What is phobia?
Specific phobias are an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of objects or situations that pose little real danger but provoke anxiety and avoidance.
Unlike the brief anxiety you may feel when giving a speech or taking a test, specific phobias are long lasting, cause intense physical and psychological reactions, and can affect your ability to function normally at work, at school or in social settings.
There are many types of phobias.
Specific phobias are among the most common anxiety disorders, and not all phobias need treatment.
But if a specific phobia affects your daily life, several therapies are available that can help you work through and overcome your fears — often permanently.
No matter what specific phobia you have, it's likely to produce these types of reactions:
- An immediate feeling of intense fear, anxiety and panic
- Awareness that your fears are unreasonable or exaggerated but feeling powerless to control them
- Doing everything possible to avoid the object or situation or enduring it with intense anxiety or fear
- Difficulty functioning normally because of your fear
- Sweating
- Rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing
- Feeling nauseated, dizzy or fainting around blood or injuries
Much is still unknown about the actual cause of specific phobias.
Causes:
- Negative experiences.
- Genetics and environment.
- Brain function.
Source
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/specific-phobias/symptoms-causes/syc-20355156
