Complex Phobias Essay

Phobias represent significant types of anxiety disorder, defined as an excessive and irrational fears experienced by an individual. A person with a phobia becomes panicky when encountering the source of fear, which can be a place, incident, situation or an object. The phobia is usually linked to something specific, unlike general anxiety disorder.

It is believed that phobias generally emerge from highly traumatic experiences. The fear that the person experiences gets transferred from one situation to the other,or reoccurs throughout life. For example, the person develops a fear of water when he sees a drowning incident that is unforgettable.

Phobia and anxiety disorder are relatively common. An individual does not experience any symptoms until he comes into contact with the source of phobia. Phobia can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy

There are several types of complex phobias, and some common examples include agrophobia and social phobia.

Agrophobia is associated with the fear of open spaces, but it can be more complex than that. This type of phobia is not simply seen as a fear of a certain situation, unless it eliminates the feeling of the patient as if he is trapped, helpless, in panic, etc. The agrophobic patient tends to be anxious at the situation or places from where escape is difficult, or help would not be available if panic attack ensues.

A person with agrophobia may be scared of traveling on public transport, visiting a shopping center, or even being alone at home (in most severe cases of this condition). On the other hand, in social phobia an individual is afraid to face the life or social situations. The patients tends to act abnormally nervous. Moreover, the affected person might feel afraid of talking in front of people or in public in fear of being humiliated. Social phobia is also known as Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

A person with social phobia may have a fear of:

• public