Phobias

Do you fear something so much that you get panic attacks, the fear of dying, the fear of losing control, or the feeling of being smothered? If so, it is possible that you have a phobia. A phobia is an anxiety disorder in which the affected person experiences an excessive or irrational fear of a specific situation, object, or activity that disrupts their ability to function in normal daily activities. The following is a way to recognize a phobia and treatment of the phobia.

There are three types of phobias: Agoraphobias, Social Phobias, and Specific Phobias.

The first: Agoraphobia, is the phobia type that I suffer from. Common phobias in this group are Claustrophobia, fear of tight, confined spaces, and Kenophobia, fear of open spaces.

Secondly: the common social phobia, Glossophobia, is the fear of speaking in public.

Finally: Specific Phobias are your "odd" phobias. Included in this list are Aracanophobia, Chaetophobia (fear of hair), and Scholionophobia (fear of school).

According to a recent statistic in Time Magazine, 11% of the U.S. Population, or about 25 Million people, suffer from a phobia in their lifetime. Most phobias start with a frightening or threatening experience. For instance, someone who has been bitten by a vicious dog commonly generalize their fear to include all dogs.

The question is, do you have a phobia? The easiest way to tell is if you get panic attacks, the feeling that you are going to lose control, or in some cases, die, excessive sweating, or have severe anxiety about something, then you probably have a phobia. Most phobias start while people are children, and are usually "grown out of." However, in some severe cases, it is possible that one may have to receive rigorous treatment.

If you have a phobia, one must speak to a psychologist. They will them recommend that they go through