Childhood Phobias

What are your kids afraid of? Man-eating monsters in the closet? Noisy flashy thunderstorms? Creepy long-legged spiders? Fears are a normal part of growing up, but kids typically grow out of them and become perfectly well adjusted adults.

So why are kids afraid of certain things? It usually starts around the age of three when young imaginations start to soar. This is also the time when impressions from books, movies and TV shows can have a significant impact. One thing moms and dads can do to help their children cope with their fears and phobias are to introduce them to a non-threatening version of the thing that they're afraid of. If your son is afraid of dogs, find a cuddly toy K-9 he can play with, so he gets used to the idea that dogs can be gentle and not very scary after all.

Managing imaginary monsters is another important task. It's best to reasonably explain to your children that monsters don't exist. But when all else fails, there's a comical but effective approach that we use at our home. It's called monster repellant. A spray bottle filled with tap water for you and me. It can be liberally applied to your son's bedroom whenever he's afraid a furry paw may reach out and grab him while he's asleep. A visit to the bookstore or library may help too.

There are dozens of well written informative books that can help you help your children deal with their fears. And another piece of advice, if your child ever becomes fixated on a fear or phobia for more than six months, it's a good idea to seek professional help. Talk to your pediatrician or your family doctor.

Source : healtcorner

Kids Phobia

Everyone, from the youngest child to the oldest adult, experiences anxieties and fears at one time or another. Feeling anxious in a particularly uncomfortable situation never feels very good. However, with kids, such feelings are not only normal, they're also necessary. Experiencing and dealing with anxieties can prepare young people to handle the unsettling experiences and challenging situations of life.

Anxieties and Fears Are Normal

Anxiety is defined as "apprehension without apparent cause." It usually occurs when there's no immediate threat to a person's safety or well being, but the threat feels real.
Anxiety makes someone want to escape the situation — fast. The heart beats quickly, the body might begin to perspire, and "butterflies" in the stomach soon follow. However, a little bit of anxiety can actually help people stay alert and focused.
Having fears or anxieties about certain things can also be helpful because it makes kids behave in a safe way. For example, a kid with a fear of fire would avoid playing with matches.
The nature of anxieties and fears change as kids grow and develop:

• Babies experience stranger anxiety, clinging to parents when confronted by people they don't recognize.
• Toddlers around 10 to 18 months old experience separation anxiety, becoming emotionally distressed when one or both parents leave.
• Kids ages 4 through 6 have anxiety about things that aren't based in reality, such as fears of monsters and ghosts.
• Kids ages 7 through 12 often have fears that reflect real circumstances that may happen to them, such as bodily injury and natural disaster.

As kids grow, one fear may disappear or replace another. For example, a child who couldn't sleep with the light off at age 5 may enjoy a ghost story at a slumber party years later. And some fears may extend only to one particular kind of stimulus. In other words, a child may want to pet a lion at the zoo but wouldn't dream of going near the neighbor's dog.

Source : kidshealth.org

Natural Stress Relief

Natural stress management techniques provide a desired relief to people who are in stress. These natural stress reliefs are said to be devoid of dreadful side effects. Stress can affect anyone at anytime in some point of life. This article contains more information on:

• Which are the three components of yoga that are used for stress relief?
• Find out how lifestyle changes and stress relief is related
• Will drinking plenty of water helps in overcoming stress?

Stress can affect anyone and everyone at some point of time in their life. Stress is believed to trigger 70% of visits to doctors, and 85% of serious illnesses. Natural stress management techniques provide a desired relief in these patients. These natural stress reliefs are said to be devoid of dreadful side effects. Stress occurs when the normal "Fight or Flight" phenomenon of our endocrine system occurs more frequently. This phenomenon causes a few reversible changes in our body like increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased metabolism and energy release, muscle tension etc.

Stress can affect your health, your work performance, your social life and your relationship with your family members. There is no escape from stress. One must learn how to handle it. There is no single remedy for stress relief. Though there is a long list of drugs to handle stress the list of their side effects is equally long. So everyone is on the look out for natural stress relief techniques which are very effective and at the same time don't have many side effects.

Natural Techniques

Natural stress reduction techniques can be categorized under the following headings.

• Exercise
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Tai Chi
• Reiki
• Herbs
• Dietary adjustments
• Life style changes

Exercise

Exercise and diet are simplest of the remedies for stress. Exercise helps in relieving the stress in the following ways.

• The adrenaline store gets exhausted and results in relaxation.
• Exercise produces Beta endorphin in our brain which relieves stress by providing a sense of well being.
• Exercise increases blood flow to brain which supplies more oxygen and eliminates toxic materials including carbon dioxide and lactate.
• Exercise relaxes tensed muscles.
• Exercise distracts us from the causes of stress.

Deep breathing itself is a good exercise. It helps the body in getting more oxygen and eliminates the unwanted carbon dioxide.

Yoga

Stressed individuals have great amount of tension in their bodies. Yoga an ancient Indian practice helps in releasing this tension and aiding in deep breathing which provides more oxygen and eliminates the toxic carbon dioxide. Three components of Yoga are used for stress relief. They are the asanas, pranayamas and meditation. Meditation can be done separately also for stress relief.

Yogic postures (Asana) : The corpses pose (Savasana), the crocodile pose (Makarasana) and the child's pose (Bal asana) are relaxation postures which help in dealing with stress.

