Common Phobias Report

When looking at different anxiety disorders, you should also consider the different types 
of phobias. With phobias, they are more specific with the type of anxiety, such as a fear 
of heights or social phobia. Here is more information about common phobias and what 
can be done about them.

1. 6 Common Phobias

Fear is common thing shared by most living things. Having a fear of danger and things 
from the unknown is a part of each living creature’s ability to preserve their own 
existence, but when the fear becomes irrational, it’s easy to get lost in struggle. 
Today, there is a way to classify some of these phobias, and by studying them, it can 
help professionals to have a greater understanding of the mechanism that controls how 
humans react to fear. If you continue reading this article you will find that it contains 
information about 6 common phobias. 

Acrophobia

The fear of heights is probably the most common among all the phobias. Doctors 
believe that this phobia could possibly be caused by an experience that took place early 
in life that affects how the sufferer now perceives danger. Characteristics could include 
aversions for ledges and cliff-like structures. One preferred method of treat would be 
exposure therapy, in which the subject is slowly desensitized. 

Agoraphobia

This disorder is generally found in people who suffer from any number of debilitating 
and random panic attacks that are brought on by being in public places or specific social 
situations. People who suffer from agoraphobia tend to stay indoors due to heavy 
amounts of anxiety that they experience, mostly stemming from a feeling that they don’t 
fit in, or that they’re being secretly judged by others. 

Arachnophobia

The fear of spiders. To be diagnosed with Arachnophobia, the person would have to 
have an overpowering fear of spiders that would leave them in a panic attack and 
unable to handle any situation where they would have to get rid of the spider. 

Mysophobia

This phobia is the fear of germs or unclean spaces. This is typically associated with 
environments that are perceived to be dirtier than others. It isn’t considered a serious 
issue until it begins to keep people from functioning properly in life. 

Ophidiophobia

The irrational fear of snakes. Most people have a healthy fear of animals that could 
potentially be poisonous, but the people who suffer from this type of fear will tend to 
avoid anywhere that snake can live. This includes tall grass and other areas off the 
edge of a path. 

Social Anxiety 

This phobia is caused by the repeated appearance of panic attacks that stem from an 
irrational fear of social situations. The sufferer will typically believe that they are an 
outsider and wish to avoid any situation that may cause them to go into a panic.

2. What is Acrophobia?

Have you ever stood within a safe distance from a ledge, inched towards it, and froze in 
fear or experienced a panic attack? This could be a sign that you have acrophobia. 
Many people all over the world wrestle with this condition, and for some it can be 
devastating. 

What kinds of experiences and emotion have you felt during an episode? 

Understanding what a condition is, can help you to gain insight into how to deal with it. 
The following article with be sharing information about acrophobia.

Acrophobia

Simply put, acrophobia is the persistent and debilitating fear of heights that causes 
unpleasant effects like dry mouth, extreme sweating, tremors, or any other 
psychological responses. Some people can go long stretches of time without ever 
experiencing such an episode, but it is often very rare for them to be able to avoid 
experiencing these effects when they’re placed in a situation that can trigger the 
response. 

Many people who suffer from this condition are likely to experience the feeling of fear 
even when they are completely safe, or a safe distance from a potentially dangerous 
situation. 

What Causes Acrophobia

Even though there is no direct cause that is known or proven, professionals currently 
believe that it is very possible that the responses are triggered by events that remind the 
person of trauma that took place early in life of which they have no current recollection. 
They also believe that it can be triggered by seeing other experiences or situations 
related to great height. 

Some theories even assert that it could be trauma from early childhood, such as when a 
toddler falls from a bed or crib. While this is an interesting theory, there have been no 
tests done to see if that can in fact create a lifelong aversion to heights. 

Can It Be Cured

Phobias aren’t the easiest conditions to cure because they stem from deeply ingrained 
thoughts. There is currently a lot of research being done in the field of cognitive 
behavior therapy where doctors and other mental health professionals work to help 
people weed through their thought patterns to gain a more realistic hold on reality. 

Over time, they hope that this will help them to be able to tell the difference between 
possible threats and the part of their imagination that is overreacting to the stimuli. 
Sometimes it is necessary to employ multiple treatments such as hypnosis, medication, 
and counseling in order to reach a point of progress. 

3. What is Agoraphobia?

Although not as common as some other phobias, agoraphobia affects millions of people 
around the globe. This condition can have relatively serious and far reaching ripples 
across families and friends of the people who suffer from it, so tremendous care should 
be taken when you begin to figure out how to deal with this debilitating disorder. 

Fortunately, professionals say that this particular disorder has seen a lot of success 
during treatments. This article will be exploring some information about agoraphobia, as 
well as the panic that it can manifest. 

