FEAR Aydan Əhmədova
365MR
Fear is one of the most basic
human emotions
Fear helps protect us. It makes us
alert to danger and prepares us to
deal with it. Feeling afraid is very
natural — and helpful — in some
situations. Fear can be like a warning,
a signal that cautions us to be
careful.
Like all emotions, fear can be mild, medium, or
intense, depending on the situation and the person. A
feeling of fear can be brief or it can last longer.
This response is known as "fight or flight" because
that is exactly what the body is preparing itself to
do: fight off the danger or run fast to get away.
The body stays in this state of fight–flight until the
brain receives an "all clear" message and turns off
the response.
• There are many different types of phobias. The main
categories of phobia are specific phobias, social
phobias, and agoraphobia. A person can develop a
phobia of any situation or thing. A phobia is a type of
anxiety disorder. It causes a person to experience
overwhelming or debilitating fear of a situation or thing
that typically does not pose any real danger.
• According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in
the United States alone, around 12.5% Trusted
Source of adults experience a phobia of a specific
situation or object at some point in their lives.
Specific phobias
• Specific, or “simple,” phobias are those that relate to a particular object
or situation.
• The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Trusted Source
classifies specific phobias according to the following categories:
• Animal type: Examples include dogs, snakes, and spiders.
• Natural environment type: Examples include storms, water, and
heights.
• Blood, injection, and injury (BII) type: Examples include needles,
invasive medical procedures, and blood.
• Situational type: Examples include a fear of flying and a fear of
enclosed spaces.
• Other type: This type is characterized by any phobia that does not fit
into the above categories.
Social phobias
A social phobia is an extreme fear of being
in social situations that may cause
embarrassment or humiliation.
One example of a social phobia is a fear of
public speaking.
Agoraphobia
• Agoraphobia is a fear of being in public spaces or
crowded areas without an easy means of escape. In
severe cases, people with agoraphobia become
housebound because they are afraid to leave their safe
space.
• Social phobias and agoraphobia are more likely to cause
life impairment because the situation or thing that
causes the phobia is a lot more difficult to avoid.
Acrophobia (fear of heights)
Another name for acrophobia is “visual height
intolerance.”
According to the DSM-5, 6.4%Trusted Source of adults will
experience acrophobia at some point in their lives. The
authors add that women are slightly more likely to
experience this type of phobia than men.
Arachnophobia (fear of spiders)
A 2010 study reports that spiders are among the most
common sources of phobias in the world.
Claustrophobia (fear of tight or
crowded spaces
According to a 2020 articleTrusted Source,
between 7.7% and 12.5% of people will
experience claustrophobia at some point in
their lives.
Several situations may cause anxiety for
people with claustrophobia. For example,
elevators and MRI machines pose a problem
for people who are fearful of tight spaces.
Sociophobia (fear of social
judgment)
Sociophobia is a common type of anxiety disorder. It
affects more than 1 in 8 people at some point in their
lives.
Social fears vary widely, from fear of speaking in public
to fear of using public restrooms.
• Treatment options
• Most phobias are treatable, and many are curable.
• In some cases, avoiding the source of a phobia is relatively easy.
• However, treatment may be necessary for people who cannot easily
avoid the source of their phobia. The sections below discuss some
possible treatment options in these cases.
• Self-help techniques
• Self-help techniques may combine different types of therapy, such as:
• Relaxation techniques: These include breathing exercises that help a
person relax during times of heightened stress or anxiety.
• Visualization techniques: These are exercises that allow a person to
mentally visualize how they will successfully cope with a situation that
could trigger anxiety.
• Self-help groups: Meeting other people with phobias and sharing
coping strategies for dealing with phobias and anxiety can help.