Everyone has fears, but how do you know if that fear qualifies as a phobia? Fear is a natural, automatic response to danger. A phobia is an intense and usually unrealistic fear of a situation, activity, object, animal, or person.
We’re here to help you find out if you may have a phobia and explain more about the most common fears and phobias, what the difference is between them, and how to handle both.
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The Difference Between a Phobia and a Fear
Fear is a basic human emotion that everyone will experience at some point in their lives. It is a natural response to danger that can help protect people. When danger is sensed, the nervous system is activated, resulting in physical sensations including increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. The brain sends blood to the large muscle groups to prepare the “fight or flight” response and the body begins to sweat to cool itself.
The physical reaction to a perceived threat happens instantly, which is why people may feel fear even if they aren’t actually facing danger (such as if they’re startled). It takes the brain a few seconds to register the situation and shut down the fear response if it’s not needed.
Phobias are more persistent, overwhelming fears that impact a person’s daily life. While the physical experience is similar, phobias are intense, lasting fears in response to something that is usually not actually dangerous.
Phobias are divided into two types: simple and complex. Simple, or specific, phobias involve an object, animal, person, or situation. For instance, people may have phobias to specific animals (spiders or snakes), environmental conditions (heights or germs), situations (flying in an airplane or visiting a doctor), people (a dentist or clown), or bodily functions and experiences (vomit, blood, or injections).
There are two common types of complex phobias. The first is social anxiety disorder, or social phobia. People with social anxiety disorder tend to fear social situations, especially if they will be critiqued or judged or have the potential to be embarrassed or humiliated. Some people fear speaking, performing, or presenting in public, while others have a more generalized fear of social situations including school, work, gatherings, events, and parties.
The second complex type is agoraphobia, which is an intense fear of venturing into unknown environments, which people with this phobia tend to think are unsafe. Many people with agoraphobia are afraid of experiencing a panic attack when in an unfamiliar situation, especially if they can’t easily escape the situation. People with agoraphobia tend to fear being in public, crowds, open spaces, traveling, being alone, and being on a bridge or in an elevator. In extreme cases, people with agoraphobia will avoid leaving their homes due to their overwhelming fear.
Want to learn more?
Check out these resources to find out more about common phobias, causes, symptoms, and treatments:
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Any medically related content, whether User Content or otherwise found on the Service, is not intended to be medical advice or instructions for medical diagnosis or treatment, and no physician-patient or psychotherapist-patient relationship is, or is intended to be, created.
Reader Success Stories
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"This quiz really helped me because I didn't know if it was a phobia or just not being comfortable with something. For me whenever I would try to scare someone and I went into a small space my heartbeat would immediately go up and I would start to sweat."..." more