Agoraphobia

People who suffer from this disorder commonly experience symptoms as an outcome 
due to some relation to panic disorder. Panic disorder can instill a deep-rooted fear 
response and cause panic attacks that can paralyze the sufferer.  Generally, the person 
suffering from the attack will begin to associate the panic attacks with the situations that 
they were engaged in during the previous attacks, and decided that the only way to stop 
the attacks is to avoid any triggering events. 

Some smaller groups of sufferers become agoraphobic due to past trauma involving 
near death experiences, being a victim of a crime, or the loss of a loved one.

Panic Disorder

This is the term given to people who experience sudden panic attacks, and spend a 
large portion of time trying to avoid any kind of triggering stimuli that could ignite another 
panic attack. The sudden nature of their appearance can even take place while the 
sufferer is asleep. 

People with panic disorder also avoid allowing others to know that they experience the 
effects of panic attacks. This is likely due to the fact that they believe that others who 
are unfamiliar with the reality of what they experience are probably not going to 
understand, and thus ostracize them. 

This will lead to them distancing themselves from the very people that they should seek 
help from, like family and friends. 

Treatments 

The most effective treatments for these type of conditions are related to some form of 
cognitive behavioral therapy that teaches the sufferer how to navigate situations and 
retrains their reactions to certain situations. These treatments are also likely to include 
the use of anti-anxiety drugs, and other benzodiazepines. After a period of treatment, 
the subject is likely to have made a good amount of progress toward living a more 
productive and normal life. 

4. What is Social Phobia?

There has probably been a time when you didn’t really feel like going out, or meeting up 
with friends because it just seemed too overwhelming. Maybe you had been invited to 
something, and you decided that you would rather just stay home with your own 
thoughts instead of being around people that you weren’t sure about. 

A lot of people all over the word experience this on a constant basis. The purpose of 
this article will be to identify and explore the characteristics of social phobia. 

Social Phobia

This condition can have a wide range of effects and issues that create different types of 
difficulties for the sufferer. Social phobia, also referred to as social anxiety is a 
persistent disorder that that can affect the way a person feels about their everyday 
interactions. 

Many have a constant fear of how they are being perceived by others in social 
situations. This can cause many of the people who suffer from this condition to become 
withdrawn, and in the process, outside parties may view them as being rude or 
standoffish. This further alienates the subject, making it even harder to relate to others 
and form healthy relationships. 

Symptoms

There can be an extremely different range of symptoms associated with social phobia. It 
is common however for the person suffering to have some kind of bodily dysmorphia 
where they have serious insecurities with parts of their body. They will also often feel 
attacked and triggered by some interactions like meeting people for the first time, trying 
to begin conversations, feeling as though they are being watched, getting embarrassed, 
and being faced with having to make any sort of general conversation suddenly without 
warning. 

Treatments For Social Phobia 

At this point in time the only known effective and permanent treatment for social phobia 
is direct cognitive behavioral therapy. This is a means by which a person can learn how 
to change the way they think about situations, and how they react to stimuli in those 
situations. It has seen a very successful rate of recovery for people who are looking to 
overcome social phobia. 

The most difficult part of working towards recovery is the willingness of the person being 
treated to keep up with their obligation to continue working on their treatment program. 
If a person being treated can stick to their routine, their chances for success are greatly 
increased. 

5. What is Mysophobia?

There are a multitude of varied and interesting species of microorganisms living on our 
planet. Some of the bacteria found in your environment can cause sickness, while many 
are relatively benign. 

As you go through your daily life, you come in contact with these tiny creatures on a 
constant basis, so most people know that they should take care when handling food, or 
touching their face and mouth, but at what point does worrying about germs begin to 
affect your life? If you continue reading, you will find information on mysophobia. 

Mysophobia

Fortunately, the criteria for being diagnosed with mysophobia is a lot stricter than simply 
wanting to avoid dangerous germs. Generally, to receive that sort of diagnosis, you 
would have to be experiencing some sort of life impeding habits that leave a person 
unable to integrate normally in most situations. For example, hand washing isn’t really 
considered to be a sign of Mysophobia unless you are washing your hands so many 
times a day that you lose track of time, are late to events and so forth. 

Symptoms 

Other than the chronic hand washing, there are a grouping of symptoms that are closely 
associated with Mysophobia, and can appear in tandem over time such as the fear of 
being in a perceived dirty place like a subway, or a bus station, or public bathrooms. 
This type of individual is highly likely to have some kind of obsession with cleanliness, 
and they will fear the idea of anything dirty coming in contact with their children. 

That means that it’s possible that they will avoid going to parks and other recreational 
centers where children can play. Mysophobia can also lead to the abuse of cleaning 
products and other sanitation gels that are mostly intended for emergency use. 
 
Mysophobia Treatments 

Generally speaking, mysophobia tends to be closely linked to aspects of obsessive 
compulsive disorder. Mental health professionals have expressed that individuals 
seeking help for these related conditions can find some success if they are treated 
along similar lines with obsessive compulsive disorder. 

