. Early treatment of panic disorder can often prevent agoraphobia and depression.

A phobia is a fear which is caused by a specific object or situation. The fear may be caused by the actual presence of the feared object or situation, or it maybe caused by the anticipation of the presence of that object or situation. Anxiety, triggered by the fear, may approach the intensity of panic. There are phobias for so many things that there are whole websites listing all the phobias.

Is a persistent fear of one or more situations in which the person is exposed to possible scrutiny by others and fears that he or she may do something or act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing. Social phobia involves overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations.