Fear and Anxiety

Phobia comes from the Greek word ‘phóbos’ meaning morbid fear (wikipedia). But what exactly is a phobia? The direct denotation of a phobia is “a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it” (dictionary). A phobia falls under the category of an anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder is often “a harmful chronic condition, which can be present from an early age or begin suddenly after a triggering event. They are prone to flare up at times of high stress and are frequently accompanied by physiological symptoms such as headache, sweating, muscle spasms, palpitations, and hypertension, which in some cases lead to fatigue or even exhaustion” (wikipedia). According to healthline.com, if there is any exposure to the object that is feared, the stimulus may provoke extreme anxiety or a panic attack.” Phobias are mainly and tend to be caused by a traumatic event or experience that happened prior in a person’s life. Other factors that may increase the likelihood of a phobia developing include cultural factors and possibly even genetics. “Phobias are actually quite common, affecting more than ten percent of the U.S. population. Phobias are the most common mental disorder in the United States, but far more women than men are affected by phobias” (about.com). Approximately six point three million American adults ages eighteen to fifty four, or about four point four percent of people in this age group in a given year, have some type of specific phobia (Heering). This anxiety disorder affects more than one in ten people in the word and they are usually present as a panic attack or a severe episode of anxiety and start during adolescence or adulthood (Frapwell). The percent of people that are diagnosed of having a phobia tend to be constant year to year; there has not been a dramatic increase or decrease over the years. Phobias can be divided into three main categories: social phobias, agoraphobia, and

Cited: Craske, Michelle, Martin M. Antony, and David H. Barlow. Mastering Your Fears and Phobias. Madison Avenue, New York, New York: Oxford UP, 2006. Print. Emery, Gary, Ruth Greenberg, and Aaron T. Beck. Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective. Basic, 1990. Print. Heering, Jan. Phobia-fear-release.com. 23 Nov. 2009. Web. "Phobias." Webmd.com. Healthwise, Incorporated, 1995. Web.