Describe Specific Phobias
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder defined by a persistent fear of a situation, object, feeling or animal. The phobia results in the onset of fear and is long term. The person with the phobia will try to avoid the situation or object at all costs. If these cannot be avoided this would cause significant distress. On some occasions with particular phobias to blood or injury this could cause fainting. Agoraphobia can be associated with panic attacks. It is usual for a person with phobias to fear a number of situations or objects. Even thinking about the cause of the phobia can cause a person to feel anxious or panicky, which can bring on some if not all of the following symptoms for example dizziness, nausea, sweating, increased heart rate
Q2. There are two main groups of phobias which are specific phobias about one thing in particular and complex which is more disruptive to someone’s life. Types of specific phobias include to certain animals, natural environment situations, blood or injury and specific situations. The most common are fear of spiders, snakes and fear of heights. Occasionally they are triggered by a negative experience with the object or situation. A specific phobia can be easier to cope with as you may not come into contact every day, a …show more content…
severe specific phobia can cause fear when the object or situation is not present.
Social phobia is when the person feels anxious about coming into contact with other people, they may fear criticism. Social phobia could be feeling a fear of speaking in public or just to group or people. Also known as stage fright and can result in vomiting and be extremely debilitating making every day activities such as shopping or going out with friends an almost impossible task.
Q3. Examples of specific phobias would be fear of a particular thing such as an animal e.g dog or spider and these are the most common phobia. You may also have a fear of heights or darkness. It could also be a certain situation such as going to the dentist or a fear of needles/injections. People suffer phobias about flying or travelling in cars or being in closed in spaces. A person can have more than one specific phobia Social phobia is a long lasting and overwhelming fear and dread of being surrounded by people. Social phobia is more than shyness, it's an intense fear that doesn't go away and affects everyday activities, self-confidence, relationships and work or school life.
Many people worry about social situations, but someone with social phobia would feel extremely worried before, during and after.
With social phobia you would dread everyday activities, such as meeting strangers, starting conversations, speaking on the phone, working or shopping find it difficult to do things when others are watching – you may feel like you're being watched and judged all the time
Phobias can be caused by a variety of things for instance it could be that you had a parent or relative who was nervous in particular situations, this could mean that you grew up feeling the same nerves and anxiety in similar situations as an adult. It could come from a bad childhood experience which triggers memories of anxiety to come back when you’re reminded of it. There doesn’t appear to be any one thing which might cause a phobia, there are usually several factors to take into account, perhaps a particular incident or event. A distressing event such as getting into trouble in water can cause a phobia. It may be that you have a fear of confined spaces or heights. Depression and substance abuse are also linked to phobias. A social phobia could be linked to a previous social occasion.
Q5. When experiencing a phobia the feelings might be some of the following: Physically… Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, tightness in chest of rapid heartbeat Sweating, hot flushes or chills Headache or dizziness, ringing in the ears or dry mouth Butterflies or nausea or feeling faint Psychologically… Fear of fainting or losing control Feeling of dread or fear of dying Feelings of unreality, being detached from your body
Q6.
If you had a specific phobia, which are the most common, it could be a fear of heights, for instance, where you would have to plan things in your everyday life which others take for granted. It could be that your journey to work means you have to get on a bus causing fear of having to sit alone or speak to a stranger. You may have to cross a bridge or maybe climb stairs or take an elevator to a higher floor to your office which would trigger fear of heights. You would have to consider whether you could cope with your phobia if you couldn’t do those things on a daily basis. The fear is not always of the actual object but of some terrible outcome such as being knocked over by a car or falling from a
height.
Agoraphobia is a fear of being in certain situations where escape might be difficult or that help might not be available if things went wrong. Many people assume agoraphobia is simply a fear of open spaces but it is actually a much more complex condition. Someone with agoraphobia may be scared of travelling on public transport, visiting a shopping centre or even leaving the house.
If someone with agoraphobia found themselves in a stressful situation, they would usually experience the symptoms of a panic attack, such as rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing or feeling hot and sweating and feeling nauseous.
They would try to avoid situations which cause anxiety and may only leave the house with a friend or relative. They would do things such as ordering groceries online rather than going to the supermarket where they would have to meet people. This change in behaviour is known as avoidance.
