A phobia is an increased fear of something. It can be some object, situation or action. Otherwise, a phobia can be called an obsessive fear. It is especially aggravated in a certain situation and defies any explanation. This condition greatly complicates a person's life, causes some discomfort and changes personality. Phobia (derived from the Greek "phobos", which means "fear") - a strong, persistent, obsessive fear. In certain situations that should not cause it, a person has a strong anxiety. This anxiety defies full logical explanation. This is not the fear that a person experiences when something really terrible happens (for example, they aim at him from a machine gun). A person understands that it is stupid to be afraid, but he cannot help himself.
Types of phobias - main list
Phobias are more common in impressionable, emotional people with a rich imagination. In this case, there is a term - psychological phobias. Such a person finds himself in this or that situation, and in his thoughts images appear one more terrible than the other. He experiences these imaginary situations as if they were real. A person does not understand why he begins to be afraid of something. All phobias can be divided into the following groups:
Tell me, who likes to go to the dentist? Few. And panic fear and dislike for this doctor are shown by patients with odontiatophobia. But this is one of the harmless fears of a dentist. What are the other phobias?
This is not a complete list of phobias that occur in the practice of a doctor. However, it gives us the opportunity to understand that for any object or action, an obsessive fear can arise.
Phobia Symptoms
The main symptom is the rejection or desire to avoid the situation that actually causes the phobia. In addition, obsessive fear may have other signs. These patients may experience:
- Tachycardia is a rapid heartbeat. Patients often complain of a feeling that the heart is about to jump out of the chest.
- Feeling of suffocation, a lump in the throat, nothing to breathe.
- Feeling of numbness, weakness, feeling of loss of consciousness, the body does not obey.
- Intense fear and horror of the object that causes the phobia.
- Trembling in the body.
- Cold clammy sweat.
- Disorder of the stool, vomiting, abdominal pain.
Causes of the disease
There is no single reason that causes phobias. Most of our fears start in childhood. Phobias are caused by many negative experiences that a person has experienced in childhood. With age, a lot passes, and people do not even remember it. But some fear comes with age. But all phobias arise after any situations that were unpleasant and brought a painful experience. The psychology of a phobia is such that a connection between what caused fear and the emotions that a person experienced is delayed in the subconscious of a person. It is believed that stress can provoke the development of a phobia in a person to whom parents have inherited a tendency to develop phobias.
Phobias are more susceptible to sensitive and emotional people. Also, people with a very rich imagination are susceptible to this disease. After all, it is difficult for them to distinguish between imaginary and real danger. Yes, and it is difficult to resist the feeling of fear, because such patients are afraid of what is not really there.
There are several theories for the development of the disease, although the causes of phobias are not fully understood.
- Burdened heredity. One of the parents suffers from such a disease, and it was passed on to the child.
- A highly developed self-preservation instinct - a person begins to experience fear even in situations where they do not pose a real danger.
- In the past, a person experienced a stressful situation (in childhood, during life).
Phobias in children
For children, phobias are common for each specific age. Almost 95% of children have some kind of fear. Sometimes this condition is considered normal for babies.
- Up to 2 years - fear of strangers, loud noises, separation from mother.
- Up to 6 years - fear of the dark, unfamiliar sounds, monsters.
- Up to 12 years old - fear of getting a deuce, getting sick, dying.
If such fears do not disrupt the normal course of the baby's life, are not excessive, do not affect health, then over time they will pass. Medical assistance is not needed here. Parents and their support will have more influence.
Treatment of phobias and fears
Phobias or fears are quite common in our daily life and cause some discomfort. For example, if a person is a teacher at a school and suffers from some kind of social phobia, then it will be very difficult to work in the profession. Also, a person who has a fear of blood will not be able to work as a surgeon. But he will be able to work as a psychiatrist or psychologist, whose work is not related to the type of blood. If the phobia does not affect daily life, then it will not cause anxiety. Or a person tries to avoid situations that cause fear.
Independently, spontaneously, phobias are cured very rarely, in simple cases. In difficult cases, only a specialist will help get rid of them. Here it is necessary complex treatment phobias, it is carried out by psychotherapists. Diet and daily routine are important, drug therapy, psychotherapy, physiotherapy methods of treatment are used.
The help of a psychiatrist is required in the treatment of phobias and fears in the following situations:
- The patient avoids certain places and situations due to illness.
- Fear is unreasonable and excessive, causing anxiety and panic.
- This condition causes significant discomfort and lasts more than six months.
The doctor diagnoses a phobia based on the examination and communication of the patient, differentiates it from other mental illnesses. Then prescribes treatment. In psychotherapy, a constant comprehension, experience of situations that cause a phobia is carried out. After psychotherapy, a person begins to understand why this condition actually arises in him. Of the drugs, tranquilizers are usually prescribed. They are especially effective when it can arise and it needs to be experienced somehow. For example, when flying.
How can you help yourself on your own? There are several strategies that can be applied:
- Understand your condition possible reasons. And know that a phobia can be cured. Try to challenge thoughts of fear.
- Various ways of relaxation, deep breathing are an antidote for worry, anxiety and fear. If they are used regularly, then a person will eventually develop the ability to quickly calm down.
Here is a list of so-called phobias (from other Greek φόβος - "fear"), recognized as real. Professional psychiatric terms are only part of this list. Not all of these "phobias" are mental disorders.
