Phobias ppt

Anxiety based disorders

Phobia: Causes, types and treatment

What is a phobia?

• A phobia is an uncontrollable, irrational, and lasting fear of a certain object, situation, or activity.

• This fear can be so overwhelming that a person may go to great lengths to avoid the source of this fear. One response can be a panic attack. This is a sudden, intense fear that lasts for several minutes.

• The impact of a phobia can range from annoying to severely disabling. People with phobias often realize their fear is irrational, but they’re unable to do anything about it. Such fears can interfere with work, school, and personal relationships.

What are the causes of phobia?

There are various factors that might contribute to developing a phobia. But there is not often a clear reason why it starts:

• Past incidents or traumas: Certain situations might have a lasting effect on how you feel about them. For example, if you experienced a lot of turbulence on a plane at a young age, you might develop a phobia of flying. Or if you were injured by a dog some years ago, you might develop a phobia of dogs.

• Learned responses from early life: Your phobia may develop from factors in your childhood environment. For example you might have parents or guardians who are very worried or anxious. This may affect how you cope with anxiety in later life. You might develop the same specific phobia as a parent or older sibling. If they have a severe reaction to something they fear, this might influence you to feel the same way.

• Reactions and responses to panic or fear: You might have a strong reaction, or a panic attack, in response to a situation or object. You may find yourself feeling embarrassed by this. Especially if people around you react strongly to your response. You could develop even more intense anxiety about the idea of this happening again.

• Experiencing long-term stress: Stress can cause feelings of anxiety and depression. It can reduce your ability to cope in particular situations. This might make you feel more fearful or anxious about being in those situations again. Over a long period, this could develop into a phobia.

• Genetic factors: Research suggests that some people are more vulnerable to developing a phobia than others.

Difference between fear and phobia

phobia

Fear

• A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. Phobias trigger overwhelming anxiety even when it’s clear you aren’t in danger. For instance, Fear of lightning even when there is no storm.
• A phobia leads to a fear response even when you’re not in danger.
• Phobias can be associated with many different objects or situations, such as a fear of heights, flying, spiders, needles, or vomiting.
• Treatment for phobias includes exposure therapy, which is aimed at reducing anxiety.

• Fear is a natural emotional reaction when you believe there is a real and imminent danger.
• For instance, it makes sense to become scared in the midst of a lightning storm. In fact, this fear prepares you to take cover and gather emergency supplies. Your fear lasts until the storm is over.
• Fear is a normal reaction to a threat.

When does fear become phobia?

Fear may be a phobia when you experience overwhelming anxiety that doesn’t match your true level of danger. When you have a phobia, just thinking about your fear can trigger sudden and intense anxiety. A phobia usually causes fear of a specific object or situation. It may also lead you to spend a lot of time worrying if you’re going to run into your fear. You might go out of your way to avoid anywhere you might encounter it, even if this limits your life. .

• For example, someone living with a flight phobia may experience debilitating anxiety when they board a plane. As a result, they may choose to only travel within driving distance. This avoidance can lead to various problems, such as not being able to perform work activities or see family who live far away.

In general, phobias can cause symptoms like:

• Sweating
• Feeling like you’re losing control or dying
• Trembling
• Nausea and vomiting

• A need to use the restroom
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Rapid heartbeat
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• Butterflies in the stomach
• Panic attacks

Specific Phobia:

Specific phobias are an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of objects or situations that pose little real danger but provoke anxiety and avoidance. Unlike the brief anxiety you may feel when giving a speech or taking a test, specific phobias are long lasting, cause intense physical and psychological reactions, and can affect your ability to function normally at work, at school or in social settings. A specific phobia involves an intense, persistent fear of a specific object or situation that's out of proportion to the actual risk. There are many types of phobias, and it's not unusual to experience a specific phobia about more than one object or situation. Specific phobias can also occur along with other types of anxiety disorders.

Common types of phobias:

There are different types of phobias. Below are some of the most common types:

• Animals, such as a fear of snakes, dogs, or spiders
• Environmental, such as fear of heights, water, or darkness
• Situational, such as a fear of going to the dentist or flying
• Bodily, such as a fear of blood or needles
• Others, such as choking, vomiting, loud noises or clowns

Causes:

• Negative experiences. Many phobias develop as a result of having a negative experience or panic attack related to a specific object or situation.

• Genetics and environment. There may be a link between your own specific phobia and the phobia or anxiety of your parents — this could be due to genetics or learned behavior.

• Brain function. Changes in brain functioning also may play a role in developing specific phobias.

Symptoms include:

• An immediate feeling of intense fear, anxiety and panic when exposed to or even thinking about the source of your fear
• Awareness that your fears are unreasonable or exaggerated but feeling powerless to control them
• Worsening anxiety as the situation or object gets closer to you in time or physical proximity
• Doing everything possible to avoid the object or situation or enduring it with intense anxiety or fear
• Difficulty functioning normally because of your fear
• Physical reactions and sensations, including sweating, rapid heartbeat, tight chest or difficulty breathing
• Feeling nauseated, dizzy or fainting around blood or injuries
• In children, possibly tantrums, clinging, crying, or refusing to leave a parent's side or approach their fear

Treatment:

Psychotherapy

• Exposure therapy focuses on changing your response to the object or situation that you fear. Gradual, repeated exposure to the source of your specific phobia and the related thoughts, feelings and sensations may help you learn to manage your anxiety. For example, if you're afraid of elevators, your therapy may progress from simply thinking about getting into an elevator, to looking at pictures of elevators, to going near an elevator, to stepping into an elevator. Next, you may take a one-floor ride, then ride several floors, and then ride in a crowded elevator.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) involves exposure combined with other techniques to learn ways to view and cope with the feared object or situation differently. You learn alternative beliefs about your fears and bodily sensations and the impact they've had on your life. CBT emphasizes learning to develop a sense of mastery and confidence with your thoughts and feelings rather than feeling overwhelmed by them.

