Phobias Essay, Research Paper

Do you ever fear objects, public places, or embarrassment? If so, you may have a certain type of phobia. A phobia is an intense and persistent fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. Three major types of phobias that psychiatrists recognize are simple phobia, agoraphobia, and social phobia.

The first type of phobia psychiatrists identify is simple phobia, which is the fear of specific objects or situations. For instance, someone who is scared of animals, such as dogs, cats, or spiders is said to have simple phobia. Likewise, a person that is terrified of heights or water may have simple phobia.

Another type of phobia psychiatrists deal with is agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is the fear of open public places and situations from which escape is difficult. For example, people who fear being trapped in a mall with many people may be said to have agoraphobia.

The last phobia psychiatrists treat is social phobia. Social phobia is the fear of embarrassment. For instance, a person that has social phobia may fear meeting new people, because he or she is afraid that the other person will think poorly of them. Similarly, a person that is severely intimidated by making public speeches may also be said to have social phobia.

All in all, these three types of phobias are very common. Have you ever suffered from any of these symptoms I ve discussed throughout this paper? If so, you may find that you too might actually possess one of these very common psychological diseases, such as simple phobia, agoraphobia, or social phobia.