Phobias
What is it
A phobia is an extreme fear of an object, person, animal, activity, place, feeling or situation. Having a phobia is more than just being afraid of something – it’s a type of anxiety disorder.
When people are afraid of something, they’ll try to avoid it where they can, but they probably won’t think about it too much the rest of the time.
If someone has a phobia, they may feel anxious when they talk, or even think, about the thing they’re afraid of. If a phobia becomes severe, it can have a big impact on people’s lives. They can you begin to arrange everything around avoiding the thing that they have a phobia of. This can be very stressful and distressing.
Common examples of simple phobias include:
animal, environmental, situational, body and sexual phobias.
Feelings and behaviours
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Feeling nervous
- Feeling scared
- Feeling confused
Physical signs
- Feeling unsteady, dizzy or lightheaded
- Nausea (feeling sick)
- Sweating
- Increased heart rate or palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Trembling or shaking
- An upset stomach
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