Phobias

I have always been curious on what kinds of phobias people have. I've always thought maybe ghosts and demons would be on top of the list, but after so many people going out and seeing Paranormal Activity 1 & 2 I just wondered if that really wasn't the case. Here's a list of what some things that people said that scared them in order of highest to lowest.
 * Spiders
 * The dark
 * Dying
 * Snakes, heights, and clowns
 * Demons
 * Tornados/Storms
 * Sharks & Basements



The definition of a phobia according to dictionary.com is, " A persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it." Between 7 and 13 percent of the American population has a known phobia and more and more people find out each day. There are many different types of phobias like the fear of spiders or tight spaces. There is also three catergories that therapists list phobias in: Specific phobia, which would be cats or the dark, and Social phobias. A social phobia is when you're scared to go out and meet/interact with people. And last but not least you can have an agoraphobia, which is the fear of being outside. You can get a phobia at any age in life, many phobias happen during childhood. Every phobia is brought on by some instance in your past, and it even can be hereditary. Women are more susceptible to having more phobias than men do. I know from my experience that I have a severe case of emetophobia, which is the fear of vomiting. This phobia was brought on during my childhood when I was diagnosed and hospitalized for Rota virus. I had severe vomiting, we're talking about vomiting 18 times within a 5 hour period. Because of this traumatic experience I have been terrified with anything to do with getting sick and throwing up. This phobia also runs in my family. My aunt, sister, and two of my cousins have this. Unintentionally, I wash my hands and make sure my meals are prepared right with the fear of getting the stomach flu or food poisoning. Whenever I hear of someone getting sick my first question I ask is, "Did they throw up?!" I wish I could get a handle on this fear of mine, but the reality of that is slim. My heart goes out to all the people with all kinds of phobias because I know what they're going through. On a regular basis you are worried that the thing you are most afraid to happen will happen. For most of us we can't control what will happen. For instance, yes, I can stay at home where I know no one is sick, but what if I go to a movie theater and a person down my row throws up, (Which has happened in real life) what will I do? And what if the person who throws up is me? It's like I, myself, is my own worst enemy. There is medicine that can help ease your anxiety with your phobia, but there are side affects and most of the time it just makes you more mellow, and not exactly help you with your fear. Phobias are something people cannot help, but with time and understanding from others, people might be able to help themselves overcome their fears.

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Grohol, John. "Facts About Phobias." //psychcentral.com//. N.p., 12 Dec. 2006. Web. 11 Dec 2010. .

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PARENTHETICAL CITATION: ("Phobia")

Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne. "Phobias." //Medicine Net// n. pag. Web. 12 Dec 2010. .