Yogic Breathing (Pranayama): One form of Pranayama is Nadi shodhanam in which alternate nostril breathing is done. Pranayama should always be done in a suitable posture or asana in which the lung capacity is the highest and the muscle tension is lowest. It should always be done with the help of a teacher. It should be always done with empty stomach and one should never do it till exhaustion.

Meditation

Two methods need mention a) Meditation that needs focusing and b) Meditation that does not need focusing.

Meditation that needs focusing : The affected person focuses on any object or image or sound or any thoughts. It takes the mind away from the source of stress and provides stress relief.

Meditation that does not need focusing : Transcendental meditation is one form of meditation that does not need focusing. It is done by sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. During the process the fluctuating mind gradually becomes still and attains a state of "Restful alertness". It is done for about 20 minutes everyday in the morning and evening.

Reiki

Reiki is a Japanese art of healing.Rei means "free passage" and ki means "universal energy" It involves transfer of energy from a practitioner to the patient to increase the body's natural ability to heal itself through the balance of energy. Reiki incorporates of most of the other alternate therapies like spiritual therapy, meditation, aroma therapy etc. The hands are the tools of healing in Reiki.The position in which the hands are placed important. Reiki can be done through clothing. But most prefer no barrier to the therapy. Reiki practitioners impart energy through a particular pattern. This induces deep relaxation, detoxifies the body and provides new vitality.

Tai chi

Tai chi or Tai chi chuan is a Chinese martial art meant for health and longevity and how to deal with stress. It is gaining popularity because of its active role in reducing stress. Tai chi means 'Supreme ultimate boxing 'or 'Boundless fist'. The basic principle involves leverage of the joints through co-ordination of relaxation rather than increased muscle tension. This improves the internal circulation and it is believed that over a period of time it reverses the physical effects of stress.

Herbs

Herbal treatment always has a significant chunk of followers. In the treatment of stress Kava Kava is the latest in the list while Valerian is the oldest. The list includes:

1. Kava Kava: It is a herb of Indonesian and Polynesian islands which is used to relieve stress, anxiety, sleeplessness.
2. Valerian: It is similar to diazepam, the sleeping pill .It relaxes nervous system and helps in good sleep.
3. Passion flower: The flavinoids in it acts as a sedative and anti oxidants and relieves stress and anxiety.
4. St John's Wort: It inhibits the enzyme mono amino oxidase and helps in relieving stress.
5. Scullcap: It acts on the nervous system and stabilizes the mood.
6. Hops: Its tranquilizing properties are useful in the treatment of sleeplessness and irritability.
7. Catnip: It helps in calming the nervous system and treating the digestion problems.
8. Chamomile: Used as immunostimulant, tranquilizer and helps in digestion.
9. Rhodiola: It regulates the heart beat. It controls the irregular heart beat.
10. Bach Rescue remedy: The formula was found by Dr.Edward Bach in 1920's.It contains a combination of 5 flower essences for relieving stress and reducing fear and tension.

Hypnosis
Hypnosis as a relief method for stress has gained considerable credibility in recent years. Hypnosis for anxiety and stress is clinically proven and is an effective long term solution for stress related conditions.

Source : stressfocus.com

Stress Relievers

Just as stress is different for each of us there is no stress reduction strategy that is a panacea. Jogging and other aerobic exercises, different types of meditation, prayer, yoga and tai chi are great for many people but when arbitrarily imposed on others, prove dull, boring and stressful. There is certainly no shortage of stress relievers and in addition to the above, various progressive muscular relaxation exercises, autogenic training, deep breathing, massage therapies, visual imagery and self hypnosis practices are popular. There are also acupuncture, acupressure, biofeedback, Alexander, Reiki, Feldenkrais and other bodywork and postural techniques. Some people find that listening to music, hobbies, volunteer work, keeping a daily journal of events and how they feel, laughter, playing with pets, taking short breaks or shopping help them to relax. Others find relief for their stress related symptoms from aromatherapy, nutritional supplements like chamomile, spearmint, kava kava, adaptogens and St. John's wort or even sitting under a pyramid. There are also prescription tranquilizers, sedatives, hypnotics, antidepressants and beta-blockers for specific complaints. In addition, a variety of cranioelectromagnetic stimulation devices have been found to be effective and safe for anxiety, insomnia and drug resistant depression. Strong emotional support from group therapy, family or friends is a powerful stress buster.
Most of the above are designed to reduce the annoying somatic and emotional effects of stress. The focus in recent years has been on preventing such problems, which makes more sense. This involves identifying the sources of stress in your life and finding ways to avoid them or reduce their impact. We sometimes create our own stress because of habits and traits that can have harmful effects that can be reduced using cognitive restructuring techniques such as behavioral modification, assertiveness training, time management and stress inoculation. Others turn to smoking, alcohol or drugs to relieve their stress but these short-term solutions eventually cause even more stress. Long-term use of prescription medications can result in dependency or adverse side effects and some supplements can have similar problems or interact with other drugs. St. John's wort has been shown to interfere with numerous medications and kava kava is banned in the UK because of liver damage.
As indicated, they key to reducing stress is to prevent it. Getting enough sleep, a proper diet, avoiding excess caffeine and other stimulants and taking time out to relax may be helpful in this regard. Many stress relievers work because of the power of the placebo effect that comes from having faith in the procedure or the therapist. Other very different approaches can achieve the same results because they reduce feelings of helplessness and provide a sense of control over the problem.
Stress is an unavoidable consequence of life. There are some stresses like the loss of a loved one that you can't hope to avoid and others that you can prevent or influence. The trick is in learning how to distinguish between the two so that you're not constantly frustrated like Don Quixote tilting at windmill and devote your time and talent to areas where you can make a difference. Try to follow the advice in Reinhold Niebuhr's, serenity prayer, "Grant me the courage to change the things I can change, the serenity to accept the things I can't change, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Source : stress.org

