The 7 most common specific phobias

Specific phobias are a fairly frequent clinical picture in psychology consultations. We all know someone who is horrified to see a spider in the distance, even if it is less than two centimeters tall.

Who panics while climbing the steps of a spiral staircase. That he turns pale when he sees a plane take off, even if it is in a movie or that he goes up seven floors on foot in order not to take an elevator, when we are not ourselves the affected ones.

Next we will see which are the most common specific phobias and what are their characteristics.

What are specific phobias?

Specific phobias are those in which the element that produces a strong fear or fear can be located and isolated from the rest relatively easily.

Within anxiety disorders, specific phobias are the most frequent in the general population, with an estimated prevalence of 10%. This is, in part, because the experiences and situations capable of promoting the appearance of this class of disorders are very varied.

In phobias there is an intense and persistent, excessive or irrational fear of objects or specific situations (animals, heights, closed spaces, etc.). Physical proximity or anticipation of the feared object or situation elicits an immediate anxiety response (sweating, tachycardia, palpitations, tremors, dizziness, etc.) that can lead to a panic attack, so the person

will try to avoid those objects or situations in the future. In order to diagnose a phobia, it must produce a great interference or a high degree of discomfort in the life of the subject.

• Related article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

Most common specific phobias

Below you can see a compilation of the most widespread specific phobias, with a basic description of each one. Of course, it must be borne in mind that there are many more, although most are rare.

1. Phobia of heights or acrophobia

Acrophobia is an intense and irrational fear of heights, even when there is no risk. People who suffer from fear of heights present great anxiety when approaching a viewpoint, or cliff, climb to a high floor, cross bridges, or even stay in elevated locations in cinemas, theaters, or stadiums.

Many patients with a phobia of heights they fear the sensations they experience in the heightssuch as unstable balance, sweating, or dizziness. The feeling of panic can be exaggerated even at low height. It is estimated that between 3 and 5% of the population suffers from fear of heights, being one of the most common phobias.

• You may be interested: "Acrophobia (fear of heights): what is it and how to overcome it?"

2. Fear of flying or aerophobia

Aerophobia is the irrational and excessive fear of traveling by plane. Fear of flying is related to having an accident, perceiving instability in the plane, thinking about not being able to escape in mid-flight, feeling that you are not in control of the situation or experiencing feelings of panic during the flight.

Although it seems that more than 90% of passengers travel with fears of some kind, people who suffer from this phobia, approximately 3%, not only experience a slight restlessness at the time of landing and take-off, but intense and excessive anxiety that prevents them from planning, or imagining a future plane trip, even months before make it happen.

3. Claustrophobia

This disorder involves the excessive fear of being in small spaces. It is estimated that between 2 and 4% of the population suffers from this phobia. Difficulties in breathing and the fear of suffocation, along with the fear of not being able to move or escape, are typical phenomena in claustrophobia. These people often avoid elevators, tunnels, the subway, small or windowless rooms, telephone booths, closing the door or bolt in a bathroom, etc.

4. Animal phobia (zoophobia)

Fear of some animals (spiders, dogs, birds, snakes, cats) have their origin in ancestral fears that have allowed our ancestors to survive. Animal phobia is another of the most common, affecting between 3 and 5% of the population. Among the fears of animals (zoophobia), the most frequent are arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), cynophobia (fear of dogs), ornithophobia (fear of birds) or ailurophobia (fear of cats).

People with this phobia often fear the physical appearance and movements of feared animals. In the case of small animals (insects, spiders, rats) there is both a fear reaction and a feeling of disgust or disgust. Interestingly, many affected do not believe that the animal will harm them, but rather that they will experience unpleasant sensations, lose control, or hurt themselves when trying to escape.

5. Phobia of blood, injections or wounds (SIH)

Approximately 2-3% of the population have a phobia of blood, injections or wounds (SIH). People who have this type of phobia usually avoid all situations where they foresee that they will see or be in contact with blood, such as blood draws. Most blood phobics (hematophobia)They also have a phobia of injections, although only a minority of them have a phobia of blood.

Unlike the other phobias, the anxiety response pattern is very different. There is a response in two phases, in which at first, and in the presence of needles, blood or wounds, a rapid increased anxiety (palpitations, increased frequency and intensity of breathing, muscle tension, sweating) and later, in a second phase, a rapid drop in blood pressure and heart rate, which causes dizziness and can lead to Fainting.

• You may be interested: "Blood phobia: everything you need to know about hematophobia"

6. Brontophobia

brontophobia is the fear of atmospheric phenomena such as thunder, lightning, and storms. Approximately 2% have this phobia. It usually begins in childhood and can last into adulthood. When lightning flashes or the sound of thunder is perceived, anxiety begins to increase in the affected person.

The main fear is suffering damage or being struck by lightning, although it is also possible that other fears appear, such as losing control of the situation, becoming unconscious, or having a heart attack due to anxiety experienced.

7. Dentophobia or dental phobia

Dental phobia consists of a extreme, unwarranted and persistent fear of the dentist. Between 2 and 3% of the population suffers from this phobia, where it is very common that just the mere thought of going to the dentist causes high anxiety, even weeks before the appointment.

Looking for professional support?

If you are interested in going to psychotherapy sessions to treat a phobia, one of the best options that you can find in Madrid is the Psychomaster psychology center, located in the neighborhood of El Retirement.

This entity has a multidisciplinary team of professionals who are experts in mental health and well-being, highly trained in dealing with anxiety disorders.

The type of interventions with which they work allow to effectively overcome any form of phobia in a matter of weeks, overcoming anxiety and fear gradually and in an environment controlled by specialists in this kind of problems. do click here to see their contact details.

Bibliographic references:

• Akirav, Irit; Mouna Maroun (15 May 2006). The Role of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex-Amygdala Circuit in Stress Effects on the Extinction of Fear. Neural Plasticity. 30873.
• Bados, A. (2009). Specific phobias: Nature, evaluation and treatment. Electronic publication.
• Bolton, D.; Eley, T. C.; O'Connor, T. G.; Perrin, S.; Rabe-Hesketh, S.; Rijsdijk, F.; Smith, P. (2006). Prevalence and genetic and environmental influences on anxiety disorders in 6-year-old twins ". Psychological Medicine. 36 (3): pp. 335 - 344.
• Hamm, A.O. (2009). Specific phobias. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 32 (3): pp. 577 - 591.