At certain times in your life, you may face situations or incidents which can elicit a reaction such a fear, worry and anxiety. For some people, it may be the presence of an insect, seeing blood or being surrounded by a lot of strangers. These situations make one feel uncomfortable and ill at ease. However, when the fear has become incapacitating, the person may not be able to function optimally and carry out task as he or she would normally do. The fear has turned into a phobia. Phobia is defined as an irrational fear towards an event or a thing which in reality is not that dangerous at all.

A person who has a phobia can manifest signs and symptoms such as difficulty of breathing, rapid heart rate, cool and clammy skin, excessive sweating and may look frightened at the sight of the object of their phobia. They feel an overwhelming anxiety and may even be unable to function normally. Most of them usually acknowledge the fact that their fear is unreasonable, but are not able to control themselves whenever they face it. Others may even feel anxious just be remembering or thinking about their most feared object or event.

When the phobia becomes too frustrating and gets in the way with your life, a visit to your doctor will help. There is no laboratory test which can diagnose a phobia. Instead, the doctor will do a series of interviews and match up the symptoms you present with the criteria found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which is widely used as a basis for diagnosing mental problems. With proper diagnosis, the doctor is able to plan treatment which is more likely to be effective for you.

Treatment consists of the use of medications and undergoing therapies to conquer your fear. The most common medications prescribed for people with phobia are antidepressants, sedatives and beta blockers. Antidepressant acts on serotonin, which is responsible for the mood of the person. Sedatives are given to allow the person to relax and prevent anxiety to worsen to a panic attack. Beta blockers oppose the effect of adrenaline in the body enabling you to have normal breathing and heart rate and reduce other sympathetic symptoms such as excessive sweating.

Therapy is usually composed of desensitization which is done by gradually exposing the person to the object of his or her phobia. By doing this, the person is able to overcome his or her fear in a slow but sure way. This procedure is done with the help of medical professionals so that it becomes effective and doesn’t add up to the fear and anxiety that the person is already feeling.

When a family member has irrational fear over an object, it is recommended not to aggravate the fear by steering away from negative comments and statements. Instead, help the family member cope by openly talking and listening about his or her feelings and maintaining a positive approach in eliminating the phobia. When it becomes serious, consult the help of a physician immediately.

Author Bio: Brent McNutt enjoys writing for Uniformhaven.com which sells urbane scrubs and urbane 9534 as well as a host of additional products.

Category: Self Help
Keywords: phobia,fear,types of phobia