Phobias

Phobias

According to the Special Education Department's "Glossary of Psychiatric Disorders" catalogue, a "phobia is a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that results in a compelling desire to avoid it".

A phobia is not an illness or a mental disorder. Nor is it a lack of will-power, or 'moral fibre', or determination. A phobia is a syndrome that can both develop independently within the limits of neurosis (after a caused fright or a serious psychical shock) and be a result of mental illnesses (depressions, manic-depressive psychosis). Only psychiatrist can reveal what is a reason for a certain fear. Also, there is a hereditary predisposition to phobias. Phobic disorders usually develop in timid, vulnerable, and taking hard the failure people. (Uvarova, psychology lecture)

The essence of this "illness" is in anxiety appearance (to the extent of a panic) in certain situations. As a result, sick people begin avoiding it (for example, using an underground or taking the lift). Anxiety does not abate because of a realization of a fact that other people don't consider similar situation to be anyhow dangerous.

Phobia types:

(According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web Site and my psychology class lectures)

 Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is a fear of open spaces, crowd or impossibility to return back home right away. As a whole, agoraphobia can be determined as a fear of leaving the house. Quite often, patients turn to be chained to their flats completely. During the process of assault, patients have a fear of death because of the heart rupture or asthma. An assault lasts approximately for a half an hour; after it fear steps back. Assaults' frequency varies from everyday to several times per year. In the course of time, patient begins avoiding situations, which provoke assault, entirely, and can feel only feebly-expressed anxiety during a long period of time.

 Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia is characterized by similar clinical picture; however, reaction is developing in the time, when a patient finds himself in a closed space, cramped rooms, elevators, metropolitans.

 Social phobias

According to the statistics, people, who have any kind of phobia, make up 3-5 % of a total population, and are mostly at the age of 15-20. Any psycho-traumatizing situation can cause a phobia. Patients are afraid and avoid situations, in which they have to act in somebody's sight: public performance, using public conveniences, participation at parties, and etc. In such situations, patients might have tachycardia, hyperhidrosis (sweating), face reddening, breathlessness, dryness in a mouth, hand trembling, nausea, giddiness, flows of fever and coldness, appeals to urination or dejection, fear of losing

self-control.

 Specific phobias

Specific phobia is a fear that is limited by the definite situation: staying close to any animal, height, thunderstorm, darkness, plane flight, sight of the blood, dentist visit, fear of certain illnesses. Patients admit the overestimate of their anxieties, but dissuasion does not lower the fear.

 Panic disorders

Panic disorders are the repeated assault of the panic, which are not concerned with a definite situation or object; that is why they cannot be predicted. Strong fear and discomfort, that occur unexpectedly, and go together with four or more of the following symptoms: palpitation and rapid pulse, hyperhidrosis, chill, pain in the heart, asthma, nausea, weakness, numbness, fear of death, and other symptoms.

Treatment of phobias

Treatment of phobias is realized in ambulance stations. Hospitalization is needed only in extra cases. Basically, tranquilizers and antidepressants are used during the treatment. In some cases small doses of antipsychotic are set. Duration of treatment is varying from several weeks to several months, depending on a form and intensity of a phobia.

Different methods of psychotherapy