by Sunshine Simmons

Created on: February 11, 2008

The basics of phobias:

Phobias are irrational fears of things, events, or places that pose little or not threat of harm. Fear is a natural response to danger in humans, but phobias take fear to a whole new level. People who have phobias may experience a feeling of panic, horror, terror, uncontrollable thoughts, rapid heartbeat, nausea, heat flashes, diarrhea, sweating, dizziness, a feeling like choking, shortness of breath, tremors, a desire to escape, chest pain, and extreme dread. Many go to great lengths to avoid being in a situation where they may have to face their fears.

Arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, is one of the most common phobias. Half of women and at least 10% of men suffer from an irrational fear of spiders. Studies show that most people with arachnophobia develope it from watching their parents react to spiders, making it a fear that has been passed down culturally for hundreds of years. Some phobias seem very bizarre, like phagophobia, or fear of swallowing. People with this phobia may have choked, or seen some one choke at some point in their lives. Surviving this situation may have been so traumatic, it causes him or her severe panic and anxiety to swallow. They may attempt to avoid eating, drinking, or swallowing pills altogether, and may even go as far as not swallowing their own saliva. Both phobias cause the same paralyzing irrational symptoms, but one is passed down culturally, making it very common, and the other is situational, making it much rarer.

What causes phobias? There are many theories as to what causes phobias. Some psychologists believe phobias are passed on to children who watch their parents live with phobias. Others believe that they are situational, meaning they are caused by a traumatic event. Some believe it's a combination of genetics and situations, or abnormal neurotransmitters (substances in the brain such as serotonin).
There are three categories of phobias:

Social Phobia

Social phobias are fears of being embarrassed in public. A person suffering from a social phobia feels extremely self-conscious in social situations because they feel that they'll be judged or humiliated by something they do. Most people suffering from a social phobia will do whatever it takes to avoid speaking, eating, or drinking in front of others. It's believed that the causes of social phobias are a mixture of genetic shyness, and a traumatic event. An example could be a little girl who gave a speech in class, and something embarrassing happened.

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