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Are Phobias Controlling Your Life?

Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night? If so, you suffer from noctiphobia. Don't worry though, you're not alone. According to the FDA, an estimated 18 percent of American adults suffer from some kind of phobia, from the fear of clowns (coulrophobia) to the fear of garlic (alliumphobia) to the fear of chickens (alektorophobia).

Phobia Definitions and Causes
A phobia is an unrealistic, intense fear of an object, event, feeling, situation or person. When a person who suffers from a phobia is exposed to the object of their fear, they can experience a variety of symptoms, including an elevated heart rate, rapid breathing and even a full-fledged panic attack.

While anyone can develop a phobia for almost anything, researchers are still uncertain as to how phobias develop. Some people, however, can trace their phobias back to a specific event. For example, an adult who has an irrational fear of spiders may have had a negative experience with a spider as a child.

The Three Categories of Phobias
Mental health professionals divide phobias into three main types:

• agoraphobia (the fear of crowded public areas)
• simple or specific phobias (such as the fear of snakes)
• social phobias (fears of being embarrassed in social settings).

The 10 Most Common Phobias
Here's a list of the 10 most common phobias:

1. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders.
   
   
2. Social Phobias is a catchall category that covers fears of being assessed negatively in public. It includes such fears as the fear of signing checks in front of other people, the fear of eating or drinking in public, the fear of public speaking and the fear of using a public bathroom.
   
   
3. Aerophobia is the fear of flying.
   
   
4. Agoraphobia is the fear of being in crowded public spaces, such as malls or markets.
   
   
5. Claustrophobia is the fear of confined spaces, such as elevators or small rooms.
   
   
6. Acrophobia is the fear of heights.
   
   
7. Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting.
   
   
8. Carcinophobia is the fear of the cancer.
   
   
9. Brontophobia is the fear of thunder and lightning.
   
   
10. Necrophobia is the fear of death and dead things.

Other Interesting Phobias
Here's a list of some of the more interesting phobias:

• Anablephobia is the fear of looking up.
  
  
• Bolshephobia is the fear of Bolsheviks.
  
  
• Cacophobia is the fear of ugliness.
  
  
• Chromophobia is the fear of colors.
  
  
• Consecotaleophobia is the fear of chopsticks.
  
  
• Euphobia is the fear of hearing good news.
  
  
• Geniophobia is the fear of chins.
  
  
• Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables.
  
  
• Papaphobia is the fear of the Pope.

Coping with Phobias through Medication and Therapy
Many people who suffer from phobias may cope with their phobia by simply avoiding certain objects or situations. However, there are drugs and therapies for people who would like to overcome their phobias rather than simply avoid them. Talk with your healthcare provider to find out what treatment method is best for you.

The FDA has approved the following drugs for dealing with the anxiety that is often associated with phobias:

• Inderal
• Tenormin
• Valium
• Xanax.

Some people have successfully cured their phobias through behavior therapy. In this type of treatment, a trained professional gradually exposes a person to what frightens him or her in a controlled environment. In this way, the patient is taught how to control their physical responses to their phobias. As many as 75 percent of people who suffer from phobias have benefited from behavior therapy.