Alphabetical list of phobias
# A B C D E F F G I K L M N O P R S T U V W Y Z The strangest phobias: a list and interesting factsMany people in our world experience strongly pronounced uncontrollable obsessive fears. They are called phobias. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that they appear in certain situations. If, for example, a person is afraid of the dark, then panic overwhelms him when the light turns off in the room. But this, in principle, is such a fear that can be justified. There are many such. They are not surprised. Therefore, now I would like to talk about the strangest phobias. Among them there are those that many probably have not even heard of. Fears starting with "A"Perhaps we should start with acribophobia. This is an obsessive fear of not understanding the meaning of what is read. Interestingly, it often becomes a sign of schizophrenia. This is when people complain that phrases and words fall apart into separate syllables and letters. Ablutophobia is another specific fear. It manifests itself in the fear of cleaning, washing, bathing, washing, bathrooms and toilet rooms. Another thing worth mentioning is arachibutyrophobia. It is characteristic of people who are afraid that nut butter will stick to the palate. There is also Anglophobia. Based on the name, you can understand what it is. It is the fear felt before everything that concerns England. Not the strangest phobia, but amazing to say the least. You can get rid of it if something pleasant appears in life, connected with a frightening country. For example, your favorite British series, delicious tea, or an English friend. The fears of modernityThe strangest phobias are associated with the 21st century factor, and it's hard to argue with that. They developed with the advent of gadgets in our lives. Here, for example, punctuophobia is characteristic of people who are afraid to receive a message that ends with a dot. They believe that this is a hint of a serious conversation or a lack of mood in the interlocutor. Retterophobia is characteristic of people who are afraid of making a mistake in a word or not noticing autocorrect. Stranger still is the fear people have that their emoji messages will be misunderstood. This is emojiphobia. First, a person sends a frivolous emoticon in the form of an eggplant to the chat, and then he worries that he will be considered frivolous. Also, the fear of a bad selfie should be added to the list of the strangest phobias of our time. Despite the comical nature of fear, the consequences can be serious. Some people are ready for a lot for the sake of a good and bright selfie. The last thing I would like to note is ignorophobia. Fear is inherent in people who are afraid that their message will be read, but not answered. They immediately begin to think about what word they used incorrectly and how they offended the interlocutor. Absurd CasesDeveloping the topic, I would like to give the top 3 really ridiculous fears that cause only laughter. So here it is:
The most interesting thing is that now these fears are not uncommon. No wonder, because we live in a world of modern technology. Fears in social networksSome of them have already been mentioned above. But the previously listed fears are far from the strangest phobias in the world compared to the fear of choosing a bad filter on Instagram! And this is the case. It's called filterophobia. No less absurd is the fear of collecting too few likes under your post. It is called, accordingly, lykophobia. Many more are afraid of being tagged in a photo or in a post, there is also a fear of being monitored by special services in social networks. networks, and the annoyance of constantly coming alerts. The most interesting thing is duoluminaphobia. It lies in the fear of making a mistake in the chat. Men's fearsTalking about the strangest phobias, it is worth noting the attention of the fear that is characteristic mainly of the representatives of the male half of humanity. And now we are not talking about the fear of defeat, rejection or failure. I mean Caliginephobia. This is the fear of beautiful women. This fear is a kind of gynephobia, which, in turn, manifests itself in the fear experienced in front of women. Caliginephobia is accompanied by several symptoms. These include panic attacks, nausea, sweating, shortness of breath, and increased heart rate. To eliminate this fear, cognitive-behavioral treatment is used in conjunction with systematic desensitization. social fearsThey are also worth noting with attention, talking about the strangest human phobias. And first of all, you need to talk about the fear of becoming the object of someone's observation. This is scopophobia. It is characteristic of people who are afraid to attract attention to themselves. If they notice someone's eyes on themselves, they feel awkward, start to get nervous. This is a dangerous fear, because it often leads to unsociableness and isolation. Those who are paranoid about other people's views can shut themselves down forever if they are not helped to cope with this problem. We can't say enough about ephebiphobia. This is the fear and disgust felt towards teenagers. The term appeared in 1994, and was introduced by Kirk Astroth. The cause of ephebiphobia is usually personal motives. This phenomenon is treated through the use of psychotherapeutic methods. It is impossible not to say about peladophobia. It is characteristic of people who are afraid of bald people. The complete opposite is trichophobia. This is the fear and aversion felt towards the hair. Going to the hairdresser for people with such fear turns into real torture. And a hair accidentally sticking to clothes can trigger a panic attack. Ridiculous fearsThe top 10 weirdest phobias definitely include chronohypochondria. It is characteristic of people with excellent imagination and vivid imagination, who, as a rule, love science fiction. This phobia is manifested in the fear of getting into the past and catching a deadly virus! And it is impossible to go back to the future, because the time machine has broken. It looks like a movie script, but no - it's a fear of many people. No less surprising is genuphobia. It manifests itself in the fear of bare knees! People with such fear always cover for them. One can only guess what they feel when walking on a hot day, when everyone around is dressed in shorts and skirts. No less strange is metrophobia. And no, it's not the fear of taking the subway. At least she can be understood somehow. People with metrophobia are afraid of everything related to poetry. Poems cause them a real panic attack. Not to mention omphalophobia. In short, it is the fear of the navel. People with this phobia cannot even look at him. That which is compared to justificationOur reality is still aware of such a phenomenon as ergophobia, which is an aversion to work. Many attribute this fear to a list called "The strangest and most ridiculous phobias." Some even joke: "You're not lazy, you're just an ergophobe." But in fact, this is a serious disease that can cause many troubles and troubles. Its causes are usually:
