Phobias

Phobia is a word used to describe extreme anxiety when faced with a feared thing or situation. We are all scared of something (even if some people don’t admit it!) but a phobia would make us react significantly when either physically around the feared thing, or sometimes just the thought of it may trigger panic.

You can develop a phobia for a reason; for example a dog phobia may develop from a negative experience with a dog as a small child and following this any thought of or contact with a dog can trigger the same fear response. Alternatively a phobia can develop over time and for no apparent reason.

Social phobia is very common, and in childhood and adolescence can have a significant impact on the development of friendships, academic work and attainment, and social functioning in general. Young people may fear going out altogether for fear of a social situation leaving them humiliated.

Other phobias that can impact young people, amongst many others, could be a needle phobia stopping necessary vaccinations being completed, or animal phobias which can make a young person reduce their contact with friends and family members with said animals, or avoiding going out completely for fear of coming into contact with the animal.

Phobias, as other anxiety based disorders are very treatable, and it is usually the understanding of, and exposure to the feared thing that is the most beneficial way of tackling these difficulties. Be assured that this is a very gradual and gentle process and there would be a lot of work done alongside the tackling of the phobia on managing distress and fear and the more physical responses to the phobia. You and your therapist would take time in thinking together about your worries and only when you felt ready would they move on with you to tackling it head on to stop it controlling your life.

If you feel that you have a phobia that is getting in the way of you enjoying your life, or stopping you doing something in particular then get in touch using the Contact Us page.