Fear and Phobias 6: Emetophobia

Emetophobia: A fear of vomiting or choking is not uncommon and can cause any existing social anxiety to become intensified as the fear of becoming the focus of attention increases. It appears to be related to a number of factors including social anxiety, competence concerns, and stress factors.

In addition to medication, when appropriate, cognitive behavior therapy and now competence training is being used to alleviate this fear.

This particular phobia is not widely studied on its own, yet many suffer from it in some form. Are you one of them?

Related Topics:

• Fear and Phobias: The Top 10 Plus One
• Understanding Phobias

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Fear and Phobias 5: Acrophobia

A fear of heights is a common condition and involves the same symptoms we find in other phobia, e.g., racing heart, shortness of breath, muscle tension, sweating, trembling and intense fear. The person suffering from this phobia needn't be in a tall building, but may find they experience this when going up on a ladder, an amusement ride or any high place, whether it be a bridge or vacation highlight such as the Grand Canyon.

We have seen this phobia used in films where they show one of the characters immobilized such as James Stewart in "Vertigo" where he can't climb a bell tower to save a woman. Again, the fear may be something learned, even an inner ear problem can trigger this phobia and the result is panic.

Medication, behavior therapy and relaxation techniques are the usual treatments.

Related Topics:

• Fear and Phobias: The Top 10 Plus One
• Understanding Phobias

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Fear and Phobias 4: Claustrophobia

Photo Credit: Fabio Venni

Claustrophobia, a fear of being trapped in small, confined spaces is also very harmful to a person's efforts to try to lead a healthy, happy life. This fear may involve not only small rooms, elevators or going through tunnels, it can involve even getting into a car.

People with this phobia have a heightened sense of fear of their environment and will scan the environment for quick points of escape should they feel trapped. Some people will only accept jobs where they can easily walk to their office without taking an elevator or even walking up a flight of stairs. Again, the fear may have been formed by having had a panic attack in one of these places.

The treatment can include medication, behavioral techniques such as relaxation breathing, deep muscle relaxation, thought stopping, modeling behavior and flooding. The latter technique involves extreme exposure to the fear place.

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• Fear and Phobias: The Top 10 Plus One
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Fears and Phobias 3: Fear of Flying

Photo Credit: Ian Muttoo

Aerophobia, or fear of flying can leave those affected by it unable to fly for any reason and it doesn't matter if it's a happy occasion such as a vacation or a necessary one like traveling for business. Some people who suffer from this phobia not only find plane travel incapacitating, they also have a fear of fresh air or drafts of air.

One of the usual treatments is to use a short-acting anti-anxiety medication. Another effective treatment uses what is called desensitization techniques. In this method, individuals are gradually introduced to the idea of flying while, at the same time, they learn to use relaxation techniques.

First, the person is taught how to relax and once that is mastered, the next step is to gradually introduce them to the idea of flying in a plane. It's systematic desensitization in that the idea of plane travel is followed by photos of planes, then there may be a trip to an airport, then to a plane without taking off and, finally, they are taken for a ride in a plane. This may be done in a group or with a therapist on a large plane. The idea is that you can't be relaxed and anxious at the same time and that once you've conquered your fear of flying by actually flying, you are now in control.

Some of the other techniques involved the use of audio or video tapes of flying before any actual flights take place and there may also be a virtual plane ride via computer simulation.

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• Fear and Phobias: The Top 10 Plus One
• WebMD Video: Fear Of Flying?

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Fear and Phobias 2: Agoraphobia

bobcat rock

Agoraphobia, a word that come from a Greek word that actually means fear of open spaces such as the market, or agora. This fear involves intense fear and avoidance of any place or situation where escape might be difficult or help unavailable in the event of developing sudden panic-like symptoms. Current estimates are that 3.2 million American, or about 2.2 percent, may have this phobia; however, it is difficult to know just how many people suffer from it because they may not come to the attention of health care professionals.

People who suffer from this phobia may find it extremely difficult to leave their homes to shop, attend entertainment or sports events, keep medical appointments, or pursue education or a career. They are, quite literally, prisoners in their own homes. For many people, this phobia may have been precipitated by a panic attack in some place away from their home. The panic induces the fear and the fear is attached to whatever place the attack took place.

This phobia may start in childhood or even older adulthood and seems to be more prevalent in women than men. Risk factors include genetic predisposition, anxious personality, stress, and substance abuse.

The treatment for this phobia, as it is for many of the others, is medication, if needed, and cognitive therapy to learn new coping mechanisms, relaxation techniques and how to change your life style to help you cope better. Desensitization techniques are also part of the therapy to help the person gradually learn to re-enter the world without fear.

Related Topics:

• Fear and Phobias: The Top 10 Plus One
• Fear and Phobias 1: Arachnophobia
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