This fear is now being actively treated through psychotherapy, counseling, medications and alternative medicine. Rare casesThere are such fears that are peculiar to units. They are also worth mentioning, listing the strangest phobias. Papaphobia begins the list of unusual and rare fears. And this is the fear of the Pope. It is closely related to the so-called hierophobia. It, in turn, manifests itself in relation to religion and the clergy. You can also say about hairophobia. It is characteristic of people who are afraid to laugh in an inappropriate environment. Let's say at a funeral. The fact is that the body of some people shows a defensive reaction to a shocking environment. Nephophobia is also considered a strange phenomenon. It manifests itself in the fear of clouds! Often, by the way, it transforms into fear experienced in front of fog or even air. But even more rare and incomprehensible fear is dextrophobia. It represents the fear experienced in front of objects to the right. Dextrophobia is considered a disease whose roots go back to childhood. Other fearsContinuing the list of the most ridiculous and strange phobias in the world, it is worth noting thehobia. Based on the name, you can understand why a person with such fear is afraid. To long words, of course! A similar name, by the way, is the fear of the number 666. This fear is known as hexakosiohexecontahexaphobia. She is not rare. Often, even bus route numbers were changed, just to avoid the “number of the Beast”. It's funny, but there is even gnosiophobia. This is the fear experienced by a person before gaining knowledge! But even she does not top the rating called "The strangest and most ridiculous phobias." The top of most TOPs is occupied by ... fear of money! Surprisingly, there really are people who are afraid of them. This fear is called chrometophobia. People suffering from it are afraid to touch banknotes or coins, take them in their hands, carry them in their pockets. It's good that now there is the concept of cashless payments, otherwise they would have had a very hard time. Phobias - what is it? Types of human phobiasThe word "phobia" has Greek roots - phobos - "fear". This is a condition in which a person experiences an excessive and unreasonable degree of panic. It is triggered by exposure to or expectation of a particular object or circumstance. This is how phobias are born. What it is?Psychologists define a phobia as an irrational, uncontrollable fear. Therefore, it is almost impossible to logically explain their manifestation at one time or another. However, sometimes phobic anxiety disorder arises from an irrational dislike and hatred of something. In this case, fear has a veiled form. Of course, fear is an innate emotional process, a genetically predetermined physiological component. This feeling can be caused by imaginary or real dangers. If treatment is started on time, in the first stages of the development of a phobia, it can be defeated. But since over time it settles more and more in the human brain, it is difficult to “uproot” it from there. You will have to make a lot of efforts to recover from a phobia. Psychology, fortunately, struggles with this. According to statistics, clinical cases are currently rare. In such cases, it is said that fear begins to get out of control and interfere with normal life, turning into attacks of real panic. Phobias differ from ordinary fears in their obsession, torment and sharpness. The patient fails to drive this state out of his consciousness, while the intellect remains intact. Another sign is the patient's realization that his fear is not normal. The birth of phobiasBy itself, a phobia will never arise out of the blue. In most cases, it is the result of a difficult experience, a long depression, stress, or as one of the components of a neurosis. That is, the causes of phobias are stress, emotional experience (hidden or not realized by a person). Z. Freud argued that a phobia appears due to the suppression, displacement into the darkness of the subconscious of shame, guilt, a very difficult experience. Most of all, obsessions, as well as phobias, are people who put reason above feelings. For them, the most important thing is the ability to control the situation. These people are primarily male businessmen or officials, because they have a huge responsibility for a long time. This does not give them the opportunity to relax. They believe that in a stressful situation one should not experience strong emotional experiences. Due to the fact that such people try to keep everything under control, they begin to suffer from the betrayal of their own brain. A phobia begins to develop more strongly from the moment when a person decides to organize his life without the object of his fear. In some cases, when the subject of anxiety is rare (snakes, for example), then the patient's life proceeds calmly. But the complex phobias that exist are complex enough to be avoided. These include, for example, agoraphobia (fear of leaving the house and being in a public place), or, as it is also called, social phobia (fear of being among people). Main categories of phobias
List of the most common phobiasThere are a large number of their types, many of which are divided into subclasses. The following are the most common phobias. What it is is also explained. To date, the most common is eremophobia - the fear of loneliness. But this applies to those people who are afraid to be alone with themselves. AviaphobiaAerophobia is no less common. People suffering from this disease are afraid of flying. Their condition is aggravated by the fact that any plane crash is very brightly covered in the press. In addition, the fear of flying can also lie in other fears, such as claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces) and acrophobia (fear of heights). One thing can be advised to a person suffering from aerophobia: try to distract yourself from thoughts of fear (listen to music, read a book, watch a movie, etc.). Peiraphobia and glossophobiaA fairly common disease in modern world- fear public speaking. This is the deepest fear of all mankind. Each of us is afraid of seeming ridiculous, stupid, incompetent or ridiculous. Of course, absolutely everyone is nervous before a speech - from a teacher to a politician. The only thing that can teach you to overcome this fear is frequent performances in crowded companies. If it is extremely difficult for a person to start fighting his fear, then it is better for him to work with an experienced psychologist who will teach exactly the practice of communication. AcrophobiaAcrophobia is the fear of heights. In most cases, it is rather a fear of falling. It is easy for the individual to avoid the object of the phobia - one must not climb high points. As a last resort, be distracted from the fact of being at a height. nyctophobiaThe phobia of darkness is familiar to everyone since childhood, but not everyone can cope with it over time. For adults, this is the most irrational fear. You can try to get rid of it by asking yourself what it is that scares you in the dark. thanatophobiaThanatophobia - the fear of death - has a serious impact on many people. Its variety is necrophobia - the fear of corpses. Many mistakenly believe that this ailment also includes a fear of cemeteries. But this fear has another name - coimetrophobia. Necrophobia is a fear that is difficult to overcome. It should be understood that life is a cycle that includes death. It is important to realize that there will always be people who remember you. AtychiphobiaThe fear of making a mistake or failing haunts even