Q8. A phobia might affect friends or members of the family as it can cause problems in relationships. If a child experiences a phobia it could mean that the whole family has to work around that particular phobia in order to avoid causing the fear or anxiety. It may be that a member of the family suffers a social phobia and won’t attend family events such as weddings or christenings and then the other family members have to try and explain, it would also cause them to feel guilty leaving the person with the phobia behind. If the person with the phobia cannot express their fear to family and friends this might cause some frustration or anger.
Q9. Anyone with a phobia might help themselves by sharing their fears with others. Explaining what it feels like, what causes the phobia and trying to be positive can help people to understand and maybe provide a solution to a problem. Using relaxation and breathing exercises as part of a group can help to train people to relax muscles and breathe deeply which might clear the mind of any worries. Once you know how to do this properly you can use this skill to relax at stressful times. Graded exposure is better for those with specific phobias where a fear can be identified. The person slowly exposes themselves to the feared object or situation in a way which allows them to control the fear gradually. If this is done correctly the person should be able to control their anxiety at each stage and conquer their fear.
A lot of people don’t require treatment and can avoid the cause of their anxiety by making lifestyle changes, keeping fit and eating a regular, healthy diet but for others there are treatments available which might be one of the following:
Counselling where someone specifically trained and qualified can listen and try to help them to overcome their problems.
Some simple phobias can be overcome using something called “desensitisation” which means being gradually exposed to the feared object or situation over a period of time until the person feels less anxious about it.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) which aims to identify any connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviour patterns. It aims to help develop practical skills in order to manage any patterns which might be causing the problems. When CBT is used to treat phobias it can include a range of techniques including exposure therapy. Homework can be set to include monitoring thoughts and feelings and keeping a diary.
Medication isn't normally recommended for treating phobias because talking therapies are usually very effective and don't have any side effects.
Q11 Your GP would usually be the first person to contact as they can provide a diagnosis and refer you to the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) who will provide support and treatment. CMHT can also refer you to counsellors, social workers, occupational therapists etc., where you will be given self-help material and basic therapy. Medication is not normally prescribed for phobias but if the effect of a phobia is anxiety then there are three main types of medication available which are anti-depressants which may help reduce anxiety but can have withdrawal symptoms, tranquillisers but these can cause dependence problems and beta blockers which may also help to reduce the symptoms of anxiety such as irregular heartbeat.
Q2. There are two main groups of phobias which are specific phobias about one thing in particular and complex which is more disruptive to someone’s life. Types of specific phobias include to certain animals, natural environment situations, blood or injury and specific situations. The most common are fear of spiders, snakes and fear of heights. Occasionally they are triggered by a negative experience with the object or situation. A specific phobia can be easier to cope with as you may not come into contact every day, a …show more content…
severe specific phobia can cause fear when the object or situation is not present.
Social phobia is when the person feels anxious about coming into contact with other people, they may fear criticism. Social phobia could be feeling a fear of speaking in public or just to group or people. Also known as stage fright and can result in vomiting and be extremely debilitating making every day activities such as shopping or going out with friends an almost impossible task.
Q3. Examples of specific phobias would be fear of a particular thing such as an animal e.g dog or spider and these are the most common phobia. You may also have a fear of heights or darkness. It could also be a certain situation such as going to the dentist or a fear of needles/injections. People suffer phobias about flying or travelling in cars or being in closed in spaces. A person can have more than one specific phobia Social phobia is a long lasting and overwhelming fear and dread of being surrounded by people. Social phobia is more than shyness, it's an intense fear that doesn't go away and affects everyday activities, self-confidence, relationships and work or school life.
Many people worry about social situations, but someone with social phobia would feel extremely worried before, during and after.
With social phobia you would dread everyday activities, such as meeting strangers, starting conversations, speaking on the phone, working or shopping find it difficult to do things when others are watching – you may feel like you're being watched and judged all the time
Phobias can be caused by a variety of things for instance it could be that you had a parent or relative who was nervous in particular situations, this could mean that you grew up feeling the same nerves and anxiety in similar situations as an adult. It could come from a bad childhood experience which triggers memories of anxiety to come back when you’re reminded of it. There doesn’t appear to be any one thing which might cause a phobia, there are usually several factors to take into account, perhaps a particular incident or event. A distressing event such as getting into trouble in water can cause a phobia. It may be that you have a fear of confined spaces or heights. Depression and substance abuse are also linked to phobias. A social phobia could be linked to a previous social occasion.
