Where do phobias come from and how to deal with them

How is a phobia different from fear

Phobia is a type anxiety disorder. It is manifested by a feeling of overwhelming and paralyzing fear. But at the same time, being afraid is normal, and sometimes useful. You can get scared of a big stray dog, because he is a real threat, and cross to the other side of the road. But if all dogs or even thoughts about them cause anxiety, then we are most likely talking about a phobia. In this state, fear is irrational and does not depend on the presence of danger. Also, it is long lasting.

Symptoms of a phobia can be:

• dizziness and pre-fainting;
• nausea;
• sweating;
• cardiopalmus;
• erratic breathing;
• shivering or fever;
• stomach upset.

Why Do Phobias Occur?

During a life with phobias face from 3 to 15% of the world's inhabitants. The most common are associated with heights (agoraphobia) or animals: for example, the fear of spiders (arachnophobia), snakes (herpetophobia) or bees (apiphobia).

As a rule, fear appears in childhood, and reaches its peak in middle and old age. Phobias can persist for years, and in 10–30% cases even for decades.

reasons There are several developments of this state:

• Negative experience. For example, if a person was bitten by a dog, cynophobia may develop - the fear of dogs.
• Environment. When a family member has a phobia, a similar disorder can occur in a child who watches the adult's reaction. And sometimes fears arise on the basis of completely extraneous experience. For example, the cause of aerophobia - the fear of flying - may be the news of a plane crash.
• Changes in brain function. In people with phobias, the amygdala more active responds to stimuli than others. For example, children are often afraid of certain animals, the dark, or heights. Over time, the fear diminishes through repeated non-traumatic experiences—a phenomenon called habituation. Research showthat habituation reduces the activity of the amygdala. But for some people this does not happen, and then a phobia develops.
• Temperament. This is not a direct cause, but a risk factor. If a person is sensitive or withdrawn, they are more likely to develop a phobia.

What helps fight phobias

Sometimes unreasonable fear affects the ability to work normally, study or communicate with other people. In addition, phobias indicate the possibility appearance anxiety, depression and substance use disorders. To help the patient cope with a phobia, specialists use these methods.

1. Exposure Therapy

Technique, directed to an object or situation that the person is afraid of. For example, with agoraphobia - fear of open spaces - he can go outside for a while. Gradually, the distance or time of the walk should be increased so that the person gets used to the fact that such spaces do not pose a threat.

To combat phobias, it is not necessary to directly confront the source of fear. For example, if a person is afraid to ride in elevators, for starters, he can simply look at them in photographs. In addition, specialists use virtual reality simulators. They are convincing enough to make a person feel anxious, but at the same time he is in a specialist's office in safety. In Russia, a complex for the treatment of disorders in virtual reality developed at the Ryazan Medical University. The system allows you to cope with the fear of animals and insects, fear of heights, closed and open spaces and overcome anxiety from exams.

2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

A type of psychotherapy that helps a person change their thoughts and habits. May include exposure therapy and other methods. For example, cognitive restructuring teaches recognize distortions of thinking and replace them with realistic thoughts. And mindfulness training helps to divert attention from the object of fear.

What are the methods of self-help

Every phobia is unique, so there is no one method that is guaranteed to work for everyone. These steps can help reduce the symptoms of phobias:

• Lifestyle change. Includes regular exercise, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, reducing and avoiding caffeine. These simple steps can ease some manifestations of phobias, such as panic attacks.
• Relaxation techniques. Yoga and deep breathing allow deal with anxiety and stress.
• Visualization. When doing relaxation techniques, a person can imagine how to successfully cope with a situation that causes anxiety.

Medications for treating phobias are usually not discharged. It is believed that talking therapy is more effective and has no side effects. But sometimes pills are prescribed to deal with the consequences of phobias, such as anxiety. In each case, the patient needs to discuss the treatment plan with a specialist.