successful people. It can even trigger other common fears (rejection, change, what people think). Therefore, it is necessary to stop thinking about what may or may not happen and think positively. ReectophobiaFear of rejection is a very strong and overwhelming fear. Quite often, under it lies the desire to be accepted or loved. A person needs to make sure that someone needs him and will not be abandoned. ArachnophobiaA well-known fear is the fear of spiders. It has no reasons and prerequisites for the appearance. This irrational fear simply arises and sometimes even irritates the person suffering from it. Some people decide to overcome it in the following way. They spend a long time in an area or country where spiders are very common and are represented by many types and sizes. PhobophobiaFor many, the question often arises as a joke about what the fear of phobias is called. It turns out that there is such a fear - phobophobia - the fear of starting to be afraid of something. A rather unusual phenomenon occurs in those who have been in a stressful situation in the past. Its reappearance in the future frightens a person, and especially those feelings that he endured are worried. Phobophobia feeds on itself, fear begins to get out of control and exhausting. ClaustrophobiaFear of enclosed spaces is a very anxiety disorder. A person suffering from claustrophobia describes it as feeling trapped with no entry or exit. It usually manifests itself emotionally and physically. What causes this phobia is still not exactly known. It begins to develop in adolescence and often disappears or becomes less pronounced by adulthood. However, not all fears fall under the definition of the term "phobia". The list of the most common is constantly updated, updated and expanded. Symptoms of phobiasTypical symptoms of a panic attack are:
It is not necessary that all symptoms be present. A person suffering from a phobia already knows approximately what to expect during the next panic attack. What are phobias?Achluophobia - fear of the dark; Chait Eldar If it's just for your interest, write, I'll give you an interesting video tomorrow morning (if you didn't ask this question after watching it). If things are more serious, then the answer was given earlier. But the list is still not complete. lil_muslim_girl Ablutophobia - fear of bathing Polina Feigina Phobias are different... large, but far from complete list: Write a list of phobias and their meaningsthat's just on A Natalia Full list known phobias: |
The concept of "phobia" has firmly entered life modern man. Technological progress, individualization, stress - all this has an impact on society, and creates new amazing fears in people. A persistent, irrational, uncontrollable fear that defies a clear logical explanation is called a phobia. Some well-known phobias are mental disorders, others are obsessive. No psychiatrist will give you a complete list of phobias, because there can be as many phobias as there are people and situations.
Classification of fears occurs according to different criteria. For example, the first criterion is who is affected. In this case, it stands out:
- Baby.
- Teenage.
- Adults.
Each period of development is characterized by its own phobias, although a huge number of them can be in both a child and an adult. At puberty, a large number of phobias belonging to the category of social starts. If you do not pay attention to this, they can stay with a person in adulthood. A huge amount of intimacy, a phobia of being ridiculed and other fears of evaluation begin in adolescence. Adults at a certain age begin to suffer from phobias related to responsibility and decision making.
In addition to the age criterion, of course, there is also a gender criterion, however, many phobias are inherent in both sexes to one degree or another.
If we talk about serious fears that are considered mental disorders, then according to ICD-10, phobic anxiety disorders are labeled F40 and are classified as follows:
- agoraphobia (F40.0) is a large crowd of people, and in a neglected form is a fear of going out into the street, going to a supermarket, driving unaccompanied vehicles;
- social phobia (F40.1) - fear of society, views from the outside, interaction with people, public speaking, attracting attention.
- isolated phobias (F40.2) are fears evoked by well-defined objects, situations or actions.
- other phobic anxiety disorders (F40.3).
We list some types of phobias related to social:
- anthropophobia - literal translation of "fear of man." Its feature is the diligent avoidance of contact with any person, and not just strangers, and not only large quantities.
- Peiraphobia - fear of the stage, public speaking. The vast majority of people experience it, most often it is not a mental disorder.
- gelotophobia is a form of social phobia, expressed in a pathological fear of ridicule. Fear is due to irrational dependence on the opinions of others.
Additionally, some diseases can be identified, which are also social to some extent, however, they have a tinge of discrimination, and in some cases can be elevated to the rank of worldview.
- gerontophobia - manifested in fear or hatred before interacting with the elderly. The causes of a phobia can be a complete rejection of one's own aging.
- ephebiphobia - similar feelings, only to teenagers. Hostility can be provoked by personal motives that a person does not even remember.
- heterophobia / homophobia - controversial social terms, meaning fear-rejection of people with a heterosexual (homosexual) orientation. It is not a mental disorder.
- xenophobia - hatred, fear, rejection of everything alien. Anthropologists-evolutionists explain this by mechanisms laid down genetically. Xenophobia is the basis for chauvinistic ideologies.
Phobic disorders coded F40.2 include phobias of actions, situations, positions in space, or a particular object. For example, zoophobia is a group of specific phobias, which includes a huge number of fears of specific animal species or their classes. Here are some of them (below is a list of common and narrow names for phobias):
Specific include phobias associated with the discomfort of movement and being in a certain space. The most common is. The symptom is manifested by increased anxiety, up to panic when a person is in a confined space. Most often, this is an elevator car, but an attack of claustrophobia can also happen in a subway car, and even in a dense crowd.
Another popular fear is acrophobia, the term matters. Acrophobe feels dizzy and overwhelming fear when climbing to a height.
Much less common, but taking place in practice, is the fear of walking up stairs, or climacophobia. It often occurs in association with OCD.
Human phobias are often associated with natural phenomena:
- scotophobia - fear of the dark;
- brontophobia - fear of thunder;
- astrophobia - fear of the stars, fear of looking at the starry sky;
- anemophobia - phobia of a storm, strong wind, storm.
A large number of phobias can be conditionally grouped under the category "health". There are many fears of getting sick with a particular disease:
- carcinophobia - fear of cancer;
- phthisiophobia - fear of tuberculosis;
- AIDS phobia - fear of catching HIV;
- patroyophobia - fear of a hereditary disease;
- maniophobia - a phobia of having a mental illness;
- luophobia is the fear of contracting syphilis.
