Informative Speech On Phobias

a. Attention Getter: According to the article “Phobia Statistics” from fearof.net, “Nearly 15-20% of us experience specific phobias at least once in our life. In the U.S., nearly 8.7% of people (aged 18 and over) have at least one extreme specific fear and nearly 25 million Americans report having the fear of flying phobia.

b. Introduce Topic: A phobia as defined by medicalnewstoday.com, “is an irrational fear, a kind of anxiety disorder in which the sufferer has a relentless dread of a situation, living creature, place or thing.”

c. Credibility Statement: I, myself have certain phobias and have done research on phobias.

d. Thesis and Preview: So I am here today to inform you about phobias.

i. First, I will talk about the the types of phobias.

ii. Then I will discuss how common phobias are and the most common phobias as of today in the United States.
iii. Lastly, I will talk about how a phobia is formed.
II. Body

a.

Main Point 1: There are three main categories of phobias. The first category is Specific Phobias which are known as simple phobias. Specific phobias or simple phobias are usually fears about specific situations, living creatures, places, activities, or things. Examples of simple phobias is dentophobia (dentists), aerophobia (flying), claustrophobia (small spaces), and acrophobia (heights). The other two categories are Social Phobia and Agoraphobia. These two are known as complex phobias. The article “What is a Phobia?”, describes them as complex phobias because “they are linked to deep-rooted fear or anxiety about certain situations, incidents or circumstances, which make them more disabling than simple phobias.” Social phobia is also referred to as social anxiety disorder. Social phobia may be defined in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. (Webmd.com) A person with social phobia finds being in social situations very difficult to handle with because of the lack of social skills or experiences that person may have. Going out to social events such as parties or functions may cause anxiety to a person with social phobia. There is that fear a person has of being embarrassed in public. People with this phobia may be afraid of a specific situation such as public speaking. Medicinenet.com defines “agoraphobia” as “a fear of being outside or otherwise being in a situation from which one either cannot escape or from which escaping would be difficult or humiliating.” The results of agoraphobia are anxiety and panic attacks. People with agoraphobia sometimes confine themselves inside their own home when symptoms are

severe.

b. Main Point 2: Now I will talk about how common phobias are and the most common phobias as of today in the United States. Phobias are the most common type of anxiety disorder. Over 50 million people in the USA are thought to live with a phobia. Phobias can affect people of any age, sex, and socioeconomic status. According to a study conducted by Statisticbrain.com, 6.3 million Americans have been diagnosed with a phobia this past year. This statistic is verified by the National Institute of Mental Health. Medicalnewstoday.com states “The National Institute of Mental Health estimated that between 8.7% and 18.1% of Americans of all ages suffer from phobias. A much higher percentage of woman summer from phobias than men.” I will go over the top ten phobias that people have been affected by in the United States. According to the statistic chart on phobias from Statisticbrain.com, the top phobias that have affected Americans is Brontophobia; fear of thunder and lightning, Agoraphobia; fear of open spaces, Claustrophobia; fear of confined spaces, Aerophobia; fear of flying, Sociophobia; fear of people or social situations, Acrophobia; fear of heights, Scotophobia; fear of darkness, Arachnophobia; fear of spiders, Necrophobia; fear of death, and Glossophobia; fear of public speaking. These are the most common phobias Americans are affected by today.

c. Main Point 3: A phobia can develop during childhood adolescence or early adulthood. According to the article “Phobias” by Andrea Wodele and Matthew Solan from healthline.com, “Phobias can be caused by genetic and environmental reasons. Children who have a close relative with an anxiety disorder are at risk of developing a phobia.” In the same article, Wodele and Solan claim that phobias are often found in patients with ongoing medical conditions or health concerns There is a high incidence of phobia development after traumatic brain injuries. Substance abuse and depression also have been connected to phobias.” Phobias are often linked to a tragic event or a stressful situation. Specific phobias or simple phobias are likely to develop during childhood. If a phobia is developed during childhood, it is most likely because of a negative experience. For example, if a child had a negative experience such as being trapped in a confined space, that experience may develop into claustrophobia over time. Another cause of a phobia is witnessing a family member’s phobia. For example, if a child’s mother has arachnophobia, that child is more likely to develop the same phobia. Phobias that are picked up from parents are referred to as learned fears because they are said to be not genetically inherited. According to the article “Causes of Phobias” from nhs.uk, “It is not known what causes complex phobias, such as agoraphobia and social phobia. However, it’s thought that genetics, brain chemistry and life experiences may all play a part in these types of phobias.”
III. Conclusion

a. Review of thesis and main points: I went over the three types of phobias, how common phobias are and the most common phobias that have affected Americans, and I also discussed the causes of these phobias.
b. Closing statement: As Daniel J. DeNoon states in his article, “Phobias may be irrational but they are real medical conditions that can be treated.”