Phobias can cause significant anxiety and distress, but treatment brings relief to many.
The fact is a whole range of phobias affect people the world over, in some instances to such an extent that the fear (anxiety) and avoidance associated with phobias, may be strong enough to interfere with normal routines, work, or relationships and cause significant distress. In turn, this may have a negative impact on an individual’s mental well-being.
So says Daniel Rabinowitz, clinical psychologist associated with Akeso Clinic and the Cape Behavioural Therapists. He describes a phobia as “a groundless fear and avoidance of an object or situation”. When people encounter the phobic stimulus, they may logically understand that there is no reason to be afraid, but are still unable to control the emotions and bodily sensations that accompany the phobia.
Stress
Dr Edmund Bourne, PhD, a well-regarded specialist in the treatment of anxiety disorders for more than two decades, suggests that a phobia may be the result of cumulative stress acting out over time.
According to Dr Bourne, there are numerous factors which cause a person to develop a phobia, but that stress over time plays a key role. Some phobias may develop because of something that happened early in life, such as an unpleasant experience in a confined space (claustrophobia), or a dog bite which makes one scared of animals (zoophobia). But, more complex phobias are thought to come about slowly as a combination of life experiences, brain chemistry, and genetics.
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