Phobia vs. Fear – Is There A Difference?

Everybody has fears. We fear losing our jobs, our homes, our way of life. We may even be a little afraid of the dark or nervous when confronted with a spider. Fear is just nature’s way of warding us from danger, telling us to flee from things we are subconsciously afraid of. Yet in some cases, fear becomes something more – a phobia.

There is a difference between general fear and a clinical phobia. The difference is usually how extreme the reaction to the object of the fear or phobia is. If, for example, when you see a snake, you feel uncomfortable and your heart races a little, you are afraid of the snake. This is a normal reaction based on survival instincts. If, however, you see a snake and want to scream or run away, you begin to sweat or tremble or experience other symptoms of anxiety, then you have a phobia.

Sometimes, a phobia can become so pronounced the person cannot even say what it is they are afraid of – the word alone is enough to bring on a physical reaction of terror. Thousands of people refuse to even come in to contact with the object of their phobia if they can avoid it, such as refusing to fly on aircraft if they have a fear of flying. Phobias are an extreme, natural overreaction to everyday things, events and circumstances.

Phobias are primarily dealt with using exposure therapy, where a person forces themselves to ‘confront’ their fear. This can involve placing themselves in the same room as a snake, or boarding an aircraft. While terrifying, this kind of therapy is hugely effective, and phobias can be managed once and for all.

What Is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

We all have things in our past we do not like and the memories of which make us feel uncomfortable. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is where a past event comes back to haunt someone’s present, to the point where it affects their ability to live a normal life.

Sometimes, these events are what the rest of the populace would consider small matters that should bear no relevance. This, however, does not mean that these events cannot trigger Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As long as the past event has a bearing on how a person feels in the present, it is severe enough to that individual and therefore relevant.

What is a bearing on the present? Well, those with PTSD will find they cannot function normally due to some fear invading their life. They may often feel depressed, withdraw from society or fearful in what should be normal situations. They may experience flashbacks – intense periods of memory – to the event that has caused the problem, as well as general anxious feelings of fear, worry and stress.

Sometimes, the event is a large, life-altering event such as an assault or house fire. The sufferer may seem find after the initial event, but will later go on to develop PTSD – sometimes years later. Not everyone who has experienced trauma goes on to be diagnosed with PTSD, however.

PTSD, like all anxiety disorders, can be controlled but not cured. Treatment is usually behavior therapy with a psychologist, and sometimes counseling and even medication can help one overcome fearful memories.

How Do I Know I Have An Anxiety Disorder?

Many of the most common anxiety disorders, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Social Anxiety Disorder, are well known. This, naturally, may lead people who suffer with anxiety or their nerves to wonder if they themselves are suffering from these clinically defined illnesses.

While some sufferers are born with their anxiety disorders, many find that they do not “trigger” with their illness until later on in life. Do not assume that because you have previously had no problems with anxiety that you will not be suffering from a disorder now or in the future; they can appear quite suddenly. If you have “triggered”, you will find a definitive change in your thought patterns and behavior cycles. This is something you will notice as different from normal and how you usually are, and is often easily recognizable as an anxiety problem. If this sounds familiar, seek medical help – but have cheer, for those who “trigger” and can definitely identify a change in their behavior are more likely to get the correct diagnosis and treatment.

The problem is more compressed for those that are born with an anxiety disorder, as they have no period of “normality” to be able to compare their thought patterns with. These sufferers’ tend to exhibit symptoms from an early age, and will often be diagnosed by the time they are 18.

If, however, you are a somewhat nervy person, you must ask yourself: do my nerves stop me living life as I should? Are you able to live a normal, functional life despite your anxiety issues? If so, you may have an anxiety problem, but it is not a clinically asserted disorder as such. If your anxiety does affect your life, seek medical help for a diagnosis.

What Is An Anxiety Attack?

At some point in their lives, more than 60% of the population will experience an anxiety attack. Sometimes called panic attacks, such occurrences can be extremely alarming to those who are not aware of what the problem is. Most frequently anxiety attacks, to the initiated, will appear almost heart attack like in their symptoms – needless to say, this is extremely distressing. Yet even if you do know what is happening to you, in the moment of the attack, you can forget and panic nevertheless. Basically, anxiety attacks are deeply unpleasant.

There is no known cause of anxiety attacks, though as the name suggests, they do relate to anxiety. If a person is distraught, upset or anxious, they are more likely to suffer such an attack. However, some sufferers – and it should be stressed only in a small amount of cases – can suffer from an attack even when they feel calm and relaxed.

With no absolute known physical cause of anxiety attacks, there is no known way of preventing with them. Primarily, sufferers are taught how to manage attacks rather than try and prevent them altogether. If the sufferer panics during an attack, it will worsen in severity, so behavior therapy can help people remain calm.

Different people experience different symptoms, but an anxiety attack can be characterized as a short, intense period of fear and anxiety. This often combines with sweating, shaking, shortness of breath and other fear-related symptoms. Left alone, and provided the sufferer attempts as best to remain calm, they should last no more than 10 minutes.

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