It is worth mentioning some of the phobias inherent in the younger generation. Atychiphobia is an irrational fear of failure, as a result of which a person loses motivation in achieving goals and refusal to compete. Another infantile fear is decidophobia - the fear of making serious decisions, the fear of taking responsibility. This is a very common occurrence.
V modern society especially a resident of a metropolis often suffers from nomophobia - the fear of being left without mobile phone or communication, as such.
Strange human phobias, a list with explanations
Before we give you a list of really recorded amazing human fears, look at the excerpt used in the television version of one performance of the Quartet I.
Of course, there is no fear of falling in love with four dead moving foreigners urinating, but the existing phobias are often amazing.
- papyrophobia - fear of paper;
- borborigamiphobia - fear of grumbling in the stomach;
- aibophobia - fear of palindromes (shifters);
- kumpunophobia - fear of buttons;
- hexakosiohexekontahexaphobia - fear of the number 666;
- ergophobia - fear of activity, performance of work;
- chrematophobia - fear of touching money;
- hypnophobia - fear of falling asleep;
- phagophobia - fear of swallowing;
- dorophobia - a phobia of giving and receiving gifts;
- eichophobia - fear of speaking and hearing compliments and good wishes addressed to you;
- doraphobia - fear of becoming covered with hair after touching the fur of an animal;
- erytophobia, chlorophobia, xanthophobia, leukophobia, melanophobia, cyanophobia - phobias of a certain color (in order: red, green, yellow, white, black, blue);
- agmenophobia - the fear that in a supermarket or airport, the queue in which you got up will move more slowly than neighboring ones;
- gnosiophobia - fear of gaining knowledge;
- Acerophobia is the fear of acidic drinks and foods.
List of the most common phobias
The most popular types of phobias that can be mental disorders are agoraphobia, claustrophobia, acrophobia, social phobia and zoophobia. And besides:
- aquaphobia - swim, drown;
- algophobia - fear of feeling pain;
- apopatophobia - fear of visiting public toilets;
- autophobia -;
- aerophobia - a phobia of flying on an airplane;
- hematophobia -;
- kinophobia - fear of dogs;
- necrophobia - fear of the dead, funeral and ritual symbols and accessories;
- paraskavedekatriaphobia - fear of Friday the 13th;
- pyrophobia - fear of fire, fire;
- radiophobia - fear of radiation;
- thanatophobia -;
- taphophobia - phobia of being buried alive;
- trypanophobia - fear of injections;
- trypophobia -;
- erotophobia - or questions on intimate topics.
About the diversity of human phobias, about the division of fears into types, about what symptoms a person with a phobia experiences in this video
conclusions
As you can see, the variety of phobias is simply amazing, everyone can find something to their liking. To some extent, this is what happens, a person experiencing internal torment decides for himself what they will be connected with: with a reflection in a mirror, a mouse, or a nuclear explosion.
The obsessive fear of everything in the world is called panophobia. It is recognized as one of the most difficult mental illness. This is due to the large number of causes of a phobia. Due to the many symptoms, it is not difficult to determine the presence of fear of something.
Fear of everything is called panophobia
A person with such a mental disorder is really afraid of many things: to go to public transport, contact with animals, communicate with peers, be rejected by loved ones. A person suffering from panophobia is confident and constantly expects something bad to happen to him. Prefers to stay at home alone. But there are effective methods of psychotherapy aimed at getting rid of panophobia.
Causes of Panophobia
In fact, the causes of the phobia are not fully understood, and the occurrence of panophobia cannot be traced - panophobes cannot remember how their disorder began. It is reliably known that there is no genetic predisposition and an innate form of panphobia. The disorder is formed from the combination of several phobias: more and more new ones are added to the already existing complex.
Typical causes of panophobia:
- constant pressure;
- stay in a stressful situation for a long period;
- lack of attention of parents;
- stress from being in a new, unusual environment;
- lack of friends;
- inability to build relationships with other people;
- rejection of the patient by relatives;
- negative impact of the environment;
- the predominance of stressful situations in life (death loved one, divorce, serious illness of a loved one);
- feeling of hopelessness of one's own situation, etc.
If you start the disease, a more severe type of panophobia, phobophobia, can develop. A person is already so exhausted that he begins to be afraid of everything in the world, even himself, his own reflection in the mirror.
Symptoms of Panophobia
Symptoms are typical for most cases.
- Initially, a person thinks negatively. It seems to him that all actions will lead to bad consequences. Low self-esteem, non-acceptance of oneself as a unique individual is manifested. He views all past events as negative.
- There is little that brings joy to the patient. He thinks everyone is against him. This is how the fear of rejection develops.
- antisocial behavior. The person becomes closed to communication. The patient considers himself uninteresting, it is difficult to establish contact or make friends with him. Prefers to spend free time alone.
- Panic attacks.
- Dizziness, fainting in a stressful situation.
- Stable depression, tantrums, tearfulness.
- Increased sweating.
It happens that the fear of everything develops in early childhood as a result of excessive or insufficient parental care. Wrong education, rejection, exorbitant responsibility for one's actions, pedantry, a tendency to introspection - there are many factors. In such a patient, relations with parents are poor or not supported at all.
Thoughts of suicide may appear. The patient cannot come to terms with his situation and considers death the only true solution to the problem. At this stage, you need to urgently contact a psychotherapist to start professional treatment.
Negative thoughts precede the development of a phobia
Types of phobic disorders
The fear of everything is unique in that it has many variations. They are classified according to the objects of fear, the number of phobias in one person, their origin. But in world practice, the fear of everything in the world is divided into 3 main groups. They combine many mental disorders.
