Almost all human beings are scared of something or the other. Some of the common phobias include the fear the darkness, fear of heights, fear of creepy crawlies and many more. According to the American Psychiatric Association, phobias are a type of common psychiatric illness among the women and second among the men.
Phobias develop in childhood or adolescent years and continue till adulthood. There are certain common phobias which are commonly heard of, whereas there are certain ones which are extremely rare and unheard of. They can be treated and also eliminated completely under the supervision of experts.
Some of the common phobias are as follows:
1. Arachnophobia
Quite a common phobia, Arachnobhobia is the fear of spiders and other arachnids. It is known to affect every 1 in 3 women and every 1 man in 4 men. A sight or a mere thought of a spider or other arachnids can trigger the feelings of panic and fear. It is strange to note that only a dozen species from the present 35000 spider species pose any sort of threat to humans.
2. Ophidiophobia
Another one which is one of the extremely common phobias is called as Ophidiophobia which is the fear of snakes. A study conducted on 35 snake fearful participants revealed that only 3 individuals out of them were bitten by snakes in the past. Such fear might have arisen out of inherent fear of contamination or disease.
3. Achrophobia
The fear of heights also known as achrophobia is known to impact an astounding 23 million adults worldwide. This fear can cause panic or anxiety attacks in individuals. Such individuals who suffer from this phobia try to avoid heights like bridges, towers and tall buildings.
4. Aerophobia
Roughly around 1 in every 3 individuals has some fear of flying. Aerophobia is one of the most common phobias affecting individuals from all walks of life. Some conditions like trembling, feeling disoriented and rapid heartbeat can arise out of Aerophobia.
5. Cynophobia
The fear of dogs is commonly seen among many individuals around. Instances such as being bitten by a dog in childhood often leads to Cynophobia. Sometimes the fear can be so intense that such individuals may refuse to cross the street with dogs.
6. Astraphobia
Fear of thunder and lighting is known as Astraphobia. Astraphobia like other phobias causes an increased heart rats, trembling and shivers. Some people go to great extent in hiding themselves in such situations of thunderstorms and lighting.
7. Trypanophobia
Trypanophobia is the fear of injections. This phobia often causes people to avoid visiting doctors and medical treatment. This fear is often untreated as people avoid the situations triggering this phobia. Such people experience an extreme rise in heart rate when about to be injected.
8. Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)
Social phobia is the fear of social situations. Individuals suffering from social phobia fear being looked down upon or being humiliated in front of others. The most common form of social phobia includes the fear of public speaking.