health

A phobia (FO-bee-a) is an intense fear of a specific thing, such as dogs
or spiders or riding in elevators. With a phobia, the fear a person feels is
out of proportion to the real danger. The person with a phobia is very
worried about the possibility of seeing the feared object or experiencing
the feared situation. People with phobias may go to great lengths to avoid
any situation that might bring them face to face with the object of their
fear. Because of all the worry and avoidance, a phobia can interfere with
a person’s everyday life.

Social phobias
At some time in their lives, people find themselves
in a social situation that makes them uncomfortable. But phobias
involve more than social discomfort, and they take several forms. For
individuals with a social phobia, the exposure to a particular event provokes
such enormous anxiety that it can trigger a panic attack. A person
with a social phobia will do almost anything to avoid similar social
situations.
Social phobias are often associated with persistent fears of humiliation
or embarrassment. These occur commonly in situations such as
walking into a classroom or even leaving one’s home. Individuals may
feel as if everyone is looking at them. This phobia often persists. It may
intensify with the result that when affected people venture into social
situations, they spend all of their time alone, attempting to avoid other
people.

Triggers
When exposed to the trigger for a specific phobia, individuals
may experience elevated levels of anxiety, including a panic attack. People
with specific fears, such as Hannah with her fear of elevators, may know
that their fear might be seen as “silly” or “irrational,” by others, but the
fear still produces significant distress for them. Sometimes, particularly
with children, affected individuals may not understand that their fears are
excessive or unwarranted.

Trauma
Traumatic events often contribute to the development of specific
phobias. Social phobias often begin in mid-teens, with the average
onset between the ages of 15 and 20, although some social phobias can begin
in childhood. However, phobias can start at any age. Phobias may begin
when two unrelated events are associated in someone’s mind. Research
has shown that social phobias may have a hereditary component.