WHEN DOES A FEAR BECOME A PHOBIA?

 

A fear becomes a phobia if it distresses you a lot and/or you substantially change your life to avoid the thing you fear. 

 

Phobias usually relate to a fear of a specific object or situation.  For example, a fear of heights, snakes, spiders, dogs, flying, driving, blood or injections.  

 

Some people can get along quite well avoiding their specific fear.  A fear only becomes a problem if it causes a lot of distress or interferes with normal life activities.  For example, a teenager who needs to have an injection to save their life, but refuses to have it might be classified as having a specific phobia of injections.  

 

Phobia's usually begin in childhood, so it's a good idea to expose children to lots of different things before these fears develop.  

 

All specific phobias can be treated and almost all people get better.  Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for specific phobias involves confronting the thing you fear.  This can usually be done in a three-hour CBT session and most people get better permanently.