Effects of Phobias on People

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Recommended: Phobias and their effect

Phobias are an unreasonable yet strong fear of a certain object, class of objects, or situation (Bruce). Phobia sufferers experience fear and a strong desire to escape whenever they encounter the phobic object or situation. Most people are able to avoid the object of their phobia or endure it with some mild distress. However, when a phobia causes personal distress or when avoidance of it interferes with a person’s ability to carry out normal activities, mental health professionals classify it as an anxiety disorder. These sufferers may need specialized treatment to overcome their phobias. Causes of phobias include traumatic experiences, panic attacks, adapting it from other peoples actions. But the effects of phobias can change a person’s life forever. The effects of phobias on a person include being more afraid than normal, stress, embarrassment, and helplessness.
The main effects of a phobia include being more afraid than most people of being around an object, being in a situation, or doing an activity. A person with a phobia might also be stressed about the possibility of being around the object, being in the situation, or doing the activity. Children show their stress by crying, throwing tantrums, freezing, or clinging to someone else (Hollander). Other effect may be embarrassment and helplessness (Fritscher).
The first effect of phobias are being more afraid of an object, situation, or activity than the average person. For example, a person may got to great lengths to avoid dogs because they have cynophobia. Others with social phobia finds being in social situations difficult and sometimes unbearable. Going to parties, weddings, functions, or exhibitions cause sufferers anxiety; there is fear of being embarrassed or humilia...

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... World Book Advanced. Retrieved from http://worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar427360 Dryden-Edwards, MD, R. (2012, September 12). Phobia. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/phobias/page2.htm

Fritscher, L. (2011, March 22). Psychological and emotional effects of phobias. Retrieved from http://phobias.about.com/od/introductiontophobias/a/phobiaimpacts.htm

Hollander, E. (2010, April 12). Phobias topic-overview. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/tc/phobias-topic-overview

Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., & Berglund, P. (1998). Social phobia subtypes in the national comorbidity survey.Am J Psychiatry, (155), 613-619. Retrieved from http://journals.psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/AJP/3688/613.pdf

Nordqvist, C. (2012, August 22). What is a phobia? What causes a phobia. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249347.php

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