Stress

If you were to ask a dozen people to define stress, or explain what causes stress for them, or how stress affects them, you would likely get 12 different answers to each of these requests. The reason for this is that there is no definition of stress that everyone agrees on, what is stressful for one person may be pleasurable or have little effect on others and we all react to stress differently. That's easily illustrated by the list of 50 Common Signs And Symptoms Of Stress noted under Effects Of Stress and the attached diagram illustrating how it affects different parts of the body.
Stress is not a useful term for scientists because it is such a highly subjective phenomenon that it defies definition. And if you can't define stress, how can you possibly measure it? The term "stress", as it is currently used was coined by Hans Selye in 1936, who defined it as "the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change". Selye had noted in numerous experiments that laboratory animals subjected to acute but different noxious physical and emotional stimuli (blaring light, deafening noise, extremes of heat or cold, perpetual frustration) all exhibited the same pathologic changes of stomach ulcerations, shrinkage of lymphoid tissue and enlargement of the adrenals. He later demonstrated that persistent stress could cause these animals to develop various diseases similar to those seen in humans, such as heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease and rheumatoid arthritis. At the time, it was believed that most diseases were caused by specific but different pathogens. Tuberculosis was due to the tubercle bacillus, anthrax by the anthrax bacillus, syphilis by a spirochete, etc. What Selye proposed was just the opposite, namely that many different insults could cause the same disease, not only in animals, but in humans as well.
Selye's theories attracted considerable attention and stress soon became a popular buzzword that completely ignored Selye's original definition. Some people used stress to refer to an overbearing or bad boss or some other unpleasant situation they were subjected to. For many, stress was their reaction to this in the form of chest pain, heartburn, headache or palpitations. Others used stress to refer to what they perceived as the end result of these repeated responses, such as an ulcer or heart attack. Many scientists complained about this confusion and one physician concluded in a 1951 issue of the British Medical Journal that, "Stress in addition to being itself, was also the cause of itself, and the result of itself."
Unfortunately, Selye was not aware that stress had been used for centuries in physics to explain elasticity, the property of a material that allows it to resume its original size and shape after having been compressed or stretched by an external force. As expressed in Hooke’s Law of 1658, the magnitude of an external force, or stress, produces a proportional amount of deformation, or strain, in a malleable metal. This created even more confusion when his research had to be translated into foreign languages. There was no suitable word or phrase that could convey what he meant, since he was really describing strain. In 1946, when he was asked to give an address at the prestigious Collège de France, the academicians responsible for maintaining the purity of the French language struggled with this problem for several days, and subsequently decided that a new word would have to be created. Apparently, the male chauvinists prevailed, and le stress was born, quickly followed by el stress, il stress, lo stress, der stress in other European languages, and similar neologisms in Russian, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic. Stress is one of the very few words you will see preserved in English in these and other languages that do not use the Roman alphabet.
Because it was apparent that most people viewed stress as some unpleasant threat, Selye subsequently had to create a new word, stressor, to distinguish stimulus from response. Stress was generally considered as being synonymous with distress and dictionaries defined it as "physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension" or "a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize." Thus, stress was put in a negative light and its positive effects ignored. However, stress can be helpful and good when it motivates people to accomplish more.

As illustrated to the left, increased stress results in increased productivity – up to a point, after which things go rapidly downhill. However, that point or peak differs for each of us, so you need to be sensitive to the early warning symptoms and signs that suggest a stress overload is starting to push you over the hump. Such signals also differ for each of us and can be so subtle that they are often ignored until it is too late. Not infrequently, others are aware that you may be headed for trouble before you are.

Any definition of stress should therefore also include good stress, or what Selye called eustress. For example, winning a race or election can be just as stressful as losing, or more so. A passionate kiss and contemplating what might follow is stressful, but hardly the same as having a root canal procedure.
Selye struggled unsuccessfully all his life to find a satisfactory definition of stress. In attempting to extrapolate his animal studies to humans so that people would understand what he meant, he redefined stress as "The rate of wear and tear on the body". This is actually a pretty good description of biological aging so it is not surprising that increased stress can accelerate many aspects of the aging process. In his later years, when asked to define stress, he told reporters, "Everyone knows what stress is, but nobody really knows."
As noted, stress is difficult to define because it is so different for each of us. A good example is afforded by observing passengers on a steep roller coaster ride. Some are hunched down in the back seats, eyes shut, jaws clenched and white knuckled with an iron grip on the retaining bar. They can't wait for the ride in the torture chamber to end so they can get back on solid ground and scamper away. But up front are the wide-eyed thrill seekers, yelling and relishing each steep plunge who race to get on the very next ride. And in between you may find a few with an air of nonchalance that borders on boredom. So, was the roller coaster ride stressful?
The roller coaster analogy is useful in explaining why the same stressor can differ so much for each of us. What distinguished the passengers in the back from those up front was the sense of control they had over the event. While neither group had any more or less control their perceptions and expectations were quite different. Many times we create our own stress because of faulty perceptions you can learn to correct. You can teach people to move from the back of the roller coaster to the front, and, as Eleanor Roosevelt noted, nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. While everyone can't agree on a definition of stress, all of our experimental and clinical research confirms that the sense of having little or no control is always distressful – and that's what stress is all about.

