The fear factor: How phobias affect life

Phobias are irrational fears about any particular event or object (either animate or inanimate) and are recognized as mental disorders which, depending on the severity, can completely throw a person’s social and work life out of gear.Phobias are of various types and an entire dictionary of phobias is available which just goes to show that enough phobias like arachnophobia, whic anything and everything under the sun which is capable of being feared, can become a phobia. Thus, you have some commonh is the fear of spiders or Gelotophobia, which is the fear of being laughed at. Then there are some rather far-fetched ones like Genophobia, which is the fear of sex or take Genuphobia, which is a fear of knees.Some phobias on the following list may well leave one thoroughly amused, but truly, it is also a source of great distress and anguish for the person upon whom the phobia casts its evil eye. For all practical purposes, a phobia may torment a person for many years and nobody would be the wiser for it. Simply, because some phobias pertain to certain things, like a fear for riding in boats for instance. This might not be as disruptive due to the fact that the person may not have any situations where he is required to board a ship, so the fear can remain concealed for a long time. As opposed to a situation where a person has hydrophobia, which is a fear of water. Then such fear can manifest time and again, thus paralysing his life to a great extent. Some people have fear of speaking to people. Now imagine what serious consequences it could have on a person if part of his job includes travelling to places everyday and talking to new people as the job requires it. Phobias are treatable provided the precise fear is known. Most people are unaware of the various lines of treatment available and that it is a mental problem to begin with. Some might choose to suffer silently and go through those terrors all alone. As a person who might suffer from such a disorder, it will be great a help to talk about it to a friend or family first. Never mind if you think people might think you are strange or weird. Better weird than untreated! Family and friends can be your main support group along with the help of a professional practitioner which can help you gradually face fear and come to terms with it, if not banish it completely out of your mind. Remember the more you talk about it, the less afraid you will be. So, if you have a pet phobia let your doctor or support group hear of it today. Refer to this for a detailed list of phobias. www.phobialist.com