Phobias And Anxiety Attacks

by: Ian Spencer

Phobias are often considered as an integral part of anxiety disorders as they represent intense and illogical fears about things, places or specific situations. These fears often trigger serious anxiety attacks, which if left unattended might escalate into serious health problems. Unfortunately, the most common “treatment" people rely upon for phobias is avoidance. People understand their fear is unfounded, but cannot help themselves. Phobias are classified in five major categories:

1. Fear of animals - this includes fear of spiders, dogs, snakes, lizards, cockroaches and the like.

2. Fear of natural environment - this particular type of phobia covers fear of heights, fear of rain, fear of lightning, fear of sea, and so on

3. Fear of injections and blood - this covers all medical procedures and sight of blood and injury

4. Fear of particular situations and places - this phobia includes fear of closed spaces, darkness, elevators, tunnels, crowds, and the like

5. Fear of being out of control - this category covers things that leave the person helpless such as illness, accidents, vomiting, and so on.

A very thin line differentiates phobias from any type of anxiety disorder. You need to be able to see and understand this difference so you would know when and how to get help. Here are a few points that would help you identify the difference:

1. Difference between panic disorder and phobia - When you suffer from panic disorder, you would fear the onset of the anxiety attack that is generated when you are facing certain situations - such as flying, crowds, and the like. When you suffer from phobias, you would imagine yourself as a victim of such situations. For example, you fear flying because you see your airplane crashing, or you fear heights because you see yourself falling and so on.

2. Difference between post traumatic stress disorder and phobia - When you suffer from PTSD you would relive the trauma that inspires your fear. With phobias, the fear is generated by your imagination; you would imagine the worst type scenario and see yourself so vividly in it that it would trigger an anxiety attack.

3. Difference between social anxiety disorder and phobia - People suffering from SAD fear the possibility of embarrassing themselves by their own behavior in front of a crowd or audience; those suffering from phobias are scared of the situation itself as they imagine themselves being crushed or in mortal danger when surrounded by crowds.

If you suspect that you suffer from any type of phobia, it is very important that you seek medical help, as this can become a very powerful trigger for anxiety and panic attack when left unattended.