Source : stress.org

Most Common Phobias

1. Bugs, Mice, Snakes, and Bats. They're unpredictable, creepy-crawly, and possibly poisonous – who wouldn't be afraid? Spiders are the most common phobia.
2. Heights. We're afraid of them because we can't fly and we could fall. Reasonable reasons for a common phobia.
3. Water. Fear of water can be innate or learned due to a near-drowning experience. Water is a common phobia.
4. Public Transportation. We feel more vulnerable in public crowded places because we have less control over other people or situations. Fleeing is much more difficult, making crowded places this a common phobia.
5. Storms. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, and even thunderstorms can cause irrational anxiety – because we know the damage they can cause.
6. Closed Spaces. Feeling trapped (imagine being in a coffin!) feels horrible. Evolutionary roots involve animals and traps or cages – our we need to be free makes this a common phobia.
7. Tunnels and Bridges. Going through a tunnel is similar to being in a closed space, which makes you feel vulnerable. The fear of small spaces is a common phobia.
8. Crowds. Similar to being on crowded public transportation, huge groups of people can make us feel trapped and vulnerable. This common phobia is related to the fear of public speaking.
9. Speaking in Public. We feel like we'll be judged, we worry what we look and sound like, and some of us have anxiety attacks. We don't want to embarrass ourselves, especially in front of peers.

Drivers fear motorways

IT’S not hard to recall the exact moment when my fear of motorways moved up a notch - I was driving over the Barton Bridge, sandwiched between a lorry and a large van.
Neither seemed prepared to yield any space, however much I accelerated, and when I finally got past the lorry and returned to the nearside lane my heart was pounding and my palms were damp.
With my confidence severely dented, I’ve done everything I can since then to avoid driving on motorways.
All of which might make me sound rather freaky if it weren’t for a report from AA Driving School which reveals that this fear strikes one in seven motorists. So five million other poor souls share the same horror.
Some drivers fear motorways so much they spend decades avoiding them. Again, guilty as charged.
I can tell you anything about Oldham or Rochdale or Rossendale by the time I’ve reached my destination because my journey is likely to have been through the pleasant A and B roads surrounding them.

Rural drives
The rural drives are sometimes a bonus but, of course, this motorway-free driving demands much longer journeys.
Actually driving on a motorway when I’ve really no choice is a small slice of purgatory. The radio is always on for distraction, and I talk myself through any particularly tricky manoeuvres - like overtaking large vehicles when the road surfaces are wet or it’s snowing.
I envy the rest of the drivers as they bob and weave confidently through the lanes. I only venture into the third lane when absolutely forced to, and then quickly get back into my comfort zone of the nearside or middle lane.
A lack of driving skills is blamed for these fears in this latest report and the motoring school is launching a tailored motorway driving course.
ust to make poor drivers like me feel better, though, they do cite cases like the taxi driver who refused all jobs involving motorway driving after he witnessed a motorway accident 20 years ago. He gained confidence after having specialist motorway driving training.
Then there’s the second generation motorway avoider who had never been on a motorway, even as a passenger, because her mother had shunned them.
On her first motorway outing she had just managed to get into lane two when a police car with lights and sirens approached from behind. She immediately crossed back into lane one, then on to the hard shoulder to stop - apparently thinking the police were after her for driving too fast.

Young drivers
The figures show it is young drivers and women who are by far the least confident on motorways.
Only 44 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 and 44 per cent of women questioned said they were confident about driving on motorways. And that figure soared to 65 per cent for drivers aged 55 to 64.
Lee Davies, chairman of the Manchester group of RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders, agrees that this kind of motorway fear is largely down to a lack of driving skills.
”Most people who contact the group want to become advanced drivers, but occasionally there are people who are just not confident drivers, especially on motorways,” he says.
He believes factoring motorway driving into the driving test would be the best way to create more competent all-round drivers, although learner drivers are not allowed on motorways.
Lee commented: “Statistically, motorways are the safest roads yet people perceive them as dangerous because when things do go wrong they are more serious.
”If people were to take more training in motorway skills this would definitely help. In our group, for example, there is a fee to join then training is free because we are all volunteers.”
Bury-based hypnotherapist Helen James believes that much of the problem with motorways can be in the mind.
"The conscious mind knows there is no logical reason to fear motorway driving, but the subconscious mind has attached a fear and this subconscious fear over-rides it," she says.
Hypnotherapy `takes away the attachment and any excessive emotions that may have come with it'.
Clients she has successfully treated include a formerly confident driver who had a near miss on a motorbike 15 years ago which severely dented his motorway driving confidence.
When forced to use one he became very anxious, rigid and fearful, especially when lorries came up behind him. After three hypnotherapy sessions he happily returned to being a confident and safe motorway driver.

Biology and Chemistry Phobias:

Acidophobia, Acidophobic - preference for non-acidic conditions. The terms Acidophobe/Acidophobia//Acidophoby/Acidophobic refer to intolerace to acidic environments. The term is variously applied to plants, bacteria, protozoa, animals, chemical compounds, etc. The anthonymous term is "acidophile". Cf. "alkaliphile".

Heliophobia, Heliophobic - aversion to sunlight.

Hydrophobia, Hydrophobic - a property of being repelled by water.

