Phobias, fears, panic, anxiety, anxiety attacks, unusual phobias, funny phobias, phobia list

The American Psychiatric Association defines phobia as "an irrational and excessive fear of an object or situation." Usually, the phobia involves a feeling of being endangered or a sense of impending harm when faced with the feared object or situation.

Phobias are classified under anxiety disorders, along with panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and generalized anxiety disorder. It is considered to be the most prevalent psychological illness in the United States as out of its total population, over 12 percent are affected with a certain phobia at some stage in their life.

Types of phobias

There are three main groups of phobias which you should know:

* Specific phobias - Also called simple phobias in the past, these phobias involve extreme and long-standing fear of a specific object (an insect) or a situation (being alone in the dark). There are numerous types of specific phobias.

* Social phobia - Otherwise known as social anxiety disorder, this phobia is way over simple shyness, as the affected individual suffers from an intensely disabling fear of being in front of other people.

* Agoraphobia - This was conventionally believed to be a fear of being in open or public places. However, it is now considered as a complication of panic attacks. If you happen to have agoraphobia, you are most likely to avoid crowded areas where you think escape would be difficult and help would not come right away.

Common manifestations of phobia

* Your fear of a certain object or situation is irrational yet so overpowering that you tend to avoid it altogether.

* You get anxious instantly when faced with the object or situation being feared.

* You take unusual or extreme measures just to avoid the object of your fear.

* Your ability to perform normal chores is greatly affected.

* You may experience physical symptoms of panic like sweating, increased heart rate, strong anxiety, and breathing difficulty.

* You may even become anxious over an anticipation of a possible encounter with the object of your fear.

Symptoms of specific phobia among children may appear as early as the preschool years. Social or situational phobias usually come out when you're in your mid 20s.

Before concluding that your fear is indeed a form of phobia, try to analyze your fear's effects in your life. If your daily routines are often times impaired due to your fear; and your social functioning is disrupted, then you really need to have it treated as it's definitely considered a phobia.