They also assert that a person can be reasoned with by exposing them to education 
that explains how sanitized environments can lead to greater risk of infection, and 
through various forms of exposure therapy. If the subject responds well, then can 
advance to more socialization techniques that steer them closer to their recovery. 

6. Signs You Have a Phobia

Fear is a very normal and common aspect of life. Every day, each individual is faced 
with going out into the world where they may be faced with the various dangers of 
modern life. A person of sound mind is unlikely to drive their car into the path of an 
oncoming train because they know that their car is far less likely to withstand the 
impact. This is a type of rational fear that keeps a person safe, but some people suffer 
from a fear of dangers that pose little or no actual threat. 

Avoiding the Trigger Completely

A lot of times, a person who suffers from a phobia will make an extreme effort to avoid 
anything that might put them into a panic. This comes from their desire to not 
experience the discomfort, but in reality, avoiding these situations lends even more 
power and weight to them than normal. 

The reaffirmations of the mind will reinforce the fear and anxiety that is generated by the 
situation or object. For example, a person who has social anxiety might choose to turn 
down invitations to things because they don’t want to be faced with anxiety causing 
situations. 

Emotional Signs

Even if you don’t experience the physical effects and extreme desires to flee, extreme 
moods swings and emotional upset can plague the person suffering from the phobia. 
They might become very irritable when they are faced with the situation or object that 
causes them the anxiety. 

They may even become confrontational with anyone who is around during that time of 
the upset, thus alienating friends and family members. They will seek forgiveness in 
many cases, but some will become hardened by this ebb and flow of emotion, 
sometimes refusing to apologize for lashing out.   

Physical Signs  

The most troubling sign of a phobia that can cause a person to avoid triggering events 
are the physical symptoms that accompany various types of stress and anxiety. 
Common symptoms can be heart palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, 
tremors, and adrenaline surges. 

A person in the middle of dealing with any of these types of symptoms will have a 
difficult time expressing what they are experiencing, and will need patient care and 
understanding. This will be very important because any further alienation they 
experience could cause them to withdraw even further. Knowing this can help an 
outside observer to take the steps that can put them in the road to recovery. 

7. Difference Between Phobias and Fears 

Most people have a relatively normal and healthy level of fear that serves as a way to 
keep themselves healthy and alive. Fear serves a purpose to all living things and is a 
function of self-preservation, but there is another type of fear that comes from an 
irrational place and causes a person to experience unpleasant effects that can actually 
put them in more danger than keep them safe. This article will be exploring the 
difference between fear and phobias. 

Fear

When you’re standing on the sidewalk and getting ready to cross the street, instinctual 
fear keeps you from suddenly walking into oncoming traffic and being killed by a 
passing car. This fear is a type of self-preservation. You mind is recognizing the 
possibility of a poor outcome that could end in your death. 
This applies to many situations in life, and is often the product 
of realizing that you a relatively fragile being in comparison to machines, especially 
when you could end up in their path while they are traveling at a high velocity. This is 
also referred to as common sense, because it also comes from an understanding of the 
situation. 


Phobias
Phobias are a type of fear that can often appear irrationally. People who have a fear of 
heights will often react to the proximity of a drop off. Many people with that type of fear 
often will avoid being close to windows and ledges even when a sturdy guard rail is 
present. This is because their mind is manufacturing a presence of danger even though 
the danger is not accessible. Even though logic state that they would not be able to 
penetrate a high-rise window, they will avoid the window so they can avoid having to 
deal with the feelings of anxiety that are likely to manifest. 

Working Through It 

Some phobias can be combatted by using different techniques. Cognitive behavioral 
therapy is the most successful for many phobias. This is done in different ways, but the 
one way is through the explicit exploration of the subject’s thought process, and 
highlighting how they can benefit from becoming more connected to reality. This can be 
very important because some phobias can cripple the social and emotional 
development of a person. Fortunately, some people can also benefit from exposure 
therapy. In the case of the person with a fear of heights, they may choose to be 
exposed to closer proximities to ledges until they have reduced their fear response. 
 
8. How to Know You Need Help For Your Phobia

Do you ever have crippling fear that prevents you from being to do certain things, or 
enjoy being in certain situations? Fear is a normal part of everyday life, but sometimes 
you can become so frozen by fears that it prevents you from living your life. If this is the 
case, it’s very possible that you are suffering from some type of phobia. Once you have 
discovered the root of the issue, it’s important to decide if it’s something that needs to 
be addressed by professional attention. .

You Know It’s Irrational 

It’s beyond frustrating to have fears that keep you from doing things, but it’s an entirely 
new issue when you actually know logically that the fear you’re experiencing is 
completely irrational. This would be a good time to get help, because the first step to 
recovery is recognition and you’ve already identified that there is an issue that needs to 
be addressed. If you seek the help of a mental health professional, they are likely to be 
able to give you the tools and treatment methods that can help you to find success on 
your journey back to being fully functional. 

