The Facts
Phobias are fears that interfere with a person's ability to cope in certain
situations. These situations are not normally dangerous or frightening,
but people with phobias experience strong feelings of anxiety when they are
in these situations. One in ten people will experience phobias at some point
in their lives. Such people can be calm and rational in most circumstances,
yet find themselves paralyzed with fear when facing certain situations.
Phobias can be categorized into a number of different types:
- Social phobia is an avoidance of social situations, resulting from
extreme shyness or fear of being embarrassed in public. Social phobia affects
men and women equally. It often starts in childhood or adolescence and is
often accompanied by other anxiety disorders or depression.
- Agoraphobia is the fear of going into public places, including fear
of open spaces and of crowds. Agoraphobia affects mostly women, who tend to
develop the condition early in adult life.
- Specific (isolated) phobias include many types of intense fear reactions.
These include:
- fear of animals (e.g., spiders or snakes)
- environmental fears (e.g., of heights, or water)
- situational fear (e.g., of enclosed spaces or elevators)
- fear of injury (of potentially dangerous situations - real or imagined
- or of contracting illness)
- other phobias (fear of loud noises)
Twice as many women are affected as men, and tend to develop their fears in
childhood or early adolescence, with the phobias persisting into adulthood.