The most common phobias are:
- Agoraphobia, often described as a fear of open spaces but it is actually more to do with a fear of places from where it is difficult to escape, such as crowded shops or buses. It is also linked to a fear that you might embarrass yourself, for example by fainting.
- Social phobia, characterised by a fear of what other people think of you and can cause difficulties in social situations. For example, you may be terrified of speaking or performing in public.
If you have a phobia, you will understandably try to avoid the feared situation or trigger. For example, if you have agoraphobia you will stay inside your house most or all of the time.
You may also find it useful to draw up a list of the things or situations that make you anxious. You can then imagine one of the items or situations on your list, starting with the least frightening, while remaining relaxed. For example, someone with a phobia for spiders might begin by looking at a picture of a spider and finish by touching a spider, practising relaxation throughout. This technique is generally very successful.
You may prefer to put yourself directly into a situation where you have to face up to your fear, with help and support from a friend or therapist. This is known as exposure treatment. For example, if you are frightened of flying you may only be able to cure your fear by actually getting on to an aeroplane.
For more information on what you can do to help yourself, please see our factsheet on Anxiety in the secion on additional resources below.
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Written in 2003
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