It Keeps You From Living Life

Phobia can cause a wide range of issues that can become so obscured by different 
processes you create to keep yourself safe that it might make it difficult to know where 
to begin. If the phobias have gotten to the point where you’re avoiding taking care of 
errands that make your life move forward, seeing a mental health professional is highly 
recommended. 

People who are allowed to go down a spiraling path towards neglect can easily lose 
faith in themselves and others. Putting a top to this way of thinking as soon as possible 
is of major importance. 

It Causes Physical Discomfort

Anxiety is inherent in most phobias. If it gets to the point where you are suffering from 
panic attacks, and other physical symptoms, you should definitely see a mental health 
professional. Difficulties like heart palpitations can cause damage to the heart over time, 
and anxiety can affect the way that your body heals from injury. A tense, fatigued 
system will be less able to fight infections, and leave the body open to a multitude of 
ailments that could seriously impact on your way of life. 

9. Treatment Options For Phobias

If you’re a person that suffers from a type of phobia, you well know of the daily 
difficulties and challenges that can be difficult to overcome. If you’ve made the choice 
that you want to take the steps to combat your phobia, you’ll be pleased to know that 
there are some options that can help you to rise above this troubling condition. 

Advancements in the fields of study related to mental health and cognitive therapy are 
helping many people to leave their fears behind. This article will be sharing the 
treatment options for dealing with phobias. 

Exposure Therapy 

Exposure therapy is achieved through the repeated incremental exposure to the things 
or situations that cause the anxiety response. For example, a person that is afraid of an 
object, they would slowly begin to try and increase their proximity to the object. Each 
day they would return to their previous position and work towards gaining more ground 
until they are able to touch the object.  It is however very important that they don’t rush 
this process, because they should feel comfortable with each level of exposure. This 
type of therapy has a high level of success, and is used for a few different types of 
phobias. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 

This type of therapy is a very in-depth look at how your mind works and a systematic 
deconstruction of those processes in order to reshape how you process stimuli. The first 
step is always to identify the specific triggers, and then become consciously aware of 
how you feel about the issue. Once you know where you mind is going and how it ends 
up where it does and what triggers it, you should identify the negative thinking that is 
affecting the situation. 

This identification makes it possible for the subject to retrain their thinking to a more 
rational response. Once this has been done, the subject will be able to effectively make 
other changes with less effort. 

Anti-Anxiety Medication 

Medication can make some steps of the process less daunting for a person suffering 
from a phobia. The drawback is that the effects aren’t permanent because the person 
will not have actually worked anything out, but merely hid the symptoms. Medications 
are also known for having side effects that may give the person a new set of issues. It is 
recommended that people who have phobia do at least a few types of therapy to get 
themselves to their mental health goals. 

10. What is Exposure Therapy?

A certain percentage of people all over the world suffer from phobias, or an extreme 
fear of specific things. Innovations in the field of mental health have showed 
professionals new ways to treat specific disorders. 

One of the most effective treatments is exposure therapy. It has helped many people 
who suffer from phobias to overcome their fears and be able to live a healthier and 
more productive life. This article will be exploring some of the interesting aspects of 
exposure therapy. 

How Does It Work 

In the beginning of the treatment sessions, the therapist might spend time gauging the 
responses of the person suffering with the phobia. This could include visualizations 
where they have the patient imagine the thing that causes them the anxiety. The 
therapist will work with them to reduce the anxiety response until they feel that the 
patient is ready to be exposed in real life. 

The patient is never asked to do what they can’t do, and they are never surprised, as 
this could reinforce the trauma. Small steps are taken until the phobia has been reduced 
to a reasonable level. 

Mindfulness and Relaxation

Through all of the treatments and treatment levels, the patient is reminded to practice 
mindfulness and relaxation exercises. This accompanies the exposure to modify their 
responses. The exposure is far more likely to work and reduce anxiety when 
accompanied by focused mindfulness and relaxation. This works because it re-routes 
the original responses by replacing the negative response with positive ones, and it 
works on the deepest levels of how the patient experiences the world. Once a favorable 
level of comfort has been reached, the patient has essentially been cured of the phobia. 

It might be necessary to continue practicing mindfulness however, because in some 
cases it could be easy to backslide into old behaviors that are triggered by inciting 
incidents. 

Does It Help

According to various studies, exposure therapy is considered to be the most successful 
form of treatment for certain types of mental disorders. People who suffer from some 
phobias have reported a noticeable decrease in fear response. This why mental health 
professions now call exposure therapy the gold standard among the range of treatments 
that are available to date. If you have any reason to seek help, exposure therapy could 
be a great option to help you reach your health goals.