Lipophobicity - a property of fat rejection. Lipophobicity, also sometimes called lipophobia is a chemical property of chemical compounds which literally means "fat rejection". Lipophobic compounds are those not soluble in lipids or other non-polar solvents. From the other point of view, they do not absorb or adsorb fats.

Photophobia, Photophobic - a negative phototaxis or phototropism response.

Thermophobia/Thermophobic - aversion to heat. Thermophobic is used to describe an intolerance for high temperatures by either inorganic material or organisms.

Xerophobia/Xerophobic - aversion to dryness.

Non-psychological Phobias:

Hydrophobia - fear of water (a symptom of rabies).

Photophobia - hypersensitivity to light causing aversion to light (a symptom of Meningitis and a common condition of migrane headaches). Photophobia is a symptom of excessive sensitivity to light and the aversion to sunlight or well-lit places. In medical terms it is not fear, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure.

Phonophobia - hypersensitivity to sound causing aversion to sounds. common during an alcohol hangover or migrane.

Osmophobia - hypersensitivity to smells causing aversion to odors. Common during pregnancy.

Prejudice Phobias:

Biphobia - dislike of bisexuals. Biphobia is a term used to describe the fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against bisexuality or LGBT people who are bisexual or perceived to be bisexual.

Chemophobia - prejudice against artificial substances in favour of natural substances. Chemophobia literally means "fear of chemicals" and may be used in various ways. It is most often used to describe the assumption that "chemicals" are bad and "natural" things are good.

Ephebiphobia - fear or dislike of youth. The irrational fear of youth is called ephebiphobia. First coined as the "fear and loathing of teenagers," today the phenomenon is recognized as the "inaccurate, exaggerated and sensational characterization of young people" in a variety of settings around the world.

Gerontophobia - fear of growing old or a hatred of the elderly.

Heterophobia - fear or dislike of heterosexuals.

Homophobia - aversion to homosexuality or fear of homosexuals.

Hoplophobia - aversion to firearms or firearms owners.

Pedophobia - fear or dislike of children.

Psychophobia - prejudice and discrimination against mentally ill. Psychophobia is fear of, prejudice or discrimination against the mentally ill. Over history the mentally ill were accused of being possessed by demons or the devil or of being witches or warlocks or devil worshipers. In modern times when psychology was developed it was found that such people had a mental illness and no demons or any other explanations mentioned above, yet the fear of the mentally ill has continues.

Transphobia - fear or dislike of transgender or transsexual people. Transphobia (or less commonly, transprejudice) refers to discrimination against transsexuality and transsexual or transgender people, based on the expression of their internal gender identity.

Xenophobia - fear or dislike of foreigners.

Psychological Phobias

Acrophobia - Known by a number of names - Acrophobia, Altophobia, and Fear of Heights being the most common. Acrophobia can be dangerous, as sufferers can experience a panic attack in a high place and become too agitated to get themselves down safely. Like all fears and phobias, altophobia is created by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. At some point in your past, there was likely an event linking heights or high levels and emotional trauma. Vertigo is often used, incorrectly, to describe the fear of heights, but it is more accurately described as a spinning sensation, which may be caused by looking down from a high place.

Agoraphobia - Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder, often precipitated by the fear of having a panic attack in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia may avoid public and/or unfamiliar places. Agoraphobia arises from an internal anxiety condition that has become so intense that the suffering individual fears going anywhere or doing anything where these feelings of panic have repeatedly occurred before. Agoraphobia can come on suddenly or develop gradually, typically developing between the ages of 18 and 35. Symptoms include: strong feelings of panic, dread, terror, and horror recognizing that the anxiety is overblown, yet not being able to "talk yourself out of it" rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, and an overwhelming urge to flee the situation - all physical reactions associated with extreme fear going to great lengths to avoid the situation that causes fear.

Algophobia -  Algophobia is a phobia of pain, an abnormal and persistent fear of pain that is far more powerful than that of a normal person. Sensitivity may lead to algophobia, depending on the psychological makeup of the person, but sensitivity to pain could be on other than psychological grounds.

 

Anthropophobia - fear of people or being in a company, a form of social phobia. See our article on Overcoming Social Phobia. Anthropophobia is an extreme, pathological form of shyness and timidness. It may be manifested in fears of blushing, meeting the gaze of the others, awkwardness and uneasiness when appearing in society. Millions of people around the world suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder (also known as Social Phobia) and related conditions. Yet virtually everyone knows what it is like to feel shy or lacking in social confidence, often to an extent that can limit opportunities and happiness.

Aquaphobia, Hydrophobia - Aquaphobia is an abnormal and persistent fear of water. They may avoid such activities as boating and swimming, or they may avoid swimming in the deep ocean despite having mastered basic swimming skills. Medical professionals indicate that aquaphobia may manifest itself in a person through their specific experiences or due to biological factors. Some people may develop the phobia as a reaction to a traumatic water experience. Other individuals may suffer from an "instinctive reaction" to the water which arises separate from any observable factors. They have a gut reaction that limits their fundamental comfort level in any sort of casual water activities, such as swimming. Many people mistakenly refer to aquaphobia as 'hydrophobia'; hydrophobia is in fact a symptom of later-stage rabies, and manifests itself in humans as difficulty in swallowing, fear when presented with liquids to drink and an inability to quench one's thirst.

