What Is The Most Common Phobia?

Phobias are a surprisingly common condition. Many phobias tend to be more common than others. In some cases, certain symptoms may increase into a full-blown panic attack.

Social phobia and agoraphobia can be categorized as anxiety disorders, where the remaining phobias are categorized as “specific phobias” according to a particular object or situation.

The following phobias are the most common situations that lead to fear and symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and breathlessness. 

I had earlier shared  Is Psychotherapy Effective?  I hope you read the post

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Table of Contents

10 most common phobias

Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia is the phobia of spiders and other creatures. Of course, the sight of a spider can trigger fear, but in some cases, a simple image of a spider or the thought of a spider can lead to feelings of terrifying fear and panic.

The most common explanation for this danger is that such creatures once posed a significant threat to your parents, who needed medical knowledge and technical equipment to deal with injuries from animals and insects. As a result, the phobias of these organisms have evolved.

Ophidiophobia

Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes. This fear is quite common and is often associated with the causes of evolution. Some suggest that snakes are sometimes poisonous; Our parents who have avoided such threats are more likely to survive and usually pass down their genes.

Other theories suggest that fear of snakes may raise the inherent risk of disease. However, people do not display the same fear for dangerous animals like lions or bears.

Acrophobia

Acrophobia is the fear of heights that impacts more than 6% of people. This fear leads to anxiety attacks and avoidance of high spots. People who have this phobia always avoid going to high places such as bridges, towers, or tall buildings.

It is common for people to have a fear of some degree when facing heights; this phobia includes a severe fear that can result in panic attacks and avoidance behaviors.

Aerophobia

Aerophobia is the fear of flying that affects between 10% and 40% of U.S. adults, even though airplane accidents are uncommon.

Some common symptoms associated with this fear include tremors, rapid heartbeat, and a feeling of being lost. Fear of flying sometimes prevents people from flying completely. It is often treated by using exposure therapy, in which the client is slowly prepared for the flight.

To learn more, you can read :  When To Go To The Hospital For Rapid Heart Rate?

Cynophobia

Cyanophobia is a fear of dogs, a common fear, especially among children and door-to-door sales agents.

A negative experience with an animal can exacerbate the fear and make it one of the most difficult fears to overcome.

Astraphobia:

Astraphobia is a phobia of thunder and lightning. People with this phobia experience feeling of fear when they encounter such weather-related phenomena. Symptoms of astraphobia are often similar to other phobias, such as shaking, rapid heart rate, and increased respiration.

Trypanophobia

Trypanophobia is the fear of needles. People with this phobia need to have an injection; they may experience extreme fear and elevated heart rate while having any medical procedure. Some people even pass out during the procedure.

Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)

Social phobia includes the fear of social situations and can be debilitating for many people. These phobias can become so cruel that people avoid events, places, and people likely to trigger an anxiety attack in several cases.

I also wrote a article:  What Is Anxiety Disorder?

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is a much more complex fear of being alone in a place where escape may be difficult. This phobia includes the fear of crowded areas, open spaces, or situations that trigger a panic attack. People will begin avoiding these trigger events, and sometimes they stop leaving their homes entirely.

Mysophobia

Mysophobia is an extreme fear of germs and dirt. It can lead people to engage in extreme cleaning, habitual hand-washing, and even avoidance of things or situations perceived as dirty. In some instances, this phobia may be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I have already covered: Do I Have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

Treating a phobia

Phobias can be treated with therapies and medications. However, if you’re interested to find out the treatment for your phobias, you should make an appointment with a psychologist.

The most effective therapy for specific phobias is psychotherapy which is also called exposure therapy. During this therapy, your psychologist work to desensitize you to the situation of your fear.

This treatment helps you improve your thoughts and feelings about the situation so that you can learn to control your reactions.

The goal of psychotherapy is to improve your quality of life to no longer be distressed by your fear.

This therapy is not as scary as it may sound at first. This therapy is done with the help of a psychologist who knows how to guide you slowly while increasing levels of exposure with relaxation exercises.

Your doctor also can recommend some anxiety-reducing medications that can help you through exposure therapy. But these medications are not a treatment of phobias; they only make exposure therapy less distressing.

These Medications include beta-blockers and benzodiazepines may help reduce uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, fear, and panic.

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How to get over needle phobia?

Here are some tips to help you from needle phobia:

  • Prepare the area with medication, including ethyl chloride sprays or an anesthetic cream like lidocaine.
  • Remind yourself that a needle is painful, but when you process and fully understand the process, it would be like if you did not get the injection, it could help you be more realistic.
  • Visualize yourself being in a comfortable place. Don’t make your fear an enemy; treat the injection as something that will make you more comfortable at the end.
  • Begin with some minutes of mindfulness and later a few minutes of meditation. Deem about the things you are grateful for, and then imagine your goals, long-term or simple, being accomplished.
  • Use shows and share approaches with children. Let the child play until the child is comfortable injecting themselves.

Also Read: Play Therapy Activities

  • Distract and desensitize yourself; try imagining yourself sitting on a sun-drenched beach or another place you go to relax while taking an injection. This would make it easier when you are ready to take an actual injection.

Conclusion

Phobias are one of the most common psychiatric disorders and can significantly disrupt a person’s well-being. Fortunately, safe and effective treatments are available, including psychotherapy and medications.

The appropriate treatment depends upon various factors, including the symptoms and severity of the phobia, so it will always be best to consult your therapist about developing a treatment plan that works for your specific situation.

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