Fear is actually a normal reaction to a threat. The major difference between fear and phobia is the extremity. Phobia is an extreme fear.
Another difference is the extent to which one takes to avoid it. Phobias lead to a fear response even when not in danger.
Phobias are however exaggerated or unrealistic sense of danger about a situation or object.
Why are Phobias seen as a mental Health Condition. This is because the person experiences intense stress and anxiety when faced with the source of the phobia.
Below are Ten Common Phobias In the World;
Social Phobias.
Social Phobias are the commonest type of Phobias. It’s an anxiety disorder & it makes you over conscious of yourself in social settings or situations. Many people with this phobia fear being judged so they try their best to avoid social settings or places. Settings like eating infront of others, talking to a large crowd and other forms of social settings. Approximately one in every 20 persons have this phobia.
Acrophobia (fear of heights).
There are People that have extreme fear of heights that even using an elevator, escalators or jumping off a small cliff is a big deal for them.
Agoraphobia (fear of Open Spaces).
While it’s normal to have fear of open places, however Agoraphobia is an extreme fear of open places. This anxiety disorder can trap people in their homes or makes it impossible for people to lead a normal life.
People with Agoraphobia also avoid certain places & settings.
Claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces).
We atimes tend to hear people say they have extreme fear of flying in an airplane. It is sometimes linked to Claustrophobia where people say they have a kind of feeling like the walls are closing on them. e.g fear of lifts
Aerophobia (fear of flying).
Having some news of air crash and air disasters, it’s quite not shocking that People have fear of flying. There are however some people that have an extreme fear of flying which is the phobia itself.
Ophidiophobia (fear of Snakes).
It’s actually normal for everyone to be afraid of snakes. Who wants to be stung? but having an extreme fear of it maybe due to past experience that makes you afraid of anything long and snake like.
Entomophobia (fear of insects).
Insects as we all know are small, crawl and atimes bite which makes us hate them but there are actually people who have extreme fear for insects.
Cynophobia (fear of dogs).
It is actually normal to fear dogs, which is common among Children and even adults.
Extreme fear for dogs might develop after a bad experience with dogs.
It’s actually a difficult phobia to handle because dogs perceive or sense fear.
Trypanophobia (fear of injections).
Nobody wants to have a needle pierced into his or her body or would even like to have such thought, so it’s normal to be afraid of needles.
Extreme fear of it is the phobia
However needles/ syringe can be important for vaccinations, Blood donations & investigating illnesses.
- Astraphobia (fear of storms)
It is quite normal to be afraid of thunder, It can send people’s hearts racing.
Astraphobia can occur due to a traumatic experience once had in a storm.
Can you identify your Phobia here?
Thanks for sharing this very informative article