Astraphobia, Astrapophobia, Brontophobia, Keraunophobia - Astraphobia, also known as Brontophobia, Keraunophobia, or Tonitrophobia, is an abnormal fear of thunder and lightning, a type of a specific phobia. It is quite common in dogs and children. Symptoms of Astraphobia can be breathing difficulty, panic attacks, rapid heartbeat, nausea and sweating. These symptoms can manifest themselves in the form of a tantrum or fit, and might be easy to dismiss as such although a genuine phobia can cause the aforementioned feelings to be completely overwhelming. Children may act out as a result of not being able to cope with these symptoms and knowledge of why they are happening.

Autophobia - Autophobia (or Monophobia) is the phobia of being alone. Autophobia is a real personality disorder. The term is used to describe three different conditions: A fear of being alone, A fear of being egotistical,  A fear of oneself. The third is the rarest of these conditions.

Aviophobia, Aviatophobia - Fear of flying is a fear of being on a plane while in flight. It is also sometimes referred to as aerophobia, aviatophobia, aviophobia or pteromerhanophobia. Fear of flying may be a distinct phobia in itself, or it may be an indirect manifestation of one or more other phobias, such as claustrophobia (a fear of enclosed spaces) or acrophobia (a fear of heights). It may have other causes as well. It is a symptom rather than a disease, and different causes may bring it about in different individuals. A fear of flying is a level of anxiety so great that it prevents a person from travelling by air, or causes great distress to a person when he or she is compelled to travel by air. The most extreme manifestations can include panic attacks or vomiting at the mere sight or mention of an aircraft or air travel.

Bacillophobia, Bacteriophobia, Microbiophobia - fear of microbes and bacteria. A person with bacteriophobia may have trouble getting rid of the fear of germs and is always worried about hygene. Microphobia is similar to bacteriophobia as it is a morbid fear for small things such as microorganisms or germs.

Cibophobia, Sitophobia - aversion to food, synonymous to Anorexia nervosa. A slow build occurs when a mild case of Cibophobia escalates over time to become a severe one. What is happening here is that the individual is 'accumulating' fearful associations to food or eating, so that the evidence used by the mind and nervous system is becoming increasingly irrefutable that fear is the appropriate emotion. That means that anxiety is created automatically in anticipation each time... creating a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Claustrophobia - fear of confined spaces. Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces. Claustrophobes may suffer from panic attacks, or fear of having a panic attack, in situations such as being in elevators, trains, or aircraft. It was found that 5-10.6% of people screened before an MRI scan had claustrophobia. Furthermore, it was found that 7% of patients had unidentified claustrophobia, and had to terminate the scanning procedure prematurely. 30% reported milder distress due to the necessity to lie in a confined space for a long time. For specific phobias in general, there is a lifetime prevalence rate of 7.2%-11.3%. Other forms of Claustrophobia include conditions such as Agoraphobia and panic attacks.

Coulrophobia - fear of clowns (not restricted to evil clowns). Coulrophobia is an abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns. It is not uncommon among children, but is also sometimes found in teenagers and adults as well. Sufferers sometimes acquire a fear of clowns after having a bad experience with one personally, or seeing a sinister portrayal of one in the media. A design study carried out by the University of Sheffield found that children are frightened by clown-themed décor in hospitals. This fear can arise from seeing a clown in person, or in pictures.

Dental phobia, Dentophobia, Odontophobia - fear of dentists and dental procedures. Dental fear refers to the fear of dentistry and of receiving dental care. A pathological form of this fear (specific phobia) is variously called dental phobia, odontophobia, dentophobia, dentist phobia, or dental anxiety. It is estimated that as many as 75% of US adults experiences some degree of dental fear, from mild to severe. Many people report that their dental fear began after a traumatic, difficult, and/or painful dental experience. Dental fear may also develop as people hear about others' traumatic experiences or negative views of dentistry.

Dysmorphophobia, or body dysmorphic disorder - a phobic obsession with a real or imaginary body defect.

Emetophobia - fear of vomiting. Emetophobia is the irrational fear of vomiting, being around others who are vomiting, and/or the vomit itself. In worst case scenarios, people with the phobia tend to avoid eating out, socializing and going to parties. They may hardly eat at all and that's why many are often diagnosed as anorexic, but not bulimic as this illness involves the induction of vomiting. Emetophobics will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid becoming violently sick.

Ergasiophobia, Ergophobia - fear of work or functioning, or a surgeon's fear of operating. An abnormal and persistent fear of work. Sufferers of ergophobia experience undue anxiety about the workplace environment even though they realize their fear is irrational. Their fear may actually be a combination of fears, such fear of failing at assigned tasks, fear of speaking before groups at work, or fear of socializing with co-workers.The fear of work or functioning (also surgeon’s fear of operating) can result in the following symptoms:
breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly, a fear of becoming mad or losing control, a sensation of detachment from reality or a full blown anxiety attack.

Erotophobia - fear of sexual love or sexual questions. Erotophobia is a term used by psychologists to describe sexuality on a personality scale. Erotophobes score high on one end of the scale that is characterized by expressions of guilt and fear about sex. Erotophobes are less likely to talk about sex, have more negative reactions to sexually explicit material, and have sex less frequently and with fewer partners over time. Erotophobia can also be the fear of marriage or romantic relationships, especially by a man or in regards to heterosexual romance.

Erythrophobia - pathological blushing. Erythrophobia is an unusual and persistent fear of Facial Blushing or blushing in general. Blushing displays a marked redness of one's face. The term is seldom applied except when the redness is construed as a result of embarrassment, shame, or modesty. If redness persists for abnormal amounts of time after blushing then it is considered an early sign of rosacea. Many who try to hide blushing usually end up making the condition even worse.

