All phobias, particularly complex phobias such as agoraphobia (a fear of open spaces and public places), can limit your daily activities and may cause severe anxiety and depression.
People with phobias usually need to avoid contact with the thing that causes fear and anxiety. How far someone with a phobia will go to avoid contact varies considerably.
For example, someone with a fear of spiders (arachnophobia) may not want to touch a spider, whereas someone else with the same fear may not even want to look at a picture of one.
Physical symptoms
Panic attacks are common among people with phobias. They can be very frightening and distressing. The symptoms often occur suddenly and without warning.
As well as overwhelming feelings of anxiety, a panic attack can cause physical symptoms including:
- sweating
- trembling
- hot flushes or chills
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- a choking sensation
- rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
- chest pain or a feeling of tightness in the chest
- a sensation of butterflies in the stomach
- nausea
- headaches and dizziness
- feeling faint
- numbness or pins and needles
- dry mouth
- a need to go to the toilet
- ringing in your ears
- feeling confused or disorientated
Psychological symptoms
In severe cases, you may also experience psychological symptoms such as:
- fear of losing control
- fear of fainting
- feelings of dread
- fear of dying
Complex phobias
Like simple phobias, complex phobias, such as agoraphobia and social phobia, can affect your wellbeing.
Agoraphobia often involves a combination of several interlinked phobias. For example, someone with a fear of going outside or leaving their home may also have a fear of being left alone (monophobia) or of places where they feel trapped (claustrophobia).
The symptoms experienced by agoraphobics vary in severity. Some people feel very apprehensive and anxious if they have to leave their home to visit the shops, whereas others may feel relatively comfortable travelling a short distance from their home.
If you have a social phobia, the thought of being seen in public or appearing at social events can make you feel very anxious and frightened. These situations can make you feel vulnerable.
Intentionally avoiding meeting people in social situations, such as at a dinner party, is a sign of social phobia. As with agoraphobia, in extreme cases of social phobia, some people are too afraid to leave their home.
It may take some time to overcome a complex phobia but there are several treatment options for phobias available, including talking therapies and self-help techniques.
