A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. It is a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. There are many specific phobias. Acrophobia is a fear of heights. You may be able to ski the world's tallest mountains but be unable to go above the 5th floor of an office building. Agoraphobia is a fear of public places, and claustrophobia is a fear of closed-in places. If you become anxious and extremely self-conscious in everyday social situations, you could have a social phobia. Other common phobias involve tunnels, highway driving, water, flying, animals and blood.
People with phobias try to avoid what they are afraid of. If they cannot, they may experience
- Panic and fear
- Rapid heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Trembling
- A strong desire to get away
Treatment helps most people with phobias. Options include medicines, therapy or both.
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Anxiety Disorders
(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/complete-publication.shtml
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Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/anxiety.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/emociones/anxiety_esp.html
- Phobias(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/phobias/DS00272/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Let’s Talk Facts about Phobias(American Psychiatric Association) - Links to PDF - http://healthyminds.org/factsheets/LTF-Phobias.pdf
- People with Social Phobia Have Different Self-Image(10/09/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70273.html
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy(NAMI) - http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_Treatments_and_Supports&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7952
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Medications(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/medications/complete-publication.shtml
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Anxiety & Panic: Gaining Control Over How You're Feeling(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/mentalhealth/anxiety/013.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/mentalhealth/anxiety/013.printerview.html
- Agoraphobia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/agoraphobia/DS00894/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Paruresis(American Urological Association) - http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=03&topic=410
- Phobic Disorders(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec07/ch100/ch100e.html
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Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)
(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-phobia-social-anxiety-disorder.shtml
- Social Phobias(Mental Health America) - http://cms.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/anxiety-disorders/social-phobias/social-phobias
- Specific (Simple) Phobia(Anxiety Disorders Association of America) - http://www.adaa.org/GettingHelp/AnxietyDisorders/SpecificPhobia.asp
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Panic Disorder: Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/mentalhealth/anxiety/137.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/mentalhealth/anxiety/137.printerview.html
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Phobic Disorders(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Phobic+Disorders%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Neural response to self- and other referential praise and criticism... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18838634&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Tired and anxious. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18829652&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Does prior psychotherapy experience affect the course of cognitive-behavioural group... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18801212&tool=MedlinePlus
- Phobias -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(phobic+disorders[majr]+OR+agoraphobia[majr])+AND+english[la]+NOT+letter[pt]&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- ADAA - Glossary(Anxiety Disorders Association of America) - http://www.adaa.org/gettinghelp/glossary.asp
- Mental Health Services Locator(Center for Mental Health Services) - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/databases/
- Anxiety Disorders Association of America - http://www.adaa.org/
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NAMI - http://www.nami.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/NAMI_en_español/NAMI_en_español.htm
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National Institute of Mental Health - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
- Triumph! Newsletter(Anxiety Disorders Association of America) - http://www.adaa.org/GettingHelp/TriumphNewsletter.asp
- Anxiety Disorders in Children and Teens(Anxiety Disorders Association of America) - http://www.adaa.org/GettingHelp/FocusOn/Children&Adolescents.asp
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Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/anxiety.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/emociones/anxiety_esp.html
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Phobias(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/phobias.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/sentimientos/phobias_esp.html
- Fears and Phobias(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/phobias.html
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Social Phobia(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/social_phobia.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/teen/en_espanol/mente/social_phobia_esp.html
- Anxiety - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/anxiety.html
- Panic Disorder - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/panicdisorder.html
- Mental Health and Behavior - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealthandbehavior.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Phobias is the National Institute of Mental Health - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/