Agoraphobia
This is the fear of open space, the accumulation of a large number of people. A person becomes stressed if he cannot leave a crowded place unnoticed. He worries that in extreme situation won't be able to get help. People with this syndrome try not to attend:
- shopping centers;
- area;
- markets;
- parties;
- cultural institutions (theatres, cinemas, restaurants);
- wide streets, etc.
For patients, travel in public transport is sheer stress and anxiety. Because of this, they walk, take taxis, or drive their own cars.
They are annoyed by mass events. They rarely attend holidays where more than ten people are invited, it is difficult for them to be in educational institutions.
There are 2 states in agoraphobia - active and passive. In the first case, the client does not lose efficiency and does not react too strongly to crowds. In another, the patient hates and fears crowded places so much that he prefers to stay at home.
social phobias
A person has a strong anxiety when getting into certain social situations. This is due to the fear of being rejected, humiliated. The patient is afraid not to justify the hopes of loved ones. He feels that he is not loved or respected enough. There is an obsessive fear - to show their weaknesses or to be insolvent in the eyes of other people.
Another manifestation is the fear of physiological reactions of one's body such as flushing, slight trembling, excessive sweating, etc. People with social phobias never speak in public, do not have large groups of friends, do not eat with other people. They prefer solitude or face-to-face dialogue.
Specific phobias
They are associated with various specific situations that cause stress, hysteria, fear, anxiety in a person. They are formed when they collide with certain objects. The most common phobias in this group are:
- acrophobia - obsessive fear of heights;
- zoophobia - fear of animals, regardless of their habitat, size and behavior;
- claustrophobia - fear of enclosed spaces or spaces;
- aviophobia - fear of flying;
- hemophobia - fear of donating blood, anxiety and loss of consciousness at the sight of blood;
- trypanophobia - fear of hurting someone or experiencing it yourself, etc.
The impact on the life of the patient is determined by the severity of fear. Exacerbated when meeting with the object of the phobia.
Zoophobia - fear of any animal
Phobias in children
In children different ages common phobias. Toddlers only learn the world and experience fear of unfamiliar objects. The most common phobia is nyctophobia, or fear of the dark. It arises due to the violent fantasy of children or watching cartoons with negative characters before going to bed. Often children sleep with the lights on.
According to the age factor, such specific phobias are distinguished:
- from 0 to 2 years - fear when meeting strangers, fear of noisy events, streets;
- from 2 to 4 years - fear of animals, especially wild and unfamiliar;
- from 3 to 5 years - fear of natural phenomena and cataclysms, anxiety before going to the hospital or a new, previously unknown place;
- from 4 to 6 years - panic due to fictional and imaginary characters;
- from 5 to 7 years - fear of being alone at home, fear of parental punishment;
- adolescence (from 12 to 18 years) - fear of war and death.
Associative fear is present in any childhood. The child made a mistake once, but remembered it well. In this case, parents should not punish the baby, he should be reassured and talked to as with an adult.
It is important to distinguish ordinary fears from phobias. Main difference between them in the aftermath. Phobias lead to suffering, stress, depression, worries and excessive, abnormal anxiety.
The child tries to avoid the object of fear. At the initial stage of manifestation of phobias, it is important to eliminate them. Otherwise, the child will really begin to be afraid of everything that surrounds him. After all, children's fears are one of the primary sources of the further development of mental disorders. Parents need constant attention and interest in the life of the baby. He should not feel rejected or inferior. It is necessary to spend a lot of time doing joint activities - dancing, singing, drawing. Even the usual joint walk in the park causes a lot of positive emotions.
Treatment of panophobia
Most sick people refuse to admit their mental disorders. A panic attack begins in order to protect himself. Because of this, sick people become socially dangerous and can harm not only themselves, but also others.
There are many methods for treating the fear of everything. All of them have one direction - to eliminate negative thoughts and teach a person to adequately perceive real world. There is a struggle with reactions and behavioral attitudes that interfere with normal life.
Desensitization or reprocessing
This is one of the methods of psychotherapy, n aimed at reducing the sensitivity of the individual in relation to fear-causing situations or objects. Works successfully with the consequences of depression, anxiety, phobias, acute grief, somatic disorders and addictions. Reprocessing is especially effective after traumatic events - violence, participation in hostilities. The doctor clearly localizes fear in the physical area of the human body and, using relaxation methods, eliminates it from there.
At the moment of fright, we press our heads into our shoulders - this is the collar zone; breath stops - diaphragm area; glazed eyes - muscles eyeballs; trembling hands - areas of the hands.
Under the guidance of a psychologist, the patient visually imagines the objects that he fears the most, and tries to relax the muscles in these areas, alternately approaching and moving away from the source of fear. The alternation of a calm and anxious state of the psyche gives a person the opportunity to reconsider his attitude to fear, learn to control his reaction to a stressful situation.
Its main goal is to change the type of thinking of the patient from negative to positive. In the process of treatment, he learns to know himself, analyzes his thoughts. He answers questions:
- why is that bad;
- What have I done wrong;
- why is it dangerous;
- what could have been done;
- who said that it is impossible to do so;
- who claims that it is forever, etc.
These leading questions help the doctor to find out the root causes of the patient's behavior. After all, the symptoms of several types of fear of something can be similar.
To be effective, it is important Active participation sick. He must be interested in his cure.
Treatment consists of 2 elements - individual psychotherapy sessions with a doctor and homework. The latter depend on the specific type of panophobia. They take a lot of time from the patient, so they are as effective as possible.
After each therapy, the doctor asks the client to explain what he has learned. Thus, he checks how much a person understood him. If there are any errors, they are discussed and fixed.