Gephyrophobia - fear of bridges. Gephyrophobia is an anxiety disorder brought about by the fear of bridges. As a result, sufferers of gephyrophobia may avoid route that will take them over bridges.

Genophobia, Coitophobia - fear of sexual intercourse. This phobia may be caused by actual sexual trauma (such as rape or molestation especially at an early age) or by witnessing a traumatic sexual act in real life or in the media.

Glossophobia - Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking. It is believed to be the single most common phobia affecting as much as 75% of the population. Fear of oration is ranked even above that of death.

Gymnophobia - fear of nudity. Gymnophobics experience anxiety from nudity, even if they realize their fear is irrational. They may worry about seeing others naked or being seen naked, or both. Their fear may stem from a general anxiety about sexuality, from a fear that they are physically inferior, or from a fear that their nakedness leaves them exposed and unprotected.

Gynophobia - fear of women (also spelled as gynephobia) is an abnormal fear of women. Gynophobia used to be considered as among driving forces toward homosexuality.

Haptephobia - A fear of being touched, also called aphephobia, haphephobia, thixophobia.

Heliophobia - fear of sunlight. Heliophobia is a problem that afflicts hundreds of Americans, but one that suffers from a lack of true research. The Pacific Health Center suggested that many people have been staying away from the sun because of growing fears about skin cancer. This is not technically heliophobia, simply an unfounded and illogical solution.

Hemophobia, Haemophobia - fear of blood. Hemophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of blood. Acute cases of this fear can cause physical reactions that are uncommon in most other fears, specifically vasovagal syncope (fainting). People with hemophobia are usual afraid of sight of own blood, rarely they dread other persons' or animals blood.

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia - fear of the number 666. (literally, "fear of the number six-hundred and sixty-six") is the fear that originates in the Biblical verse Revelation 13:18 which indicates that the number 666 is the Number of the Beast, linked to Satan or the Anti-Christ.

Hoplophobia - fear of weapons, specifically firearms. Irrational, morbid fear of guns, it may cause sweating, faintness, discomfort, rapid pulse, nausea, sleeplessness, and more at mere thought of guns.

Iatrophobia - Fear of doctors - Doctor visits can cause anxiety in nearly anyone. For some people, however, normal anxiety gives way to outright panic. Iatrophobia, or fear of doctors, is surprisingly common today.

Ligyrophobia - fear of loud noises. Phonophobia (also called ligyrophobia) is a fear of loud sounds. It can also mean a fear of voices, or a fear of one's own voice.

Metrophobia - The fear of poetry. Many people first develop this phobia in school, when overzealous teachers encourage them to rank poems according to artificial scales, break them down and search for esoteric meanings.

Mysophobia - fear of germs, contamination or dirt. More commonly known as "germaphobia" or "germ phobia", is a pathological fear of germs, dirt, and above all of contamination. Mysophobia is common in the United States. Some experts link the growing incidence of this disorder to Americans' general perception of the world as being a dangerous, uncontrollable place.

Necrophobia - fear of death, the dead. Necrophobia  is the fear of death or dead things (e.g., corpses) as well as things associated with death (e.g., coffins).

Neophobia, Cainophobia, Cainotophobia, Cenophobia, Centophobia, Kainolophobia, Kainophobia - An abnormal and persistent fear of anything new including new things, ideas or situations, of novelty.

Nomophobia - Nomophobia is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. More than 13 million Britans fear being out of mobile phone contact, according to research. Experts say nomophobia could affect up to 53 per cent of mobile phone users, with 48 per cent of women and 58 per cent of men questioned admitting to experiencing feelings of anxiety when they run out of battery or credit, lose their phone or have no network coverage.

Nosophobia - fear of contracting a disease. It is related to hypochondriasis, but there are several important differences between the two conditions. The most important difference is specificity. A person with hypochondriasis has several physical symptoms that he or she fears may be caused by illness. Someone with nosophobia, however, is afraid of a specific disease and becomes convinced that he or she has the symptoms of that particular disease.

Nyctophobia, Achluophobia, Lygophobia, Scotophobia - fear of darkness. Nyctophobia is a pathological fear of the dark. Its symptoms include breathlessness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly or sensation of detachment from reality and death. Fear of the dark is common in children, and often passes as they mature. If it persists for more than six months, fear of the dark should be professionally treated, as it can become crippling in older children and adults.

Osmophobia, Olfactophobia - fear of smells. Osmophobia or olfactophobia refers to a fear, aversion, or psychological hypersensitivity to smells or odors. The phobia generally occurs in chronic migraine sufferers who may have odor triggered migraines. Such migraines are most frequently triggered by foul odors, but the hypersensitivity may extend to all odors. One study found as many as 25% of migraine sufferers had some degree of osmophobia.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia, Paraskevidekatriaphobia, Friggatriskaidekaphobia - fear of Friday the 13th. If you base your belief on media attention, superstition about Friday the 13th might be the number one superstition in America today.

Panphobia - fear of everything or constantly afraid without knowing what is causing it. Also known as omniphobia or pantophobia, is the fear of everything or a vague and persistent dread of some unknown evil.

Phonophobia - fear of loud sounds.

Pyrophobia - The hate, or an abnormal or even irrational fear of fires or high temperatures.

Radiophobia - fear of radioactivity or X-rays. Radiophobia is an abnormal fear of ionizing radiation, also used in the sense of fear of X-rays. The term is used in several related senses: in reference to a neurological disorder, to a specific phobia, and (polemically, not medically) to general opposition to the use of nuclear energy.

