Category: Specific phobias
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or that help wouldn’t be available if things go wrong.
Many people assume agoraphobia is simply a fear of open spaces, but it’s actually a more complex condition.
Someone with agoraphobia may be scared of:
- travelling on public transport
- visiting a shopping centre
- leaving home
If someone with agoraphobia finds themselves in a stressful situation, they’ll usually experience the symptoms of a panic attack, such as:
- rapid heartbeat
- rapid breathing (hyperventilating)
- feeling hot and sweaty
- feeling sick
They’ll avoid situations that cause anxiety and may only leave the house with a friend or partner. They’ll order groceries online rather than going to the supermarket. This change in behaviour is known as avoidance.
Read more about the symptoms of agoraphobia.
What causes agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia can develop as a complication of panic disorder, an anxiety disorder involving panic attacks and moments of intense fear. It can arise by associating panic attacks with the places or situations where they occurred and then avoiding them.
Not all people with agoraphobia have a history of panic attacks. In these cases, their fear may be related to issues like a fear of crime, terrorism, illness or being in an accident.
Read more about the possible causes of agoraphobia. more
Harley Quinn & The Joker – High As Me ft. Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg & Ray J (Music Video)
Understanding Coulrophobia: A Fear of Clowns
When you ask people what they’re afraid of, a few common answers pop up: public speaking, needles, global warming, losing a loved one. But if you take a look at popular media, you would think we were all terrified of sharks, dolls, and clowns.
While the last item may give a few people pause, 7.8 percent of Americans, totally get it, according to a Chapman University survey.
A fear of clowns, called coulrophobia (pronounced “coal-ruh-fow-bee-uh”), can be a debilitating fear.
A phobia is and intense fear of a certain object or scenario that impacts behavior and sometimes daily life. Phobias are often a deep-rooted psychological response tied to a traumatic event in someone’s past.
For people who fear clowns, it can be difficult to stay calm near events that others view with joy — circuses, carnivals, or other festivals. The good news is you’re not alone, and there are things you can do to ease your fears.
Suffering from coulrophobia and getting spooked while watching a movie with a killer clown are very different things. One is a trigger for deep-seated panic and intense emotions, whereas the other is fleeting and confined to a 120-minute movie.
Researchers have found that portrayals of clowns as terrifying and negative characters in popular entertainment has contributed directly to increased instances of intense fear and phobia of clowns.
While coulrophobia isn’t an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the manual that guides mental health professionals as they diagnose, there is a category for “specific phobias.”
SYMPTOMS OF A PHOBIAIt’s important to recognize that just like any other phobia, a fear of clowns comes with its own specific physical and mental symptoms, such as:
- nausea
- panic
- anxiety
- sweating or sweaty palms
- shaking
- dry mouth
- feelings of dread
- difficulty breathing
- increased heartbeat
- intense emotions such as screaming, crying, or becoming angry at the sight of the object of fear, a clown for example more
Autoheart – Agoraphobia (Official Music Video)
Lyrics
If you gave me all the money
I would buy such ordinary
Things like Tv-Magazines and coffee beans
I have such simple needs
I would buy such ordinary
Things like Tv-Magazines and coffee beans
I have such simple needs
Tried on thirty different pairs of shoes
And not one made me want to
Leave this blessed house of mine
That’s just fine
I really don’t want to go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
And not one made me want to
Leave this blessed house of mine
That’s just fine
I really don’t want to go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I am dented
By the scars that keep me up at night
And it’s not agoraphobia
It’s just a lack of air supply
That keeps me up at night
I know I’m getting older
But I’m told that I’m not momentarily out of my mind
Don’t need to be hospitalized
To make me realize that I’ve got a problem
No I haven’t, let me be
I really don’t want to go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
To make me realize that I’ve got a problem
No I haven’t, let me be
I really don’t want to go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
But
I am dented
By the scars that keep me up at night
And it’s not agoraphobia
It’s just a lack of air supply
That keeps me up at night
I know I’m getting older
But I’m told that I’m not momentarily out of my
I am dented
By the scars that keep me up at night
And it’s not agoraphobia
It’s just a lack of air supply
That keeps me up at night
I know I’m getting older
But I’m told that I’m not momentarily out of my
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere (I will not go)
I don’t really wanna go anywhere (I will not go)
I don’t really wanna go anywhere (I will not go)
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
I don’t really wanna go anywhere (I will not go)
I don’t really wanna go anywhere (I will not go)
I don’t really wanna go anywhere (I will not go)
I don’t really wanna go anywhere
Oh, I am dented
By the scars that keep me up at night
And it’s not agoraphobia
It’s just a lack of air supply
That keeps me up at night
I know I’m getting older
But I’m told that I’m not momentarily out of my mind
By the scars that keep me up at night
And it’s not agoraphobia
It’s just a lack of air supply
That keeps me up at night
I know I’m getting older
But I’m told that I’m not momentarily out of my mind
Agoraphobia
What Is Agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia is a rare type of anxiety disorder. If you have it, your fears keep you from getting out into the world. You avoid certain places and situations because you think you’ll feel trapped and not be able to get help.