Cognitive behavioral therapy replaces negative thinking with positive
Exposure Therapy
The main idea of therapy is to stop being afraid of past memories. The patient is afraid of thoughts, feelings, past experiences due to many failures. He has a feeling of fear and nervous excitement when remembering unpleasant situations from the past. Agoraphobia is effectively treated with exposure therapy.
The beginning of therapy will be painful and mentally difficult for the patient. He needs to learn to accept his feelings. To do this, it is proposed to find positive moments even in negative situations.
Some methods of exposure therapy:
- hidden sensitization. The client is brought into a state of complete relaxation. Then they abruptly offer to imagine themselves in an extreme or dangerous situation. At this moment, a certain prototype of fear will appear in the imagination of the patient. When the feeling of anxiety reaches the limit, the therapist offers to forget about it and continues the relaxation session. The procedure is repeated at least 3 times. It is needed so that the patient learns to accept his fears and be able to forget about them.
- flood technique. The doctor creates such conditions when the patient has panic and anxiety. The patient must fully immerse himself in this situation. The therapist observes a person's behavior to determine what consequences await him in such situations. It is important that the patient adequately perceives and understands what is happening.
In the process of treatment, hidden avoidance may appear - a piece decrease in the level of fear. It does not provide an opportunity to eliminate the causes of fears. Therefore, the client needs full dedication, and the doctor needs a real desire to help.
This is an effective method in the presence of social phobias, because the fear of everything also implies alertness towards people. The technique is aimed at destroying the fear of communicating with strangers. Thus, internal conflicts are resolved, tension is relieved. In the process of group therapy, the patient learns to analyze his own behavior and those of his interlocutors. The main thing is that there should be positive changes in the behavior of the patient.
The session takes place as role playing. Situations are played out that cause severe stress, anxiety and panic in patients. The more often the sessions are held, the better the result will be. In the process, patients learn to identify their positive qualities and personality. The realization comes that fear can be turned into personal growth.
Patients gain confidence in themselves and in the fact that they will be able to completely eliminate their phobias. Knowing the cause of fear, it is much easier to find ways to eliminate it yourself.
Group therapy builds self-confidence
Self-treatment
When a phobia is at its initial stage, a person is able to deal with the problem on his own. It all starts with identifying the sources of fear and analyzing them carefully. Next, a remodeling of the situation is required.
A person realizes how he acted and considers how he could act. It is necessary to present different options for the actions of the patient and his interlocutors. It is important that the end of the situation is positive.
Experts in the field of psychotherapy talk about the low effectiveness of such treatment. After all, an inexperienced person does not exactly know all the intricacies of therapy. He often ignores important nuances. There have been times when self-medication really helped, but it is better to seek help from a professional.
Conclusion
Fear of something, or panophobia, is a complex mental disorder that has not been sufficiently studied. It is characterized by the presence of social, psychological and other reasons for the occurrence. Thanks to the symptoms, it is possible to determine whether a person is sick with panophobia or not.
Constant anxiety prevents a person from living a normal life. Thoughts about the past, about what happened to him, do not allow you to calmly look into the future. The patient's imagination is so developed that he invents unlikely things, looking for signs that justify his fear and anxiety.
Every person has a weak point - something that makes you nervous, causes anxiety and fear. Certain fears and phobias are inherent in everyone, although sometimes they seem absurd, strange, funny to others. What are people most afraid of? What are phobias and what distinguishes them from ordinary fear?
Phobias and fears: is there a difference?
Fear - important component survival instinct. It makes a person perceive danger and avoid it. Healthy fear ensures the safety of the species, not allowing you to get close to a wild animal, calmly wander over a deep cliff, swim too far from the coast. Fear of something is the norm, unless it drives a person into captivity of irrationality.
And in this case, phobias enter the arena. They are causeless and unfounded fears characterized by obsession, a high degree intensity, uncontrollability. Human phobias have minimal connection with reality, because they make you afraid of something that does not pose a real danger (a certain number, insects, bridges, forests, etc.). Such fears do not belong to the survival instinct and are considered a disorder.
Basic phobias: list-classification according to Karvasar
Any attempt to group all phobias according to certain criteria fails, since it is very difficult to take into account every aspect of morbid fear. But classifications still exist, and it is recommended to familiarize yourself with them in order to understand the nature of phobic disorders.
Types of phobias | Typical examples |
Associated with the fear of space and the movement of a person in it. |
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Social, associated with being in society and receiving evaluation from it. |
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Associated with the risk of getting sick or getting infected with something (nosophobia). |
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Arising from the natural fear of death. |
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Affecting the intimate sphere, relating to sex. |
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Arising against the background of fear of harming oneself or others. |
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Appearing due to fear of committing an unseemly act. |
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Secondary fears that develop due to fear of a phobia. | Phobophobia - fear of fear, fear of recurrence of panic attacks and anxiety. |
Karvasarsky's classification is considered the main one, but there are other divisions of phobias.
What are the phobias according to the number of objects of fear
The human psyche has practically unlimited resources. And you can be afraid of not one object, but several at once. According to this criterion, there are:
- Monophobia, when a person is afraid of one thing.
- Polyphobia, in which there are more than two objects of pathological fear.
For example, if a woman is terribly afraid of spiders, then she suffers from monophobia. But when anxiety about intimacy is added to this fear, then we will talk about polyphobia.
The more objects of fear, the more limited the life of the patient. Avoiding one thing can be easy. With several simultaneous phobias, it becomes almost impossible to build a full-fledged comfortable life, since the safe zone becomes too small.
Phobias: what are - primary and secondary disorders
Primary phobia - the main one that arose first. For example, a person is afraid of heights (acrophobia). After some time, the area of influence of fear expands: other related disorders join the existing phobia. Then they talk about secondary phobias. In this example, an additional fear of flying on an airplane may develop.
