Phobias

Is there any particular thing or person that evokes a feeling of fright and fear in you? I’d bet there is some answer to that question. However, you do not need to feel ashamed about it because everyone, including me, have something that scares us off. Now I think you have a pretty fair idea of what I am talking about - phobias. Phobias are unreasonable, persistent, and severe anxieties of a particular thing

or circumstance.

This brings us to the question “What causes phobias?” Many phobias develop as a result of a negative encounter or panic episode connected to a particular thing or circumstance. Sometimes, all it takes to cause a phobia is to see or hear about a traumatic event. Another reason could be that your particular fear may be related to your parents' phobias or anxieties. This might be the result of both inherited traits and taught habits. People who have particular phobias cause certain brain regions to respond, whereas those who do not have these phobias do not. A person with a particular fear may also have a different brain structure than someone who does not have that particular phobia.

Animal studies, human lesion data, and neuroimaging data all point to the amygdala as being essential to the development of intrinsic fear. For instance, prey animals use the smells of predators as ecologically important stimuli to alert them to the presence of danger. Although these smells are not harmful, they have natural threat-like qualities.

The amygdala is most likely to be affected by phobias.

Talking with a mental health professional can help you manage your specific phobia. The most effective treatments are exposure treatment and cognitive behavioural therapy(CBT). The goal of exposure therapy is to alter how you react to the circumstance or thing you fear. You may be able to learn to control your anxiety by gradually and repeatedly exposing yourself to the cause of your particular phobia and the associated thoughts, feelings, and sensations. CBT combines gradual exposure with other techniques to teach the frightened object or scenario how to be viewed and handled differently. It teaches you how to master your ideas and feelings so that you don't feel powerless in the face of them. You could also practice different breathing techniques. The goal is to help the mind get used to coping with panic, which takes the fear of fear away.

-Dhrishit Patel