Weak 7: Phobias

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Many people in the United States have an extreme fear of something, and these are known as phobias. The most common phobia is arachnophobia, which is the fear of spiders. Acrophobia, the fear of heights, is also one that is very common in the United States. These phobias are very understandable and many even pertain to us. However, there are also some interesting phobias that do not involve dangerous or gross things. Some of these include nomophobia (fear of being without a phone), ombrophobia (fear of rain), and much more that can be found here.




One question that many people wonder about is how do people obtain these phobias? Most phobias are caused by specific incidents or traumas, and they usually develop during the first 10 years of one's life. For example, someone might pick up coasterphobia (fear of roller coasters) because of a terrifying experience when riding one early on in life. Another way of developing a phobia is by watching family members experience the phobia. For example, a child whose mom has a fear of snakes will have a higher chance of being afraid of snakes.

There are actually treatments to phobias because some people experience severe health problems when dealing with phobias. The first step is usually to see a psychology or a psychiatrist so that they can recommend whether to take medications, have therapy, or both. Most of the medications, including beta blockers and antidepressant, help with reducing anxiety that are caused by a phobia. Most therapy techniques include letting the patient have gradual, step by step exposure to a phobia. For example, a psychologist might help a patient cope with thunder and lightning by first making them think about it, then showing pictures, then artificially recreating it, then exposing the patient to  actual thunder and lightning.

If you are interested in phobias, more information can be found at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249347.php.

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