Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective - Research Paper Example

?Phobias Introduction A phobia is “an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of an object or situation that poses little real danger (Mayo Clinic).” Though some people may be afraid of speaking in public or in front of a large audience, or if they have jitters before taking a test or a doctor’s visit, people that have a phobia, or more than one phobia, have an irrational fear about an object or situation that is long-lasting. Some people even have phobias that last their entire life. Furthermore, having a fear of taking a test or speaking in public does not result in some of the physical and psychological ramifications that a phobia is capable of causing. A phobia is something that can greatly alter or disrupt the life of an individual; phobias can cause a person to be unable to function normally in the workplace or other social settings. Types of Phobias There is no way of knowing or even being able to count how many phobias exist in the world. It is often believed that there is a phobia for everything, including many concepts or situations that others are even unaware of. With this being the case, it is possible that there are millions, if not billions, of phobias in the world. As there are so many, it is also believed that everyone is likely to have at least one phobia, if not two or three. Phobias come in all possible forms, showing that every little thing in this world is someone else’s fear. There are three main types of phobia categories: specific phobias, social phobia, and a fear of open spaces, also known as agoraphobia, all of which will be briefly discussed forthcoming. Despite the endless amount of phobias in the world, some are definitely more common than others. The most common phobia is arachnophobia, which is the fear of spiders. This phobia may be more common in females, but there are plenty of men that also wish to have nothing to do with spiders. The second most common phobia experienced throughout the world is social phobia, the fear of being judged negatively in social situations. Roughly 5.3 million American adults between the ages of eighteen and fifty-four have social phobia (Craske 87). Perhaps unsurprisingly, the age group is correlated with the approximate ages of people that are working or in the middle of careers - situations where social judgment is not only unavoidable, but often required as part of their job. Other common phobias are aerophobia, which is the fear of flying; claustrophobia, the fear of being trapped in small, confining spaces; acrophobia, the fear of heights; agoraphobia, which is the fear that brings about extreme fear and avoidance of any place where it might be hard to escape or seek help, such as in an elevator or a larger space, such as the Grand Canyon; and necrophobia, which is the fear of dying or of dead things. There are also phobias that are not as common, and some are simply bizarre. Most of these phobias are fears of concepts or situations. Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive or being anywhere near a cemetery. Anablephobia is the fear of looking up; this is considered strange, as looking up is an action that is done almost unconsciously and can seldom be avoided. Geniophobia is the fear of chins. Possibly the most interesting phobia is phronemophobia, which is the fear of thinking. There are fears for having or seeing certain body parts, certain foods, smells, tastes, or textures. The very paper that this is being written on, or even the ink that typed it, can be the fear of one or more people in this world. This is why phobias are considered to be irrational, since many of these objects, situations, or concepts should not be feared. With a few exceptions, such as a fear of death or even sharks, these phobias are unable to cause harm to a person. As such, by having these phobias, people may risk causing harm to themselves in their attempts to avoid the cause of their phobia. Causes Since each phobia is as different as the person experiencing them, it has become difficult to pinpoint how phobias are caused. Unlike other psychological disorders, there is no specific gene or malfunction in the body to show that a phobia will form. It has been discovered, however, that influence plays a big role in the forming of phobias. This influence is usually seen between parents and children; if the mother or father has a phobia of spiders, there is a good chance that their child, or children, will also have a phobia of spiders. The influence can also take place between siblings or children and their peers. In this way, it can be said that some phobias are as a result of genetics. Though very little has been found, there also seems to be a connection between the forming of phobias and brain chemicals. Another more widely accepted cause of phobias is traumatic experience. If an individual has found themselves in a situation during which they become trapped in an elevator because it has become broken down, they are more likely to develop claustrophobia or even agoraphobia, as previously mentioned. All it would take for someone to develop a phobia about cemeteries would simply be to trip over a grave or be left in the cemetery. Bee stings or ant bites can lead to phobias of these two creatures, or even to phobias that have characteristics in common with bees or ants. Symptoms Even though all phobias are different, the symptoms are often the same. Uncontrollable anxiety when exposed to that fear and the desperate need to avoid that specific fear are among the most common symptoms. Even thinking about the fear can cause anxiety in an individual; someone afraid of flying only needs to think of their impending business trip to display anxiety over the thought of flying. Furthermore, the person is unable to function in a normal fashion because of their anxiety. Physical and psychological reactions are also common, such as difficulty breathing and a rapid heartbeat, which can lead to a panic attack. An interesting symptom of a phobia is the “knowledge that your fears are unreasonable or exaggerated, but feeling powerless to control them (Antony 62).” This is also a very uncommon symptom of phobias, as many people believe that they have every right to fear the things or situations that they fear. However, being able to acknowledge that the fear is unreasonable or exaggerated also helps to make treatment that much easier. Treatment Treating phobias can be easier in children than in adults. Most children just require temporary behavioral therapy or positive stimuli to understand that their fears are irrational. Being as young as they are, these treatments are more than likely to help a child rid themselves of their phobias. Adults, on the other hand, are not as easily impressionable given their age, and oftentimes require medication or intense therapy to overcome their phobias. The purpose of phobia treatment is to not only reduce the fear and anxiety connected with the phobia, but to also help the person manage their reactions better. There are three types of medication used in helping with phobias: beta blockers, antidepressants, and sedatives. Beta blockers block the stimulating effects of adrenaline on the body, such as increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Antidepressants are used to work with serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter in the brain that helps to influence the mood. Sedatives help people to relax and to reduce the feelings of anxiety. Sedatives are more commonly used on people that have a fear of flying. Behavioral therapy is another option, which involves changing the individual’s response to the thing that they fear (Beck 179). Therapy usually begins with pinpointing and understanding what the phobia is; in some cases, the reason the phobia exists is unraveled. Then, the therapist will slowly begin to expose their patient to that fear, first by getting the patient to talk about the fear, then to think about it. They may include pictures of the fear, slowly but surely leading up to having their patient fully experience that fear. Conclusion Phobias are irrational and unreasonable fears about objects, situations, or concepts. Phobias come in many forms, ranging from a fear of flying to a fear of thinking or even breathing. Though it has been hard to find direct causes of phobias, it is believed that either genetics or traumatic experiences are the causes for most of the phobias that people have. The symptoms of these phobias include anxiety, the need to avoid the thing that is the center of the fear, and the inability to act normally. Treatment options include medications that help to reduce the anxiety of a person and to manage their reactions better, and behavioral therapy that does the job of helping the person to understand and fight their fears until they are no longer debilitating. Works Cited Antony, Martin. Mastering Your Fears and Phobias. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print. Beck, Aaron T. Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective. 15th ed. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books, 2005. Print. Craske, Michelle G. Origins of Phobias and Anxiety Disorders. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2007. Print. Mayo Clinic. "Phobias." Mayo Clinic. N.p., 7 Jan. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. . Read More