Treatment:

Medications

• Beta blockers. These drugs block the stimulating effects of adrenaline, such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, pounding heart, and shaking voice and limbs that are caused by anxiety.

• Sedatives. Medications called benzodiazepines help you relax by reducing the amount of anxiety you feel. Sedatives are used with caution because they can be addictive and should be avoided if you have a history of alcohol or drug dependence.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that causes intense fear of becoming overwhelmed or unable to escape or get help. Because of fear and anxiety, people with agoraphobia often avoid new places and unfamiliar situations, such as:

• Open or enclosed spaces.
• Crowds.
• Places outside your home.
• Public transportation.

Agoraphobia is more common among women. It usually starts before age 35!!

risk factors for agoraph-obia

• Having panic attacks or other phobias.
• Experiencing stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one, being attacked, or being abused.
• Having a nervous or anxious nature.
• Responding to panic attacks with excess fear and apprehension.
• Having a relative with agoraphobia.

What causes agoraphobia?

It is not clear what causes agoraphobia. However, it is often associated with an existing panic disorder. Panic disorder causes short, intense attacks of fear for no particular reason. About a third of people who have panic disorder develop agoraphobia. But agoraphobia also can occur alone.

What does agoraphobia feel like?

Agoraphobia can make you feel extreme fear and stress, which may cause you to avoid situations. The signs of agoraphobia are similar to a panic attack. You may experience:

• Chest pain or rapid heart rate.
• Fear or a shaky feeling.
• Hyperventilation or trouble breathing.
• Lightheadedness or dizziness.
• Sudden chills or flushing (red, hot face).
• Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).
• Upset stomach.

How can agoraphobia be treated?

• Agoraphobia treatment usually involves a combination of treatment methods: therapy, medication and lifestyle changes:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a mental healthcare provider can help recognize thoughts that cause anxiety.
• Using relaxation and desensitization techniques, the provider may have them imagine a scary situation and manage their feelings.

You can manage agoraphobia with lifestyle changes:

• Avoid alcohol, drugs and caffeine (coffee, tea and soda, for example).
• Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
• Exercise regularly.
• Practice breathing exercises.

Social Phobia:

Social phobia is also referred to as social anxiety disorder. It’s extreme worry about social situations and it can lead to self-isolation. A social phobia can be so severe that the simplest interactions, such as ordering at a restaurant or answering the telephone, can cause panic. People with social phobia often go out of their way to avoid public situations. In contrast to everyday nervousness, social anxiety disorder includes fear, anxiety and avoidance that interfere with relationships, daily routines, work, school or other activities. Social anxiety disorder typically begins in the early to mid-teens, though it can sometimes start in younger children or in adults.

Emotional and behavioral symptoms:

Signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder can include constant:

• Fear of situations in which you may be judged negatively
• Worry about embarrassing or humiliating yourself
• Intense fear of interacting or talking with strangers
• Fear that others will notice that you look anxious
• Fear of physical symptoms that may cause you embarrassment, such as blushing, sweating, trembling or having a shaky voice
• Avoidance of doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment
• Avoidance of situations where you might be the center of attention
• Anxiety in anticipation of a feared activity or event
• Intense fear or anxiety during social situations
• Analysis of your performance and identification of flaws in your interactions after a social situation
• Expectation of the worst possible consequences from a negative experience during a social situation

Physical symptoms of SAD:

• Blushing
• Fast heartbeat
• Trembling
• Sweating
• Upset stomach or nausea
• Trouble catching your breath
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Feeling that your mind has gone blank
• Muscle tension

causes and risk factors of SAD

Risk factors

Causes

• Family history. You're more likely to develop social anxiety disorder if your biological parents or siblings have the condition.

• Negative experiences. Children who experience teasing, bullying, rejection, ridicule or humiliation may be more prone to social anxiety disorder.
• Temperament. Children who are shy, timid, withdrawn or restrained when facing new situations or people may be at greater risk.
• New social or work demands. Social anxiety disorder symptoms typically start in the teenage years, but meeting new people, giving a speech in public or making an important work presentation may trigger symptoms for the first time.
• Having an appearance or condition that draws attention.

• Inherited traits. Anxiety disorders tend to run in families. However, it isn't entirely clear how much of this may be due to genetics and how much is due to learned behavior.
• Brain structure. A structure in the brain called the amygdala (uh-MIG-duh-luh) may play a role in controlling the fear response.

• Environment. Social anxiety disorder may be a learned behavior — some people may develop significant anxiety after an unpleasant or embarrassing social situation. Also, there may be an association between social anxiety disorder and parents who either model anxious behavior in social situations or are more controlling or overprotective of their children.

Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder:

• SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors): SSRIs are a type of antidepressant. Common SSRIs used to treat social anxiety disorder include fluoxetine (Prozac®), sertraline (Zoloft®), paroxetine, citalopram and escitalopram.

• SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors): SNRIs are another type of antidepressant. Venlafaxine or duloxetine (Cymbalta®) are common SNRIs used to treat social anxiety disorder.

• Beta-blockers: Some beta-blockers are used to treat or prevent physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a fast heart rate. Propranolol or metoprolol are examples of beta-blockers.

• Benzodiazepines: These medications are used for short periods of time, either while the antidepressants start to work or used on-demand in situations that provoke anxiety. They aren’t intended to be used for long periods. Lorazepam or alprazolam are examples of benzodiazepines.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment. CBT usually takes place over multiple sessions. Through talking and asking questions, your therapist or psychologist helps you gain a different perspective.

How social disorder looks like

the end!