Strange Phobias


Phobias are debilitating fears of objects, situations, people, places, or animals. Rapid onset of fear occurs when a person is triggered by their phobia. While there is a plethora of interesting phobias its likely no one has ever heard of, one of the most common in the world is Arachnophobia which is the fear of spiders. Phobias can become so severe that the person experiencing it spends nearly their entire life trying to avoid whatever it is they are afraid of. Have phobias is a form of an anxiety disorder that causes them to feel anxious or panic. Moreover, some other symptoms can include trembling, an upset stomach, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, sweating, and dizziness.

 

There are simple phobias and complex phobias. Simple phobias occur around a certain animal, subject, or activity. They often develop as a child and become less severe with age. Some of these simple phobias include fear of animals, heights, the doctor’s office, and bodily phobias. These tend to not be as sever and can subside over time. Whereas complex phobias are more debilitating. These usually develop during adulthood and only worsen over time. The two most common forms of complex phobias are agoraphobia, and social phobia. Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces such as traveling alone, being in a crowded space, or public transportation. Phobias do not have one single cause but can generally be associated with a past trauma.

 

Personally, I have a fear of spores which is Trypophobia which I did not learn about until later on in my life, and through research. I always knew I did not like the way coral in the ocean looked or Freddy Krueger’s face, but I was unaware it was even a phobia. Irregular patterns, small holes, or bumps just give me the Ick!

 

Reference

NHS. (2021).

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/phobias/overview/#:~:text=A%20phobia%20is%20an%20overwhelming,about%20a%20situation%20or%20object.

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