Phobias – What Are You Afraid Of?
Posted on: January 26, 2009
The word “phobia” is a term that refers to a group of symptoms brought on by feared objects or situations.
A phobia is a persistent, irrational fear that causes a person to feel intense anxiety.
People develop phobias about many things like darkness, social situations, spiders, or blood. Agoraphobia, one of the most common phobias, involves the fear of open places. A person with agoraphobia feels anxious in places where it would be hard to escape, like being in a crowd, standing in line, being on a bridge or traveling in a car. In extreme cases, they are so immobilized by fear that they become a prisoner in their own home.
Phobias are the most common form of anxiety disorders, which affect people of all ages, at all income levels and in all geographic locations, according to a study by American the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), between 5.1 and 21.5 percent of Americans suffer form Phobias. Broken down by age and gender, the NIMH study found phobias were the most common psychiatric illness among women in all age groups and the second most common illness among men older than 25.
In some people, the response to a phobia can be fairly mild. For example, a person who has a phobia about flying might simply avoid airplanes. In other people, the phobia causes, or arises from, full-blown panic attacks with symptoms such as shortness of breath, sweating, irregular heartbeats and the shakes. Just why a person develops a particular phobia is not always clear. There appear to be both biological and psychological reasons. Psychologists classify phobias with other anxiety-caused problems and theorize they are a response to separation or loss. Heredity appears to play a role, and so does brain chemistry.
Source: http://www.coolquiz.com
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2 Responses to "Phobias – What Are You Afraid Of?"
February 11, 2009 at 12:40 am
Hi,
I came across your posting, and I thought you may be interested in this :
A major cable network is casting a show that will try and help women overcome their phobias. We’re looking for women who have phobias that constrict their day-to-day life and want to take the next step in overcoming their fears. The show will put female phobic’s into a therapeutic environment to help them face their fears head on. Under the guidance of counselors and through the use of therapy the goal of the show is to help these women get their lives back on track. If you’re a woman who’s ready to eliminate your fear once and for all, this is the show for you!
Please email us with your name, age, contact information, picture, and phobia. Be sure to also include in your e-mail a brief description of how your phobia has prevented you from living life to its fullest and why you’re ready to conquer it and finally move on.
Send your e-mails to: cjbcasting@yahoo.com
Thanks, and good luck!
Thoughts To Live By... 
January 28, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I have social phobia and I totally agree with you that there are both biological and psychological reasons for anxiety. It was interesting to read your article. Thanks for posting!