Presentation

Considered by Ketevan Rakviashvili

Phobias

Hello, I am Ketevan Rakviashvili, the student of the faculty of Law

at the Tbilisi State University. I would like to introduce the
presentation about phobias. This topic has always been beyond
interesting for me that led me choosing this field to research. I
hope you will enjoy.

Overview
A phobia is an irrational fear of something that’s unlikely to cause harm. The
word itself comes from the Greek word phobos, which means fear or horror.

When someone has a phobia, they experience intense fear of a certain object
or situation. Phobias are different than regular fears because they cause
significant distress, possibly interfering with life at home, work, or school.

People with phobias actively avoid the phobic object or situation, or endure it
within intense fear or anxiety.
Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are very common.
They’re estimated to affect more than 30 percent of U.S. adults at some time
in their lives.

Agoraphobia, a fear of places or situations that trigger fear or helplessness, is

singled out as a particularly common fear with its own unique diagnosis.
Social phobias, which are fears related to social situations, are also singled
out with a unique diagnosis.

Phobias come in all shapes and sizes. Because there are an infinite number
of objects and situations, the list of specific phobias is quite long.

Specific phobias typically fall within five general categories:

 fears related to animals (spiders, dogs, insects)

 fears related to the natural environment (heights, thunder, darkness)
 fears related to blood, injury, or medical issues (injections, broken
bones, falls)
 fears related to specific situations (flying, riding an elevator, driving)
 other (choking, loud noises, drowning)

Common phobias list

Studying specific phobias is a complicated process. Most people don’t seek
treatment for these conditions, so cases largely go unreported.

These phobias also vary based on cultural experiences, gender, and age.

A 1998 survey of more than 8,000 respondents published in the British

Journal of PsychiatryTrusted Source found that some of the most common
phobias include:

 acrophobia, fear of heights

 aerophobia, fear of flying
 arachnophobia, fear of spiders
 astraphobia, fear of thunder and lightning
 autophobia, fear of being alone
  claustrophobia, fear of confined or crowded spaces
 hemophobia, fear of blood
 hydrophobia, fear of water
 ophidiophobia, fear of snakes
 zoophobia, fear of animals

Unique phobias
Specific phobias tend to be incredibly specific. Some so much so that they
may only affect a handful of people at a time.

These are difficult to identify because most people don’t report unusual fears
to their doctors.

Examples of some of the more unusual phobias include:

 alektorophobia, fear of chickens

 onomatophobia, fear of names
 pogonophobia, fear of beards
 nephophobia, fear of clouds
 cryophobia, fear of ice or cold
What Is Hemophobia?
Does the sight of blood make you feel faint or anxious? Maybe the very
thought of undergoing certain medical procedures involving blood makes you
feel sick to your stomach.
While some people may feel uneasy about blood from time to time,
hemophobia is an extreme fear of seeing blood, or getting tests or shots
where blood may be involved. This phobia can have a serious impact on your
life, especially if you skip important doctor appointments as a result.

What is trypophobia?
Trypophobia is a fear or disgust of closely-packed holes. People who have it
feel queasy when looking at surfaces that have small holes gathered close
together. For example, the head of a lotus seed pod or the body of a
strawberry could trigger discomfort in someone with this phobia.

The phobia is not officially recognized. Studies on trypophobia are limited, and
the research that is available is split on whether or not it should be considered
an official condition.

Symptoms
A person with a phobia will experience the following symptoms. They are
common across the majority of phobias:
  a sensation of uncontrollable anxiety when exposed to the source of
fear
 a feeling that the source of that fear must be avoided at all costs
 not being able to function properly when exposed to the trigger
 acknowledgment that the fear is irrational, unreasonable, and
exaggerated, combined with an inability to control the feelings

A person is likely to experience feelings of panic and intense anxiety when

exposed to the object of their phobia. The physical effects of these sensations
can include:

 sweating
 abnormal breathing
 accelerated heartbeat
 trembling
 hot flushes or chills
 a choking sensation
 chest pains or tightness
 butterflies in the stomach
 pins and needles
 dry mouth
 confusion and disorientation
 nausea
 dizziness
 headache
A feeling of anxiety can be produced simply by thinking about the object of the
phobia. In younger children, parents may observe that they cry, become very
clingy, or attempt to hide behind the legs of a parent or an object. They may
also throw tantrums to show their distress.

Treating a phobia
Phobias are treated with a combination of therapy and medications.

If you’re interested in finding treatment for your phobia, you should make an
appointment with a psychologist or qualified mental health professional.

The most effective treatment for specific phobias is a type of psychotherapy

called exposure therapy. During exposure therapy, you work with a
psychologist to learn how to desensitize yourself to the object or situation that
you fear.

This treatment helps you change your thoughts and feelings about the object
or situation, so that you can learn to control your reactions.

The goal is to improve your quality of life so that you’re no longer hindered or
distressed by your fear.

Exposure therapy isn’t as scary as it may sound at first. This process is done
with the help of a qualified mental health professional, who knows how to
guide you slowly through increasing levels of exposure coupled with relaxation
exercises.

If you fear spiders, you will begin by simply thinking of spiders or situations
where you may encounter one. Then you may progress to pictures or videos.
Then perhaps go to a place where spiders may be, such as a basement or
wooded area.

It will take some time before you’ll actually be asked to look at or touch a
spider.

The takeaway
Phobias are a persistent, intense, and unrealistic fear of a certain object or
situation. Specific phobias are related to certain objects and situations. They
typically involve fears related to animals, natural environments, medical
issues, or specific situations.

While phobias can be extremely uncomfortable and challenging, therapy and

medication can help. If you think you may have a phobia that’s causing a
disruption in your life, speak with your doctor for an evaluation and treatment
options.

Conclusion

To sum up, I would like to share a phobia of my own – Cynophobia. To begin

with, Cynophobia is defined as the fair of dogs. “Cyno” means dogs and
“Phobia” – fear. The majority of society agrees that dogs are the friendliest
creatures in the world, but in childhood I had an unpleasant experience, when
I was playing with a dog of my neighbor’s and he bit me. After that childhood
“trauma” I automatically became frightened of dogs. Even if I tried so hard to
get on well with them, having my friends’ dogs around, it never worked out.
According to my experience with animals, unfortunately, I have cynophobia
that is classified as a specific phobia, under the subtype of animal phobias.
Thank you for your attention, I hope you like my presentation about Phobias.
This is the source: www.Healthline.com