Fears and Phobias

Fears & Phobias: Social Phobias Picture the scene: You are wandering around a supermarket or shopping arcade on your own. As you walk about, you're sure everyone is watching you - and it scares and embarrasses you. You find your heart beating much faster than usual, your throat becomes dry, or you sweat - or a combination of all three. You don't know why it's happening and you can't do anything about it. You panic and you feel you have to leave. Eventually you'll completely avoid the place or situation that made you feel this way. If this sounds like you - and it happens a lot of the time - it could be that you have one of, or a combination of, the following:
Social phobia: This is a fear of being in situations (usually in public) that will involve the sufferer thinking they are being watched or judged in some way. They might feel extreme anxiety that they'll make a fool of themselves in public or continually fear that, by their actions, they'll be putting someone out. They might have very low self-esteem and be extremely self conscious about speaking in public, or meeting new people. They might also have a specific fear of being sick, crying or blushing in public.
Agoraphobia: This is often thought of as a fear of open spaces, but it's actually a fear of feeling anxious wherever the anxiety occurs. These don't always have to be big, open spaces. When someone always avoids a place or situation where anxiety crops up, they become agoraphobic and can't face leaving a place that feels safe to them.
Claustrophobia: Claustrophobia is usually described as a fear of enclosed places. But it's more like a fear of not having an easy escape route. Anyone who experiences this phobia will feel that the predominating feeling is a need to be able to get out or get home very quickly. Claustrophobia means that you might; Immediately look for the way out when you enter a room, dread the moment the doors click shut on a train, hate the thought of using a lift, find car journeys difficult - especially motorways - because of the lack of an easy escape route.Panic Attacks
Panic Attack: A panic attack can be an extreme reaction to your phobia. They have a number of common symptoms like fast heartbeats, tightness in the throat, and dizziness. During a panic attack some people may also be convinced they are about to die and feel a complete and overwhelming need to get away from the situation they're in. These usually occur in late adolescence or early adulthood, but could happen at any stage of life.