Fear And Phobias

What is public speaking, and what is its purpose? The fear is coined as “Glosspphobia” which is derived from the Greek word “glossa” which means tongue, and “Phobos” which is the fear of Dread. It has been estimated that 75% of the population faces this fear. There might be an ignite of slight nervousness, or some may experience a series of hypertension, panic, with hands shaking. Symptoms may include, but or not limited to an increase in blood pressure, an increase in the level of perspiration, dry mouth, a tightening of the upper back muscles, and nausea. Traditionally, Public speaking was considered as an art and the element of persuading the live audience who are actively listening to you. The fear of public speaking is very fluent amongst different people, and age gaps, though an interesting result concludes, that the fear of public speaking is instilled in younger individuals, rather than the older ones, and it may be much more endemic in females as compared to males. Therefore, there is no set reason, or cause to identify why they fear a non-harmful decision or act, but some scientists differ and believe, the cause may be a mixture of genetic tendencies, and various other environmental, biological, and psychological factors. People, who undergo the fear of public speaking, may tend to have a fear of being rejected and embarrassed if they say something wrong, and the wrong time. Treatments for public speaking can be proclaimed as diverse as they deal with exposure therapy, where the individual is taught coping mechanisms, and hence is taught to learn how to handle a prompt situation in therapy, and a situation they face in reality. Another form of treatment is the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) where an individual learns how to keep a check on how they manage their symptoms. Public speaking can be learned, or someone can possess the art of convincing, through positive engagement, in intellectual debates, discussions, and being vividly aware of the surroundings. Sydney, now hosts support group for people undergoing this fear. Regardless, don’t worry, you have the full potential to be the best, you got this!

The fear is psychologically outlined as “Agoraphobia” as it relates to nervousness and anxiety in situations where it might be hard to escape, or the help won’t be available to them if they require it. Furthermore, it can make you feel trapped, or embarrassed, and hence there is a built-up fear inside you to use public transportation or being intact with open or enclosed spaces. People with agoraphobia undergo an increasing level of overwhelm when they are in public places, plus they need someone to accompany them at all times. Agoraphobia is challenging because it directly confronts you to something, that triggers threats of danger. But, there’s nothing to panic, if you are careful and resilient, and understand the symptoms prior to its increase, you can cure the fear of public transport and other social environments, through psychotherapy, and other medications, which will help you in living a better life.

It is estimated that Panic disorder, as a condition majorly affects 1-2% of the Australian population. Panic disorders are a form of anxiety disorder in which undergo serious triggers of fear, from a non-stimulus contact. Some estimated symptoms include excess amounts of fear, and anxiety when you come in contact with the situation, avoidance of the situation, rapid heart rates, excessive heart rates, etc. Being an agoraphobic comes with complications, that can greatly hinder or limit your life’s activities, hence, the dependency ration with this phobia makes it easier to have depression, personality disorders, or become a victim to an alcoholic or drug abuse.

Though there is no list, to easily identify the best way to prevent or cure Agoraphobia, because, anxiety tends to increase if the fear arousal increases even more. If mild fears start hitting you and seem to influence your everyday movements, it is best to acknowledge this at your earliest, try to practice going to these places, until you get used to it. If it becomes hard or overwhelming, engage a family member, a friend, or seek professional psychological help. Hypnosis is also a good idea that tries to aid agoraphobia.

Arachnophobia is a fear correlated to spiders. It is derived from the Greek word ” Arachne”; the fear shown by arachnophobes may seem irrational compared to how others perceive it, or the ones who openly get disgusted by its tingling presence. Surprisingly, spiders in Australia are estimated to have 10,000 species inhabiting a variety of others. A study concluded that 261 adults when came in contact with spiders, felt extremely anxious, and terrified. Furthermore, on this note, when calculating the causes of why this fear comes into existence, scientists predicate that its a result of evolutionary responses, as spiders are venomous by nature.

