Some fears seem reasonable: galeophobia, the fear of sharks, or odontiatophobia; the fear of dentists. Some fears seem a little strange: catoptrophobia, the fear of mirrors, or metrophobia, the fear of poetry. And some fears seem simply impossible: ambulophobia, the fear of walking, or optophobia, the fear of opening one's eyes. But no matter your phobia, you can overcome whatever gives you goose bumps with a little determination and courage.
Indeed, it is natural—healthy even—to be fearful at times. If a hungry lion is headed your way, there should be a sense of nervousness and worry. However, if that danger is irrational—you are seized with panic at the mere thought of you neighbor's pet poodle—you may have a phobia.
"A phobia is irrational fear in which the person begins to either avoid that circumstance or approach it with intense anxiety," says R. Reid Wilson, PhD, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at UNC School of Medicine and author of Don't Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks.
Developing a Phobia
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that can begin at any age. In fact, these irrational fears are the most common psychiatric illness among women of all ages and the second-most common illness in men above the age of 25. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that between 5 and 12 percent of Americans have at least one phobia.
Copyright 2009 NBC Health
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