PHOBIA

By: Corrine Hawthorne

Phobias!!!

• Phobias: A phobia is an intense, unrealistic fear, which can interfere with the ability to socialize, work, or go about everyday life, that is brought on by an object, event or situation.

Social Phobia

• Social Phobia: Excessive fear of embarrassment in social situations that is extremely intrusive and can have debilitating effects on personal and professional relationships.

• The symptoms and signs of social phobias include: blushing, sweating, trembling, rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, nausea or other stomach discomfort, lightheadedness, and other symptoms of anxiety.

Catoptrophobia

• Catoptrophobia (also known as Eisoptrophobia) is a special kind of fear in which people start to fear looking into mirrors. They are afraid of looking straight eye to eye in large mirrors especially the larger mirrors. The people suffering from Catoptrophobia avoid passing in front of mirrors. They also avoid looking at themselves in mirrors, many times because of an extremely low self esteem level.

Suffering

• Sufferers may fear mirrors for a variety of reasons, usually because of some trauma involving mirrors, but also superstitious fear of being watched through mirrors, of mirrors being a gateway into the supernatural or a window into another world are common.

• Some sufferers may fear mirrors out of low self esteem and avoidance of wanting to see and judge themselves that gradually builds into an aversion to mirrors even when the low self-esteem is gone

Aphenphosmphobia

• The fear of being touched that involves the fear of touching or of being touched. It is an acute exaggeration of the normal tendencies to protect one's personal space, expressed as a fear of contamination or of the invasion, and extending even to people that the person knows very well.

Symptoms

• breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly, a fear of becoming mad or losing control, a sensation of detachment from reality or a full blown anxiety attack.

Anthropophobia

• Anthropophobia: An exaggerated or irrational fear of people and groups of people.

Symptoms

• Irrational fear of people • Feeling of panic • Feeling of terror • Feeling of dread • Rapid heartbeat • Shortness of breath • Trembling• Anxiety• Extreme avoidance measures taken

Cause

• Mental health issues are a lot of the reason people have phobias. Traumatic experiences also play a key role.

I always feel that people are surrounding me. They are closing in on me. Are people dangerous? It is scary to think about what goes on in peoples minds. They could be violent. People are crazy.

The touch of people feels like nails in my skin. It is painful. People always hurt you. They never stop hurting you. Every inch closer they get to me the more pain I experience. I am scared of he pain that comes along with people. It causes me to stay away from all individuals.

My fears keep me from doing so many things. I am a junior in high school and I have never been to a school dance. I am ashamed to show my face to myself. If I can’ even look myself in the face why should others want to look at my face. These fears hold me back but I just can’t get away from them.

My own family can’t touch me. Do you know what it is like to not get a good nigh kiss from your own mother because the touch of her skin is the equivalent to knives in my neck? I don’t know how much more I can take. I am scared that without some therapy I will not succeed in life.

I wish that I could feel the touch of a friend. I don’t even know what it is like to have friends. It looks nice. My only friends are the ones that look at this slide show. My life is ruined because of this fear.

My sister tried to force me to look into the mirror once. I screamed for hours. I don’t think she ever realized how serious my condition was until she did that. That was my first anxiety attack. Once my sister realized that I was not playing around she rushed downstairs to get my paper bag. Deep breathing always helps me to relax.

Why am I so afraid of myself? They make me feel watched and followed. I also never liked the idea of me looking into my own eyes. It is creepy! MIRRORS ARE THE WORST THINGS EVER.

I backed myself into a

corner……AGAIN!

In the morning before I go to school. I do a breathing technique that helps me relax before I adventure into the real world/school. If I don’t do this in the mornings my heart beat increases rapidly and I feel faint.

I wish I had the money to get a therapist. I need help. I have to get rid of my phobias. They are going to ruin my life completely……if they haven’t already. I am scared.