A phobia is an irrational fear of a specific object or situation. For instance, you may dread the sight or touch of a spider, or you may have a morbid fear of heights (acrophobia). Such fears do not usually prevent you from leading a normal life; you simply avoid spiders or high places. Fear of confined spaces (claustrophobia) is more of a problem, since it may make you unable to use cars, trains and elevators, but most claustrophobic people manage to overcome their fears. Some phobias, however, may make normal life virtually impossible. A common example is agoraphobia, which is generally defined as fear of open spaces. For agoraphobic people an open space may be not just a park or field but anywhere outside their own home. The phobia may also involve extreme shyness - a fear of society that is closely associated with the withdrawal symptoms of depression . If you suffer from agoraphobia or any other phobia, the need to face whatever you fear can bring on the symptoms of anxiety , including anxiety attacks.
What is The Treatment?
Self-help: To combat a relatively mild phobia, try to force yourself to come to grips with it gradually. This process is called "desensitization." If you abhor spiders, for ex­ample, start by looking at pictures of them. Next, make yourself stay in a room with one. Then look at one closely. Finally, let one run over your hand. Or, if agoraphobia makes you dread shopping, begin by going to small shops and gradually increase store size until large stores no longer terrify you.
Professional help: If your symptoms are those of a general anxiety state, treatment is similar to treatment for anxiety. For agoraphobia associated with depression, many physicians prescribe antidepressant drugs. The most common type of psychotherapy for this disorder is behavior therapy, given either in or out of a hospital. There are two kinds of behavior therapy. The first, desensitization, has been described above. If you are unable to desensitize your­self, professional guidance may help.
The second technique is called "flooding." It is not recommended as a self-help measure because it is very drastic. Whereas desensitization is like entering a cold sea gingerly, flooding is like the shock of a quick plunge. You are suddenly confronted with the feared object or placed in the feared situation, with no chance of escape. Thus, having experienced your phobia at its fullest intensity, you come to realize that the dreaded thing is not truly dangerous. As you can imagine, flooding is risky. Only a competent and experienced therapist should subject a phobic person to it.
Another technique for treating phobias is biofeedback training, in which relaxation techniques are used. Sometimes hypnotism is used by qualified professionals.