What Is Phobia?
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that prevents people from making the most out of life by crippling them through irrational fears. In most instances, such individuals are afraid of things that do not pose any genuine threat to their wellbeing.
While some phobias are simple to decipher, others require careful professional prognoses to diagnose and eradicate. Most of these get better through therapy and medication.
However, some are challenging to treat and may become lifelong anxieties that individuals have to manage daily. Most people turn to sedatives and other over-the-counter drugs for relief in such cases.
Symptoms Of Phobia?
Most people experience the onset of phobias as a child or teen, and the conditions worsen as individuals step into adulthood. While the precise nature of such anxieties remains a mystery, scientists believe that such disorders run in families.
Since phobias are anxiety disorders, they are specific to individuals and their past trauma. As a result, they affect different people in varying ways.
Additionally, people have varying degrees of severity depending on how strong their reactions are to their phobias. However, the most common symptoms experienced by individuals when exposed to their phobias are as follows:
- Sense of intense fear and panic
- Elevated heart rate
- Profuse sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Shaking and trembling
- Intense eagerness to escape
- Palpitations and twitching
How To Treat Phobia?
Since the severity of phobias varies from one person to another, treatment methodologies differ significantly. While some fears cause mild anxiety and sweating, others lead to debilitating fear and heart palpitations.
Counseling can help identify the root cause behind such disorders and are very effective. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been gaining attention in recent years for being highly effective and successful.
CBT effectively changes the way you think and behave, making it easier for individuals to manage their phobia. Exposure therapy can also help people overcome their anxiety and stress by gradually exposing them to their fears.
However, medication prescribed to treat phobias can cause several adverse side effects. As a result, patients and doctors are on the lookout for a more natural and sustainable option.
The most common medication prescribed for people with such anxiety disorders is SSRI antidepressants, beta-blockers, and tranquilizers.