The Causes are not explicitly narrowed to all of these, but precisely it is caused by a learned response, they learn to fear spiders, after seeing others fear it as well. A biological cause, says that the fear of spiders is correlated with a chemical imbalance in the brain, or the fear can be transmitted through other family members or cultural traits.

Initial symptoms of arachnophobia may erupt during one’s childhood or adolescent years. However, traumatic episodes may be spread across all kinds of ages, when the individual comes in contact with the triggered object, or phobia. Symptoms include rapid heart rates, dizziness, nausea or other gastrointestinal, trembling or sweating, feeling of choking, hot or cold flashes, inability to decipher between reality or unreality, feeling of losing control, chest pains, etc. When you come in contact with this stimulus, the entire sight of it, or a slight mention of cobwebs can trigger a response of nervousness and threat.

Arachnophobes people, who are extremely terrified of spiders, may have severe issues and, maybe adversely impacted. The individuals who undergo this, actively find spaces and chances to avoid areas and places, in which the expectancy of spiders in at an uproar, or height. Though, it is important and crucial to find an effective treatment for this phobia. Medicines like benzodiazepines are recommended in reducing the increase in these reactions. Relaxation techniques such as positive reaffirmations are done, as they form an essential part of the therapy.

Claustrophobia is a fear of meeting no ends, in simpler words, it is a fear of not having an escape, and a fear of enclosed spaces. A person who undergoes claustrophobia may fear when he’s inside a lift, a crowded room or place, airplanes or anything in between. This is, hence also a form of anxiety phobias, that conquer as a cause of genetic vulnerability and fragility, or prior life experiences. With good careful treatment, it is though easier to surpass this phobia. There are specific symptoms attached to this phobia when you’re in an enclosed area. For example, if you’re inside a room, you consistently check for an exit, or a way out, or feeling guillotined at the thought of all doors being closed. Inside a building, you rather take the stairs, rather than lifts as it is more enclosed and tighter, it feels guillotined.

Sydney phobia clinic deals with specific to rare phobias and the therapy structure are organized to help the person who undergoes this. The most important session is psychoeducation, where the client is made in contact with what exactly their phobia stands for and tries to make them accept their phobia, and be ready to deal with what’s about to come next. The process is crucial as it needs to be accepted by the client, that the fear is irrational, and the treatment includes coming in contact with their fear, only after which they can proceed. Support and encouragement should be shared by friends and families.

Some important treatments to treat claustrophobia include flooding, counterconditioning, modeling, medications, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Flooding is a form of exposure treatment where you are exposed to a triggered stimulus, until their anxiety attack calms down, or simmers down. The realization they encounter, that their most triggered stimulus caused them no harm, can be extremely powerful in making them understand. Modeling is a treatment which learned and observed through imitation. This also includes, confronting the phobic trigger, and surpassing through it. Another therapy, which is also known as systematic desensitization, is a hierarchal exposure of the stimulus.

Fear of needles is termed as “Trypanophobia”. This fear is often originated in all of us, from a young age when we visit the Doctor, and he terrifies us with needles, but to some extent, it becomes unbearable, which is when it becomes hard to cope with its mere existence, and you fear to come in contact with it. Though, it is noticed, that as you grow older you have succumbed to the presence of needles, and you get used to it.

Doctors, though are not entirely sure as to why exactly phobias are formed, and whats the cause of the fear in needles. They have foreshadowed, that it may have been hereditary, which can be transferred through genetics, changes in the chemical formulation of the brain, a sensitive, or a negative temperament and hence, perceiving it as something negative. Trypanophobia is diagnosed, through a medical report calculated and performed by a doctor, where he tries to diagnose you accurately based on the symptoms you have provided to him/her. Though trypanophobia can be treated through cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and medicines, which can help in relaxing your nerves before the injection is performed.