In the absence of therapy, the situation can become even more complicated. There will be nothing strange in the fact that the phobia will gradually spread to all transport, that is, cars, trolleybuses, buses, trams, and the metro will be “banned”. After some time, spatial phobias (claustrophobia or agoraphobia) may become aggravated and a fear of death (thanatophobia) may arise.
A large number of phobic disorders is a provoking factor for neurosis, psychosis, depression.
The most common types of human phobias and their meaning
Allocate a kind of top 10 most common human fears. This list included:
- Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. A type of zoophobia (fear of animals).
- Acrophobia is the fear of heights. Limits a person in moving up: there is a fear of going to the mountains, climbing stairs, standing on a stool. In some cases, the phobia is complicated by an obsessive desire to throw oneself from a great height, even if the person has no suicidal tendencies in principle.
- Claustrophobia is the fear of enclosed spaces. It does not allow you to comfortably be in any closed rooms (especially if they do not have windows), elevators, caves, tunnels, sometimes even cars. Fear is associated with the fact that a person feels in a trap from which it is impossible to get out.
- Aerophobia is the fear of flying. Many people try to “silence” the phobia by taking sedatives or drinking alcohol. Others choose to extend their travel time by taking a car, train, or bus, even if flying is the safer mode of transport.
- Necrophobia - fear of the dead and funeral paraphernalia. In some cases, the fear extends to the corpses of animals. Sometimes an exacerbation of a phobia happens when you see a corresponding frame in a movie or a photograph on the Internet.
- Nyctophobia is the fear of the dark. It mainly develops in childhood under the influence of a violent fantasy, a feeling of abandonment and insecurity. May persist into adulthood. Many hide nyctophobia, ashamed of their "infant" fears.
- Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes. Often, panic fear develops into an obsessive rejection of zoos, campsites, pet stores, forests and other places where you can see a reptile.
- Dentophobia is the fear of dental treatment. The reasons for the fear are quite obvious, but the dentophobe refuses to visit a doctor, even if there is nowhere to put it off. He understands that pain, injections, discomfort are not as terrible as losing teeth, but he cannot overcome himself.
- Cynophobia is the fear of dogs. A person does not experience aggression towards animals and does not seek to harm them. But he cannot help himself, falling into a panic at the sight of a dog. Interestingly, cynophobia often occurs in those who have never had a negative experience with animals.
- Hemophobia is the fear of blood. Fear is accompanied by a feeling of horror at the sight of open wounds, deep cuts, blood sampling for analysis. Some people pass out or suffer from vomiting.
Of course, the presence of a certain phobia in the top 10 does not mean that a person will encounter it. It is quite possible that he will have another "fate". Phobic disorders arise and proceed according to an individual scheme in each case, therefore there is no particular point in focusing on statistics.
Funny human phobias: a list of the strangest disorders
To a person, his fear hardly seems cheerful: a phobia is a serious problem that interferes with life. But from the side it can be funny to watch how adults are afraid:
- lack of a mobile phone (nomophobia);
- other people's views (scopophobia);
- swallow (phagophobia);
- dancing (chorophobia);
- everything new (neophobia);
- clusters of holes (trypophobia);
- wash (ablutophobia);
- hair (trichophobia);
- money (chrometophobia);
- bald people (peladophobia);
- sit (catisophobia);
- work (ergophobia);
- buttons (communophobia);
- turn into a bird (avidsophobia);
- cook food (mageirokophobia);
- to have a table conversation (deipnophobia);
- look up (anablepophobia);
- plush toys (arctophobia);
- starry sky (astrophobia);
- wind instruments (aulophobia);
- nakedness (gymnophobia).
The names of phobias from this list are not well known. These fears are quite rare, but due to their “increased” strangeness, they give a person a lot of trouble and worries. For example, it is quite difficult to explain to household members their unwillingness to get a job not as banal laziness, but as a real phobia itself.
"Star List": phobias of famous people
Famous people don't give in ordinary person susceptibility to various disorders. And their phobias are no less common:
- Scarlett Johansson is afraid of birds. She says she developed the phobia while filming We Bought a Zoo. The peacocks that broke free frightened the actress, and since then she has been terrified of all large winged ones.
- Billy Bob Thornton has a distaste for antique chairs. He prefers not only not to sit on such furniture, but not even to be close to it. Thornton is looking for the cause of the phobia in his past life.
- Oprah Winfrey hates chewing gum. Fear arose in childhood, when the grandmother frightened the future presenter with horror stories about school punishments for chewing gum. The impressions were so strong that years later the phobia remains with Oprah.
- Orlando Bloom is terrified of pigs. And all because of the story that happened on the set of the film "Kingdom of Heaven". A huge boar escaped from the enclosure and chased the actor. Since then, Bloom prefers to stay away from pigs.
- Matthew McConaughey has a fear of revolving doors. He says that he is terribly afraid to go through them, which is why he experiences a lot of inconvenience.
- Nicole Kidman is terrified of ordinary butterflies. At the same time, the actress is indifferent to mice and cockroaches. However, some of the prettiest insects inspire Kidman with the strongest fear. She talked about a huge gray bloodworm that lives at her gate and does not allow the actress to return home in peace.
- Uma Thurman is a well-known claustrophobe. Pathological fear developed in her on the set of the second part of Kill Bill, when the actress was placed in a coffin. And now Thurman avoids elevators and cramped rooms.
Obviously, celebrities also suffer from phobias and often do not even try to get rid of them.
With many pathological fears, one can live quite successfully and fruitfully. If anxiety does not go off scale, and there are no panic attacks, then it is permissible to do without the help of a specialist. But the slightest worsening of the situation should be a reason to turn to a psychotherapist: active phobic disorders quickly lead to further degradation of psychological health.