PROTECCIÓN, RECUPERACIÓN, CONSERVACIÓN Y MANEJO DE CUENCAS HIDROGRÁFICAS ABASTECEDORAS DE ACUEDUCTOS Y

Just about everyone has something that they’re afraid of. Specific phobias are defined by a strong fear and avoidance of a feared object or situation. Large surveys show that at least 10 percent of the general population will have a specific phobia during their lifetime (Kessler et al., 2005).

The reaction that phobia sufferers experience is virtually the same as a panic attack but with one difference: the alarm response in specific phobias shows up upon exposure to the feared object or situ- ation, whereas in panic disorder, the alarm response happens unexpectedly with no clear trigger.

Persons with specific phobias also experience a strong urge to get away from the feared object or situation. Many make great efforts to avoid future encounters with the feared object too. Depending on their life circumstances, avoidance may or may not be life constricting.

For instance, a person with a specific phobia of snakes may be able to do just about everything they’d like to do so long as they live in midtown Manhattan where seeing a snake is highly unlikely. But don’t ask this person to go to a national park, the zoo, or for a walk in the woods. They’ll most likely tell you that they’ve got other plans.

People typically recognize that their fear is excessive or unreasonable. This knowledge, however, has no impact on the urge to run from and avoid feared objects. And it does little to help them control or minimize the unpleasant emotional discomfort that’s triggered by the feared objects.

The most common specific phobias are (in descending order) fear of animals, heights, closed spaces, blood and injuries, storms and lightning, and flying. As you might guess, these phobias may not be life impairing so long as the feared object can be avoided without getting in the way of what a person needs to do. As soon as the avoidance gets in the way of what a person needs to do or would like to do, watch out—we have the seeds of a problem.

Take a look at the list below and check (√) all items that give you an intense panic-like response when you encounter them:

Situations (e.g., heights, closed spaces, dentists, elevators, or airplanes/flying) 

Animals (e.g., snakes, rats, spiders, dogs) 

Natural environment (e.g., heights, storms, lightning, water) 

Illness or bodily harm (e.g., diseases, injuries) 

Sight of blood or needles 

Other (e.g., choking, eating certain foods, vomiting) 

Most people with specific phobias never seek treatment. They simply avoid the feared object. This is fairly easy to do because the object of fear is clearly known. In other cases, contact with the feared object is so unlikely that it never gets in the way of what they need to do. So if you have a shark phobia and you live in Idaho, then it’s highly unlikely that you’ll have much difficulty with this phobia. There’s no chance of running into a shark in Idaho (other than in movies or on TV).

At other times, “successful” avoidance may come at a high personal cost. For instance, we once worked with an Australian family that used to spend weekends visiting a beautiful island just three miles offshore. The island was a popular weekend getaway destination for the family and many people in the area. The family stopped going because the mother had a shark phobia. She couldn’t stand the thought of sharks swimming underneath the ferryboat during the crossing.

The critical question this woman faced was this: what is more important—my family or my fear? Her answer made a real difference in her life. And finding that answer came down to a choice between two alternatives: spending time with her family in a beautiful setting and having fear while getting there, or staying at home without fear and missing out on fun time with her family.

Jane is a thirty-four-year-old mother of two children and she has a phobia of crickets. She was also facing some tough choices.

Jane’s Story



Even though I know it’s totally unreasonable, I’m terrified of crickets. My anxiety skyrockets when I’m outside because I feel like they’re everywhere. Sometimes I can hear them at night through my window. To blot out the noise I turn the TV on and crank up the volume. I end up staying awake all night because of the noise. Just thinking about them gets my pulse racing. I can even feel my breathing become very shallow and strained. When I hear them, or even worse, see them, I hyperventilate to the point where I’m sure I’ll pass out. It’s gotten so bad. I can’t even go to the park with my kids for fear that I’ll see one. The kids don’t understand what it’s like for me, and I feel terrible that I can’t overcome my fear for their sake.

Social Anxiety and Phobia

Social phobia is an intense fear of embarrassment or humiliation. Usually, this fear shows up in situ- ations where you’re exposed to the scrutiny of others or where you must perform. Typically, people fear that they’ll say or do something that will lead others to judge them as incompetent, weak, or stupid. They also worry that others might detect their social discomfort.

Social phobia is very common. In fact, about 3 to 13 percent of the population will suffer from it at some point during their lives (Barlow 2002). This makes social phobia the most common anxiety disorder.

Below is a list of social situations that people are often afraid of and that they try to avoid. You’ll see that fear of public speaking tops the list. It’s the most common social phobia and the most common type of any phobia. As before, check (√) all social fears that apply to you:

Fear of public speaking 

Fear of blushing in public 

Fear of choking on or spilling food while eating in public 

Fear of writing or signing documents when others are present (e.g., at grocery 

checkout)

Fear of being watched at work 

Fear of crowds 

Fear of using public toilets