noun
definition
An irrational, abnormal, or obsessive fear (of something).
example
I know someone with a strange phobia of ladders.
Examples of phobias in a Sentence
Laughing at people for having stupid phobias isn't very nice.
Several drugs are used to treat specific phobias by controlling symptoms and helping to prevent panic attacks.
Being proud to have made it Have you got any irrational fears or phobias?
Children most often outgrow their specific phobias, with or without treatment.
There was, as of 2004, no known way to prevent the development of phobias.
Experts do not really know why phobias develop, although research suggests the tendency to develop phobias may be a complex interaction between heredity and environment.
Advances in neuroimaging have also led researchers to identify certain parts of the brain and specific neural pathways that are associated with phobias.
While experts believe the tendency to develop phobias runs in families and may be hereditary, a specific stressful event usually triggers the development of a specific phobia or agoraphobia.
For example, someone predisposed to develop phobias who experiences severe turbulence during a flight might go on to develop a phobia about flying.
Certain vulnerable children who have had unpleasant social experiences (such as being rejected) or who have poor social skills may develop social phobias.
A mental health professional can diagnose phobias after a detailed interview and discussion of both mental and physical symptoms.
Medication is used less often in young children, but more frequently in older children or adolescents with severe phobias and associated depression.
Medication can block the feelings of panic and, when combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy, can be quite effective in reducing specific phobias and agoraphobia.
Treating agoraphobia is more difficult than other phobias because there are often so many fears involved, such as fear of open spaces, traffic, elevators, and escalators.
In adults, only about 20 percent of specific phobias go away without treatment, and agoraphobia gets worse with time if untreated.
Social phobias tend to be chronic and are not likely go away without treatment.
Moreover, untreated phobias can lead to other problems, including depression, alcoholism, and feelings of shame and low self-esteem.
Therefore, specific phobias that persist into adolescence should receive professional treatment.
While most specific phobias appear in childhood and subsequently fade away, those that remain in adulthood often need to be treated.
Unfortunately, most people never get the help they need; only about 25 percent of people with phobias ever seek help for their condition.
Unless a phobia involves fear of eating a needed food, there are no nutritional concerns associated with phobias.
Parents should be observant to ensure that unusual fears or phobias do not interfere in the lives of their children.
Beta blockers-The popular name for a group of drugs that are usually prescribed to treat heart conditions, but that also are used to reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety and phobias, such as sweating and palpitations.
Anxiety disorders include agoraphobia and other phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and panic disorder.
Almost all children with school phobias have average or above average intelligence.
One in 10 sexually assaulted adolescents attempt suicide, and about 50 percent are diagnosed with phobias, depression, substance abuse, and other psychological disorders.
More than 50 percent of children experience normal phobias, which is the fear of a specific object, or more general worries, called anxieties, before they are 18 years old.
Found in one out of every ten Americans, specific phobias seem to run in families and are roughly twice as likely to appear in women.
Common examples of specific phobias, which can begin at any age, are fear of snakes, flying, dogs, escalators, elevators, high places, or open spaces.
The most popular and effective treatment for phobias is behavior therapy, which approaches the phobia as an undesirable behavior to be unlearned.
When agoraphobia accompanies panic attacks, it also responds to cognitive-behavioral treatment for panic disorder, often in conjunction with anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications similar to those prescribed for other phobias.
Sounds Scary produce a range of CDs for treating pets with noise phobias.
By learning self-hypnosis we can relieve stress, heal, remove phobias and solve many difficulties.
Only the terminally stupid allow phobias to develop into racist theories.
Commonly called panic attacks, these episodes can be triggered by a number of things, such as phobias, alarm, or frustrations.
Public speaking is one of society's top phobias, but knowing how to make a proper speech can ease any best man's mind.
From a fear of flying, to cringing at the sight of spiders, even the rich and famous have their fair share of phobias.
Kylie Minogue - Perhaps one of the most bizarre phobias yet, the Australian celeb says she's terrified of the sound coat hangers make when they're put in the wardrobe.
The increasing insomnia may also lead to panic attacks and phobias.
The first involves dental devices created to help people with various sleep problems, and the second addresses anxiety and possible phobias.
Long-term side effects can include phobias, memory difficulties, and personality changes.
Substance abuse, panic disorders, personality disorders, social phobias, and other psychiatric conditions also are found in many dysthymic patients.
Desensitization-A treatment for phobias which involves exposing the phobic person to the feared situation.
Phobias belong to a large group of mental problems known as anxiety disorders that include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Found in one out of every 10 Americans, specific phobias seem to run in families and are roughly twice as likely to appear in women.
Common examples of specific phobias, which can begin at any age, include fear of insects, snakes, and dogs; escalators, elevators, and bridges; high places; and open spaces.
Children often have specific phobias that they outgrow over time, and they can learn specific fears from adults or other children around them, or even from television.
Social phobias may be only mildly irritating, or they may significantly interfere with daily life.
Another area of the brain that appears to be linked to phobias is the posterior cerebellum.
When phobias do interfere with a person's daily life, a combination of psychotherapy and medication can be quite effective.