What We Know
Having a specific phobia is defined by an individual’s extreme and irrational fear of something that is not proportionate to its potential danger. It is estimated that about 9% of adults in the United States struggle with specific phobia each year.
The phobia may lead to becoming impaired in work/school, social and or family life. Studies show almost 22% of individuals with specific phobia are seriously impaired, 30% are moderately impaired and 48% are mildly impaired [1].
How It Affects Our World
Having a specific phobia can create anxiety or panic symptoms by the thought or interaction of the specific object/event. Physical symptoms include things such as heart pounding, nausea, sweating, numbness, shortness of breath, or feeling lightheaded. As noted above, these symptoms can cause challenges in the individuals work/school, social and or family life [2].
What We Can Do About It
At Finding The Light Project we will always highly recommend professional medical and mental health providers as the foundation of treatment. Beyond that, we are here to provide you with knowledge, theological reasoning and encouragement. We invite you to subscribe and explore how you can find light in the darkness. It’s time to find hope and happiness once again!
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or Text 9-8-8
Resources
[1] National Institute of Mental Health. Specific Phobia. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/specific-phobia.shtml
[2] WebMD (2020). Specific Phobia. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/specific-phobias#1