Affecting over ten percent of Americans, mostly women, phobias are the single most common mental disorder.

1. www.helpingpsychology.com Common Psychological Phobias

2. www.helpingpsychology.com The American Psychiatric Association defines phobia as “an irrational and excessive fear of an object or situation.” Affecting over ten percent of Americans, mostly women, phobias are the single most common mental disorder. http://www.thehypnotherapycentre.co.uk/_wp_generated/wpc1cf9de2.png

3. www.helpingpsychology.com Cause of Phobias Generally, phobias are rooted in traumatic childhood events called trigger events. Darkness can evoke an irrational, mind numbing terror. http://blog.sunbeltstaffing.com/wp-content/uploads/sunbelt-phobias.jpg

4. www.helpingpsychology.com Symptoms of Phobias Some common reactions to phobia include dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, a sense of unreality and a fear of dying. In extreme cases, a full-blown anxiety attack can occur. http://www.onlinemedicinetips.com/images/Natural-Remedy-For-Social-Anxiety-Disorder.jpg

5. www.helpingpsychology.com Social Phobias A social phobia is diagnosed when a person who is exposed to a specific event, such as dining out, has an anxiety response. http://h2training.com/Pictures/fear_of_public_speaking.jpg

6. www.helpingpsychology.com Agoraphobia If a person fears being trapped in an inescapable place, such as a wide open space or a crowded subway, agoraphobia is diagnosed. People with this disorder may not leave the house, ever, because of irrational fear. http://www.wikinoticia.com/images/depsicologia/depsicologia.com.wp-content.uploads.fobias_thumb1.jpg

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