A Phobia presents itself in a number of categories and is a source of fear and anxiety for a person.

A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving fear of a situation or object. Image: Phobia Stock Photos

Phobia of the Day: Xenophobia

A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving fear of a situation or object. Exposure to the source of the fear triggers an irrational response.

by Arnold Charles

20-06-2023 08:24

in Offbeat

A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving fear of a situation or object. Image: Phobia Stock Photos

A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving excessive and persistent fear of a situation or object. Exposure to the source of the fear triggers an immediate anxiety response.

Most specific phobias fall into one of four major categories:

Fears of the natural environment
Fears related to animals
Fear related to medical treatments or issues
Fears related to specific situations

Phobia of the Day: Xenophobia refers to the fear of the Unknown

Most cases of fearing unknown objects, foreigners, situations etc are normal. We all tend to worry about coping with a change in lifestyle, dealing with a new job etc. We accept them to be facts of life. However, for a phobic, the day-to-day life can become very stressful owing to persistent fear. His personal and professional activities can be greatly hampered owing to this fear. Like most other specific and social phobias, the fear of the unknown is also characterized by many physical and emotional symptoms:

Rapid heart rate or palpitations.
Dry mouth, shallow breathing.
Full blown panic at the thought of the unknown or strange.
Feeling anxious, trying to run away or avoid the situation that requires a change or facing strangers or the unknown.
Crying, shaking, trembling, throwing up, fainting etc are some more symptoms of a xenophobic individual.