Do you know someone who refuses to stay on the thirteenth floor of a hotel, or always skips the thirteenth step on a staircase? They could be superstitious, or they could have triskaidekaphobia, an abnormal fear of the number thirteen. You’ve probably read horror stories about people with taphephobia, the fear of being buried alive, or laughed at Indiana Jones and his ophidiophobia, fear of snakes. Although we laugh, and sometimes cringe, at phobiacs’ behaviors and phobias’ crazy names, we need to understand what causes phobias and how they can be treated.

We all have fears, but not everyone has a phobia. Phobias are anxiety disorders. These can develop from a frightening experience you had as a child or simply be your brain’s improper reaction to certain stimuli. One of the primary ways to treat phobias of any sort is through cognitive-behavioral therapy. This kind of therapy helps you to control negative thoughts so that you think differently about the thing that causes you fear. Patients could be exposed to their fear in different ways so that they get used to seeing or experiencing it.

Along with therapy, certain anxieties may require medication. SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are commonly used to treat people with severe anxieties. People who buy Priligy may know that this drug works by treating the patient with short-lasting SSRI. For people with phobias that affect many areas of their life, like sufferers of glossophobia (fear of speaking in public) or other social anxieties, treatments are more long term; they are generally prescribed SSRI drugs like Prozac.

Some phobias may be very manageable. Zemmiphobiacs can easily avoid the great mole rat, and people who have samhainophobia (fear of Halloween) are likely to be affected only once a year. But if phobias are affecting your life, you will find they are manageable and treatable when you find the right resources.

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