Blood phobia is one of the common phobias as well. This phobia is highlighted as hemophobia, and it falls under an extremely irrational fear of blood. Under the DSM-IV criteria, it is perceived as the blood injection injury phobia. Blood phobia is often a phobia that is formed because or not because of prior traumatic experiences. The standard way of dealing with this phobia as well is through the implementation of cognitive-behavioral therapy, desensitization, and possible medications that can help in altering anxiety, and bring comfort. In the growing years, the technique is coined as applied muscle tension, where there is a force applied to the muscles, to increase levels of blood pressure. This has become a common treatment, as it prevents the client to faint. The muscles are made numb, which halts the fainting which is one of the symptoms of a person induced with blood and injection phobia.

The fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane, or any other, which results in an obstruct flying anxiety, aviophobia, or aerophobia. It is classified in the DSM-V criteria, under a specific phobia. Some symptoms of people who have aviophobia experience intense and persistent levels of anxiety, hence which makes them forcefully avoid taking that choice of flying. They usually divert away from it, because it all gets too emotionally overwhelming. Take off, bad weather, and turbulences are the major triggers that make them avoid these encounters. The most important result comes in the form of serious, and hefty panic attacks, and vomiting, at the sight of, or a mediocre mention of aircraft or and air travel.

It is estimated that around 60% of the people are diagnosed with this irrational fear of airplanes or any flying report, that adds to anxiety disorder. Since 2016, the causes of aviophobia, or the fear of airplanes has been a long-lost theory. It hasn’t been determined, by set factors, it can happen as a natural mechanism, or it can be learned through previous experiences, that may have escalated the trigger. Though the management is quite decisive and acute anxiety caused by flight and aviaries can be cured through anti-anxiety medication, it can also be cured through exposure therapy, including the use of virtual reality, which works collectively well when it comes in collaboration with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Furthermore, relaxation techniques and aviation guides can actively help in managing these triggers, with a combination of other approaches, and techniques. Interventional studies have therefore concluded that the method of CBT, has an 80% reported rate of reduction, however, the information is limited on whether it can eliminate the possibility of the fear of flying.

The best way to overcome the fear of flying is, latching onto the triggers that ignite you. When triggers like this, produce or give out irrational fears. it is important to understand the trigger before you make it your worst enemy, and nightmare. Anxiety thrives on the term, what if, which is exactly what needs to be changed.

An animal phobia is also known as zoophobia and hence is identified as a class of specific phobias, it is an irrational fear associated with non-human animals. Examples of specific animal phobias include the fear of bees which is apiphobia, fear of spiders which include, arachnophobia, birds which are ornithophobia, and snakes which are ophidiophobia. The father of psychology, Sigmund Freud confessed that animal phobia is one of the most important phobias that are associated with psychoneurotic frequently applicable in children, more than adults. It is known as irrational because at times the fear is in response to harmful, and terrifying stimuli, which is most likely to be threatening, such as wild dogs, dingoes, and coyotes. It is a phobia of animals, that causes distress or anxiety in an individual’s life.

The fear of animals is a specified phobia, and symptoms may include:

Excessive, or an increase in the irrational fear towards a specified object or thing or situation, that endures great distress, hence forcefully avoiding the situation. Physical symptoms of being exposed under this fearful situation may include panic attacks, pounding of heartbeats, nausea, diarrhea, sweating, trembling or shaking consistently. It may also feel like someone is choking you, or making you feel vulnerable, shortness of breath, or feeling dizzy may also mark as prevalent symptoms of the specified phobias.

It is noted that the National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 5%-12% have suffered through specified phobias, and hence it affects, an estimated number of 6.3 million adults. It is also noted, that these phobias are more common in women than men. They start prevailing through childhood, and adolescence but it not limited to all other ages.

Animal phobias are not diagnosed without empirical evidence, they are performed medically, and a set outline of symptoms are formed after a physical exam. Psychologists and psychiatrists will, however, be of good help when you need focused direction on how to get over the phobia you had. some techniques, to get through animal phobias, and other specified phobias is through, exposure therapies, cognitive behavioral therapies, and various medications as well.