As defined by the dictionary, a phobia is : a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it.

Most people are pretty familiar with the term and know about the more common phobias in life such as fear of spiders (Arachnephobia or Arachnophobia) , fear of flying (Pteromerhanophobia), fear of heights (Batophobia), fear of confined spaces (claustrophobia) and many others. But I wonder if many know there are actually more than 500 listed, referenced and verifiable names of different phobias. Amazing!

I thought I would share some of the more interesting and entertaining ones here before moving on to the symptoms and treatment. Autodysomophobia- Fear of one that has a vile odor. (or would that just be a distaste for such), Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth (this one should be highly easy to avoid and control in life, don't eat it), Barophobia- Fear of gravity (this one on the other hand , impossible to avoid), Decidophobia- Fear of making decisions (I had a hard time deciding if I should add that one), Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge (no one here on Helium for sure), Gymnophobia- Fear of nudity (these people should definitely not partner up with those suffering Autodysomophobia as showering would be difficult). For more please check out the list on phobialist.com, you wont be disappointed!

All kidding aside, phobias can be mentally debilitating to those suffering with them in the extreme form. They can lessen your joy in life and in some cases totally consume your thoughts and control your life.

The causes of phobias are mostly unknown and unexplainable however there does seem to be a shared sense of phobias between members of the same family. A combination of traumatic experiences and certain brain chemicals may also contribute to the phobia.

Simply put, phobias are irrational fears that make no common sense. I have an intense fear of mice (musophobia) which intellectually makes no sense. They are cute, tiny little creatures that cant possibly do me any harm......I did say intellectually right? On the few occasions in my life I have had to be exposed to these little creatures, my reaction has been totally irrational.

When confronted with the object of your fear, your feelings are irrational and in severe cases can cause immense anxiety and panic attacks. One in ten people are affected by phobias and twenty percent of the time adult phobias disappear on their own. It is when they do not, or when they become more debilitating, that diagnosis and treatment should be sought.

There are no diagnostic tools available to accurately to predict the likelihood or presence of phobias. Diagnosis is totally reliant on the persons account of their experiences. Once it has been determined a phobia exists, treatment can be sought.

Most people cannot control their fears on their own and so will require some form of treatment. The treatment in the worse cases will often be a combination of anti-anxiety drugs, exposure and some form of talk therapy. Those committed to overcoming their phobias are usually very successful at doing so.

We all have irrational fears now and then. Some peoples fears simply go the the extreme so much that their lives and enjoyment of those lives is seriously hampered. We call those exaggerated fears, phobias. Luckily, treatment is highly successful and a most satisfying and fulfilling life lay just on the other side of treatment.

Learn more about this author, Kristal Mcvicar.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about What is a phobia??
We want to hear your view. Write now!