Phobias and Fears Fear is a basic human emotion. Fear helps protect us, it makes us alert to danger and prepares us to deal with it. When you sense danger, your brain reacts instantly and the signals cause physical responses, such as a faster heartbeat, rapid breathing and increased blood pressure. Sometimes fear is triggered by something that is unexpected, even if it is not dangerous. Almost everyone has an irrational fear of something. Some get nervous at the thought of spiders and other insects. Others shriek at the sight of a mouse. Still others get woozy when they look down from tall buildings. For most people, these fears are minor. But for some, these fears are so severe that they cause tremendous anxiety and interfere with normal day-to-day life. When fears are irrational and disabling, they are called phobias. A phobia is an intense fear of something that, in reality, poses little or no actual danger. Common phobias and fears include closed-in places (claustrophobia), heights (agoraphobia), highway driving, spiders (arachnophobia), snakes (ophidiophobia), and needles (trypanophobia). However, we can develop phobias of virtually anything. Having a phobia can interfere with normal activities. A person with a phobia of cats might […]
