Itsy Bitsy Spider - Fear of Phobia?

Have you ever thought about the difference between a fear and a phobia? The fear that I have of bees came from witnessing my father panic when any type of bee was near. His fear was due to having a bee hive fall on him when he was a child and getting stung a few dozen times. On the other hand, my sweaty palms and increased heart rate are solely due to the fact that I witnessed his reaction. What I have is called Melissophobia, but I am not really sure if it is a true phobia. I am pretty sure that if my son or daughter were in danger of being stung by a hive full of bees, the mother instinct would far outweigh my fears.

Based on the information that I have found from various sources, the difference appears to be that a phobia is a fear that is excessive and unreasonable. The result is a level of impairment, or inability to perform a task or function in the way you normally would function. There are innumerable examples of phobias which cause people to not go into crowds, go outside, etc. A phobia causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, sweating, dry mouth, shaking, feeling sick or queasy, psychological instability, and a feeling of dread.

So let's take a look at some of the most searched for phobias and see if any are familiar to you....

Agoraphobia- Most people generally think this phobia is a fear of crowds, maybe because of its literal translation "fear of the marketplace". The clinical definition of agoraphobia is a fear of situations or places "from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or in which help may not be available in the event" of a panic attack (DSM-IV). About one-third of people with panic disorder go on to develop agoraphobia.

Acrophobia - This is the extreme and irrational fear of heights, based on the Greek word meaning "summit". The phobia belongs to a category of phobias called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment. Although acrophobia has been attributed, like other irrational fears, to conditioning or a traumatic experience involving heights. The newer, non-associative explanation is that fear of heights is an evolved adaptation to a prehistory where falls posed a significant danger. Even though the innate fear that is in all of us as we edge toward a cliff protects us from peril, it is the extreme fear that will make everyday task difficult for those with acrophobia.

Claustrophobia - One of the most common phobias in America, claustrophobia is the extreme fear of being in a enclosed place, like an elevator. This phobia is commonly referred to as a situational phobia, because it is trigger by a certain situation.

Arachnophobia - The abnormal fear of spiders may lead people to even feel uneasy in any area they believe could harbor spiders or that has visible signs of their presence, such as webs. I can definitely relate to this one, although my reaction to spiders is not even close to my reaction to a bumble-bee

Emetophobia - The fear of being sick receives little attention compared with other irrational fears, yet it is the fifth most common phobia, according to the International Emetophobia Society. This is a phobia I had never heard of prior to doing this research, but have found out that many women even deny themselves motherhood for the fear of morning sickness.

Gymnophobia - An abnormal and persistent fear of being nude, the word is based in the Greek work "gymnos" meaning "naked". Their fear may stem from anxiety about sexuality in general, from a fear that their bodies are physically inferior, or from a fear that their nakedness leaves their bodies--and their personalities--exposed and unprotected.

Coulrophobia - This phobia is the abnormal and exaggerated fear of clowns. This phobia is not uncommon in children, but is also found in teenagers and adults. Many people believe that this fear is an associative fear that is based on a bad experience with a clown or seeing a bad portrayal of one in the media

Aichmophobia - The technical medical definition of this phobia is "Morbid fear of being touched by the finger or any slender pointed object." (Online Medical Dictionary). However, a more common definition is the fear of needles.

Necrophobia - The fear of death or dead things as well as things associated with death. This again, may be a phobia that is caused by a very bad experience with witnessing a death or seeing something that was dead.

Sociophobia - Fear of social gatherings, fear of socializing, fear of embarrassment in social situations that is extremely intrusive and can have markedly debilitating effects on personal and professional relationships.

Well the obvious question for this writer was if there was a fear of computers...and yes there is, it is Cyberphobia. Go figure!