Medically reviewed by Lori Lawrenz, PsyD — Written by Corinne O'Keefe Osborn and Crystal Raypole on January 3, 2022
A phobia is an irrational fear of something that’s unlikely to cause harm. The word itself comes from the Greek word“phobos,” which means “fear” or “horror.” Hydrophobia, for example, literally translates to fear of water. When someone has a phobia, they experience intense fear of a certain object or situation. Phobias are different from regular fears because they cause significant distress, possibly interfering with life at home, work, or school. People with phobias actively avoid the phobic object or situation, or they endure it with intense fear or anxiety. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), the American Psychiatric Association outlines several of the most common phobias. Agoraphobia, a fear of places or situations that trigger fear or helplessness, is singled out as a particularly common fear with its own unique diagnosis. Social phobias, which are fears related to social situations, are also singled out with a unique diagnosis. Phobias come in all shapes and sizes. Because there are an infinite number of objects and situations, the list of specific phobias is quite long. According to the DSM-5, specific phobias typically fall within five general categories:
These categories encompass an infinite number of specific objects and situations. There’s no official list of phobias beyond what’s outlined in the DSM-5, so clinicians and researchers create names for them as the need arises. This is typically done by combining a Greek (or sometimes Latin) prefix that describes the phobia with the –phobia suffix. For example, a fear of water would be named by combining “hydro” (water) and “phobia” (fear). There’s also such a thing as a fear of fears (phobophobia). This is actually more common than you might imagine. People with anxiety disorders sometimes experience panic attacks when they’re in certain situations. These panic attacks can be so uncomfortable that people do everything they can to avoid them in the future. For example, if you have a panic attack while sailing, you may fear sailing in the future, but you may also fear panic attacks or fear developing hydrophobia. Studying specific phobias is a complicated process. Most people don’t seek treatment for these conditions, so cases largely go unreported. These phobias also vary based on cultural experiences, gender, and age. Here’s a look at some phobias that have been identified. Phobias are typically treated with therapy, medication, or a combination of both:
Phobias are persistent, intense, and unrealistic fears of a certain object or situation. Specific phobias are related to certain objects and situations. They typically involve fears related to animals, natural environments, medical issues, or specific situations. While phobias can be extremely uncomfortable and challenging, therapy and medication can help. If you think you may have a phobia that’s causing a disruption in your life, speak with your doctor for an evaluation and treatment options. Last medically reviewed on January 3, 2022 Democrats are nearly twice as likely as Republicans to have a fear of clowns. They are also significantly more likely to fear bugs, snakes and other animals, as well as blood and needles. Democrats are slightly more likely to be afraid of ghosts. These are among the findings of the Chapman University Survey on American Fears, which examined American fears and anxieties across a variety of topics - personal safety, the government, disasters and more. Last week I reported on partisan differences in Americans' belief in the occult, noting that Democrats were more enthusiastic believers in the paranormal than Republicans. Perhaps due partly to their belief in the unbelievable, Democrats tend to be more phobia-stricken than Republicans, according to the survey. Chapman researchers asked about a dozen different phobias, ranging across everything from public speaking to zombies. On a number of questions, Democrats were more fearful than Republicans. But Republicans weren't significantly more fearful on any of them. Overall, fear of public speaking is America's biggest phobia - 25.3 percent say they fear speaking in front of a crowd. Clowns (7.6 percent feared) are officially scarier than ghosts (7.3 percent), but zombies are scarier than both (8.9 percent). The partisan differences can be traced partly education, according to Christopher D. Bader, a sociology professor at Chapman. "Having a lower level of education, particularly having only a high school diploma/GED or less, was the most consistent predictor of fear," he wrote in analysis. In an email, he added "Democrats tend to be slightly less educated than Republicans in our sample. Therefore, this might explain some of the difference." Another big predictor of fear? Television viewing. "Watching television talk shows with frequency proved to be strongly related to fear," Bader wrote. "It is a simple, straight-line effect – the more one watches talk TV, the more fearful one tends to be." He notes, though, that it's unclear whether TV makes people more fearful, or whether more fearful people watch more TV. Democrats are fond of caricaturing Republicans as fear-stricken Fox News viewers, clinging to "guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them," in Barack Obama's famous formulation. And the Chapman study notes that Republicans are indeed more likely to express anxiety about certain topics, like immigration, the government, and "today's youth." But it also helpfully shows us that Democrats are beset by their own anxieties. Whether it's more irrational to fear clowns or "job-stealing immigrants" is an entirely different question. What are you afraid of, Wonkblog readers?  While there are many different types of observed phobias, there are some that affect the population at much higher rates than others. The following are just a few of the most commonly diagnosed phobias and how they manifest in patients:
Treating Phobias in Baton RougeIt is perfectly normal to experience some level of hesitation or nervousness when confronted with a new or intimidating situation. However, such instances should not produce symptoms of panic such as increased heart rate, rapid breathing, trembling, and nausea. If these types of symptoms occur as the result of a particular object or situation, you are likely suffering from a phobia. Fortunately, most of these conditions can be improved dramatically with care from a mental health professional. If you are in the Baton Rouge area and struggling with a phobia, contact Psychiatry Associates of Baton Rouge to request an appointment with one of our skilled psychiatric physicians. |
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