For example, you might worry or panic when you are in:
- Public transportation (buses, trains, ships, or planes)
- Large, open spaces (parking lots, bridges)
- Closed-in spaces (stores, movie theaters)
- Crowds or standing in line
- Being outside your home alone
You may be willing to go just a handful of places, or you may even dread leaving your house.
Agoraphobia Causes and Risk Factors
Doctors aren’t sure what causes agoraphobia. They think it runs in families. You may get it if you have a lot of panic attacks. That’s when you have bursts of fear that come out of the blue and last for a few minutes. These happen when there’s no real danger.
Less than 1% of people in the U.S. have agoraphobia. Women are two to three times more likely to have it than men, and it’s more common in teenagers and young adults.
A few other things that can raise your chances of it include having:
- Panic disorder, especially if it’s not treated
- Other phobias
- A family member who has agoraphobia
- A history of very stressful or traumatic events read more
Specific phobias
Overview
Specific phobias are an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of objects or situations that pose little real danger but provoke anxiety and avoidance. Unlike the brief anxiety you may feel when giving a speech or taking a test, specific phobias are long lasting, cause intense physical and psychological reactions, and can affect your ability to function normally at work, at school or in social settings.
Specific phobias are among the most common anxiety disorders, and not all phobias need treatment. But if a specific phobia affects your daily life, several therapies are available that can help you work through and overcome your fears — often permanently.
Symptoms
A specific phobia involves an intense, persistent fear of a specific object or situation that’s out of proportion to the actual risk. There are many types of phobias, and it’s not unusual to experience a specific phobia about more than one object or situation. Specific phobias can also occur along with other types of anxiety disorders.
Common categories of specific phobias are a fear of:
- Situations, such as airplanes, enclosed spaces or going to school
- Nature, such as thunderstorms or heights
- Animals or insects, such as dogs or spiders
- Blood, injection or injury, such as needles, accidents or medical procedures
- Others, such as choking, vomiting, loud noises or clowns
Each specific phobia is referred to by its own term. Examples of more common terms include acrophobia for the fear of heights and claustrophobia for the fear of confined spaces.
No matter what specific phobia you have, it’s likely to produce these types of reactions:
- An immediate feeling of intense fear, anxiety and panic when exposed to or even thinking about the source of your fear
- Awareness that your fears are unreasonable or exaggerated but feeling powerless to control them
- Worsening anxiety as the situation or object gets closer to you in time or physical proximity
- Doing everything possible to avoid the object or situation or enduring it with intense anxiety or fear
- Difficulty functioning normally because of your fear
- Physical reactions and sensations, including sweating, rapid heartbeat, tight chest or difficulty breathing
- Feeling nauseated, dizzy or fainting around blood or injuries
- In children, possibly tantrums, clinging, crying, or refusing to leave a parent’s side or approach their fear read more