Sociophobia - fear or dislike of society or people in general. Social anxiety is a term used to describe an experience of anxiety (emotional discomfort, fear, apprehension or worry) regarding social situations and being evaluated by other people. It occurs early in childhood as a normal part of social functioning. People vary in how often they experience social anxiety or in which kinds of situations. It can be related to shyness or other emotional or temperamental factors, but its exact nature is still the subject of research and theory. Extreme social anxiety can be disabling and may be diagnosed as social anxiety disorder (social phobia).

Taphophobia - fear of the grave, or fear of being placed in a grave while still alive. Fear of being buried alive is the fear of being placed in a grave while still alive as a result of being incorrectly pronounced dead. The abnormal, psychopathological version of this fear is referred to as taphophobia (from Greek taphos, meaning "grave"), which is translated as "fear of graves". Before the advent of modern medicine the fear was not entirely irrational. Throughout history there have been numerous cases of people being accidentally buried alive.

Technophobia - fear of technology. Technophobia is the fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices, especially computers.

Tetraphobia - fear of the number 4. Tetraphobia is an aversion or fear of the number 4. It is a superstition most common in East Asian regions such as China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The Chinese word for four (pinyin) sounds very similar to the word for death.

Tokophobia - fear of childbirth. Primary tokophobia is the fear of childbirth which pre-dates pregnancy and can start in adolescence.
Secondary tokophobia is due to a previous negative experience regarding traumatic birth, poor obstetric practice or medical attention, postpartum depression or other such upsetting events.

Triskaidekaphobia, Terdekaphobia - fear of the number 13. Terdekaphobia is an irrational fear of the number 13; it is a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.

Trypanophobia, Aichmophobia, Belonephobia, Enetophobia - fear of needles or injections. Trypanophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. It is occasionally referred to as aichmophobia, belonephobia, or enetophobia, names that are technically incorrect because they simply denote a “fear of pins/needles” and do not refer to the medical aspect of trypanophobia. The name that is in common usage is simply needle phobia.

Xenophobia - fear of strangers, foreigners, or aliens. Xenophobia is a fear or contempt of that which is foreign or unknown, especially of strangers or foreign people.

Zoophobias:

Ailurophobia - fear of cats. Ailurophobia is a type of specific phobia. It is a persistent, irrational fear of cats.

Apiphobia, Melissophobia - fear of bees. Melissophobia - Fear of bees or bee stings, is a common fear among people.

Arachnophobia - fear of spiders. Arachnophobia is a specific phobia, an abnormal fear of spiders. It is among the most common of all phobias. The reactions of arachnophobics often seem irrational to others (and sometimes to the sufferers themselves). People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they believe could harbor spiders or that has visible signs of their presence, such as webs.

Chiroptophobia - Fear of bats, sometimes called chiroptophobia (an incorrect derivation from the order Chiroptera of bats) may refer both to a specific phobia associated with bats and to common negative stereotypes and fear of bats stemming from prejudices and misinformation.

Cynophobia - fear of dogs. Cynophobia is the clinical name for an abnormal fear of dogs. The dog is a domesticated superpredator; this in combination with increasing media coverage of dog attacks could be contributing factors for development of this fear.

Entomophobia - (also known as insectophobia) is the abnormal fear of or aversion to insects and similar arthropods, and even other "bugs", such as worms.

Equinophobia, Hippophobia - fear of horses. Equinophobia is a psychological fear of horses.

Herpetophobia - The fear of reptiles, amphibians or other similar animals.

Ichthyophobia - fear of fish. Although the term technically refers to a specific phobia, in many contexts it may refer to any kind of fear of fish, such as fear of eating fish, or fear of dead fish. Galeophobia is a subtype of ichthyophobia specifically focused on one species, sharks. 

Musophobia - fear of mice and/or rats. Fear of mice and rats is one of the most common specific phobias. An exaggerated, phobic fear of mice and rats has traditionally been depicted as a stereotypical trait of women, with numerous books, cartoons, television shows, and films portraying hysterical women screaming and jumping atop chairs or tables at the sight of a mouse. 

Ophidiophobia - Ophidiophobia or Ophiophobia refers to the fear of snakes. Fear of snakes is sometimes called by a more general term, herpetophobia, fear of reptiles.

Ornithophobia - fear of birds. Ornithophobia is a type of specific phobia, an abnormal, irrational fear of birds.

Ranidaphobia - fear of frogs. Fear of frogs and toads has been recorded in the history of many cultures. For example, seeing a frog may be a bad omen or frogs and toads may give a person warts. At the same time in other cultures frogs are considered as good omen. A survey carried out by researchers from the Johannesburg Zoo have shown that in modern times old supersititons play less significant role and modern children are more concerned whether frogs are poisonous or harmless.

Zoophobia - a generic term for animal phobias. Zoophobia or animal phobia may have one of two closely related meanings: a generic term for the class of specific phobias to particular animals, or an irrational fear or even simply

Phobia

A phobia (from the Greek “fear”), is a strong, persistent fear of situations, objects, activities, or persons. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one’s control, or if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disorders can be made.

Phobias (in the clinical meaning of the term) are the most common form of anxiety disorders. An American study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that between 8.7% and 18.1% of Americans suffer from phobias. Broken down by age and gender, the study found that phobias were the most common mental illness among women in all age groups and the second most common illness among men older than 25.