Specific phobias are a fairly common clinical condition. in psychology consultations. We all know someone who is horrified at the sight of a spider in the distance, even if it is less than two centimeters long.
Who panics while climbing the steps of a spiral staircase. Who turns pale when watching a plane take off, even if it’s in a movie, or who walks up seven floors so as not to take an elevator, when we ourselves are not the ones affected.
Below we will see what the most common specific phobias are and what their characteristics are.
Specific phobias are those in which the element that produces a strong fear or fear can be located and isolated from the rest in a relatively simple way.
Within anxiety disorders, specific phobias are the most common in the general population, with an estimated prevalence of 10%. This is, in part, because the experiences and situations capable of promoting the appearance of this type of disorders are very varied.
Phobias produce an intense and persistent, excessive or irrational fear of specific objects or situations (animals, heights, closed spaces, etc.). The physical proximity or anticipation of the feared object or situation causes an immediate anxiety response (sweating, tachycardia, palpitations, tremors, dizziness, etc.) that can lead to a panic attack, so the person will try to avoid those objects or situations in the future. In order to diagnose a phobia, it must produce great interference or a high degree of discomfort in the subject’s life.
Below you can see a compilation of the most widespread specific phobias, with a basic description of each one. Of course, we must keep in mind that there are many more, although most are rare.
1. Phobia of heights or acrophobia
Acrophobia is an intense, irrational fear of heights, even when there is no risk. People who suffer from fear of heights have great anxiety when approaching a viewpoint or cliff, climbing to a high floor, crossing bridges, or even staying in elevated locations in cinemas, theaters or stadiums.
Many patients with a phobia of heights They fear the sensations they experience at heightssuch as unstable balance, sweating or dizziness. The feeling of panic can be excessive even at low altitude. It is estimated that between 3 and 5% of the population suffers from fear of heights, being one of the most common phobias.
2. Fear of flying or aerophobia
Aerophobia is the irrational and excessive fear of traveling by plane. The fear of flying is related to having an accident, perceiving instability in the planethinking about not being able to escape in the middle of the flight, feeling that you do not have control of the situation or suffering from feelings of panic during the flight.
Although it seems that more than 90% of passengers travel with fears of some kind, people who suffer from this phobia, approximately 3%, not only experience slight restlessness at the time of landing and takeoff, but also intense anxiety and excessive that prevents them from planning, or imagining a future plane trip, even months before carrying it out.
3. Claustrophobia
This disorder involves excessive fear of being in small spaces. It is estimated that between 2 and 4% of the population suffers from this phobia. Difficulty breathing and the fear of suffocation, along with the fear of not being able to move or escape, are typical phenomena in claustrophobia. These people usually avoid elevators, tunnels, the subway, small or windowless rooms, telephone booths, closing the door or lock in a bathroom, etc.
Fear of some animals (spiders, dogs, birds, snakes, cats) They have their origin in ancestral fears that have allowed our ancestors to survive. Animal phobia is another of the most common, affecting between 3 and 5% of the population. Among the fears of animals (zoophobia), the most common are arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), cynophobia (fear of dogs), ornithophobia (fear of birds) or ailurophobia (fear of birds). fear of cats).
It is common for people with this phobia to fear the physical appearance and movements of the feared animals. In the case of small animals (insects, spiders, rats) both a reaction of fear and a feeling of disgust or disgust appear. Curiously, many affected people do not believe that the animal will harm them, but rather they think that they will experience unpleasant sensations, lose control, or hurt themselves trying to escape.
5. Phobia of blood, injections or wounds (SIH)
Approximately 2-3% of the population has a phobia of blood, injections or wounds (SIH). People who have this type of phobia usually avoid all situations where they anticipate seeing or being in contact with blood, such as blood draws. Most blood phobics (hematophobia)also have a phobia of injections, although only a minority of these have a phobia of blood.
Unlike other phobias, the anxiety response pattern is very different. A response occurs in two phases, in which at first, and in the presence of needles, blood or wounds, a rapid increase in anxiety appears (palpitations, increased frequency and intensity of breathing, muscle tension, sweating). and later, in a second phase, a rapid drop in blood pressure and heart rate, which produces dizziness and can lead to fainting.
brontophobia is the fear of atmospheric phenomena such as thunder, lightning and storms. Approximately 2% have this phobia. It usually starts in childhood and can last into adulthood. When lightning appears or the sound of thunder is perceived, anxiety begins to increase in the affected person.
The main fear is suffering damage or being struck by lightning, although it is also possible that other fears appear, such as losing control of the situation, becoming unconscious or suffering a heart attack due to the anxiety experienced.
7. Dentophobia or dental phobia
Dental phobia consists of a extreme, unjustified and persistent fear of the dentist. Between 2 and 3% of the population suffers from this phobia, where it is very common that just thinking about going to the dentist causes high anxiety, even weeks before the appointment.
Are you looking for professional support?
If you are interested in attending psychotherapy sessions to treat a phobia, one of the best options you can find in Madrid is the Psicomaster psychology center, located in the El Retiro neighborhood.
This entity has a multidisciplinary team of professionals who are experts in mental health and well-being, highly trained in addressing anxiety disorders.
The type of interventions they work with allow us to effectively overcome any form of phobia in a matter of weeks, overcoming anxiety and fear gradually and in an environment controlled by specialists in this type of problems. Click here to see their contact information.
