Subtitle: Most Common Phobias
Phobias are irrational fears of certain objects or situations that can cause significant distress and impairment in everyday life. The most common phobias include fear of heights (acrophobia), fear of small spaces (claustrophobia), fear of germs (mysophobia), fear of public speaking (glossophobia), fear of snakes (ophidiophobia), fear of flying (aviophobia), fear of the dark (nyctophobia), fear of thunder and lightning (astraphobia), and fear of spiders (arachnophobia). Other common phobias include fear of clowns (coulrophobia), fear of death (thanatophobia), fear of blood (hemophobia), fear of enclosed spaces (agoraphobia), and fear of failure (atychiphobia).
People with phobias often experience intense physical symptoms such as a racing heart, shortness of breath, trembling, and nausea when they are exposed to the object of their fear. Treatment options for phobias include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).