Q5. When experiencing a phobia the feelings might be some of the following: Physically… Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, tightness in chest of rapid heartbeat Sweating, hot flushes or chills Headache or dizziness, ringing in the ears or dry mouth Butterflies or nausea or feeling faint Psychologically… Fear of fainting or losing control Feeling of dread or fear of dying Feelings of unreality, being detached from your body
Q6.
If you had a specific phobia, which are the most common, it could be a fear of heights, for instance, where you would have to plan things in your everyday life which others take for granted. It could be that your journey to work means you have to get on a bus causing fear of having to sit alone or speak to a stranger. You may have to cross a bridge or maybe climb stairs or take an elevator to a higher floor to your office which would trigger fear of heights. You would have to consider whether you could cope with your phobia if you couldn’t do those things on a daily basis. The fear is not always of the actual object but of some terrible outcome such as being knocked over by a car or falling from a
height.
Agoraphobia is a fear of being in certain situations where escape might be difficult or that help might not be available if things went wrong. Many people assume agoraphobia is simply a fear of open spaces but it is actually a much more complex condition. Someone with agoraphobia may be scared of travelling on public transport, visiting a shopping centre or even leaving the house.
If someone with agoraphobia found themselves in a stressful situation, they would usually experience the symptoms of a panic attack, such as rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing or feeling hot and sweating and feeling nauseous.
They would try to avoid situations which cause anxiety and may only leave the house with a friend or relative. They would do things such as ordering groceries online rather than going to the supermarket where they would have to meet people. This change in behaviour is known as avoidance.
Q8. A phobia might affect friends or members of the family as it can cause problems in relationships. If a child experiences a phobia it could mean that the whole family has to work around that particular phobia in order to avoid causing the fear or anxiety. It may be that a member of the family suffers a social phobia and won’t attend family events such as weddings or christenings and then the other family members have to try and explain, it would also cause them to feel guilty leaving the person with the phobia behind. If the person with the phobia cannot express their fear to family and friends this might cause some frustration or anger.
Q9. Anyone with a phobia might help themselves by sharing their fears with others. Explaining what it feels like, what causes the phobia and trying to be positive can help people to understand and maybe provide a solution to a problem. Using relaxation and breathing exercises as part of a group can help to train people to relax muscles and breathe deeply which might clear the mind of any worries. Once you know how to do this properly you can use this skill to relax at stressful times. Graded exposure is better for those with specific phobias where a fear can be identified. The person slowly exposes themselves to the feared object or situation in a way which allows them to control the fear gradually. If this is done correctly the person should be able to control their anxiety at each stage and conquer their fear.
A lot of people don’t require treatment and can avoid the cause of their anxiety by making lifestyle changes, keeping fit and eating a regular, healthy diet but for others there are treatments available which might be one of the following:
Counselling where someone specifically trained and qualified can listen and try to help them to overcome their problems.
Some simple phobias can be overcome using something called “desensitisation” which means being gradually exposed to the feared object or situation over a period of time until the person feels less anxious about it.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) which aims to identify any connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviour patterns. It aims to help develop practical skills in order to manage any patterns which might be causing the problems. When CBT is used to treat phobias it can include a range of techniques including exposure therapy. Homework can be set to include monitoring thoughts and feelings and keeping a diary.
Medication isn't normally recommended for treating phobias because talking therapies are usually very effective and don't have any side effects.
Q11 Your GP would usually be the first person to contact as they can provide a diagnosis and refer you to the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) who will provide support and treatment. CMHT can also refer you to counsellors, social workers, occupational therapists etc., where you will be given self-help material and basic therapy. Medication is not normally prescribed for phobias but if the effect of a phobia is anxiety then there are three main types of medication available which are anti-depressants which may help reduce anxiety but can have withdrawal symptoms, tranquillisers but these can cause dependence problems and beta blockers which may also help to reduce the symptoms of anxiety such as irregular heartbeat.