It is most common for a layman to use varied words like stress, worry, fear or apprehension for a clinical equivalent of anxiety. These feelings when backed by a relevant cause of significant importance and in normal proportions are common amongst people. However when such feelings – all a form of anxiety, become a regular causeless feature, it is pathological. In fact anxiety in its severe forms will lead to varied physical symptoms like palpitations, dizziness, muscle pains, diarrhea etc.
Anxiety Phobia is an intense form of anxiety where the person has severe symptoms (mind and body) only when encountered with a particular situation or a thing. For instance a person who is in fear of enclosed places- ‘Claustrophobia’ will be alright when not in closed places, however once he/she is in a closed place it will trigger a phobic episode accompanied by symptoms of mind (feelings) and physical symptoms described earlier.
Anxiety phobia is a fairly common condition with 1 in every 10 person suffering from it at some point of time.
Anxiety Phobia can be a result of temporary stressful situation; it could be in a person’s nature (believed to be inherent through genes), a result of post-traumatic stress or use of drugs like amphetamines/LSD. Invariably it is a combination of these factors (barring drugs).
For most persons, its reasonable to understand that the stressful condition would end and therefore their anxiety symptoms end once the situation is over or once one encounters it for some time like before undertaking an examination. However for a person suffering from anxiety phobia the feelings either keep continuing or they occur even without the situation.
It is important that people with anxiety phobia seek professional help, because it’s a clinical condition and not ‘crazy’ as some might feel and keep it to themselves.
There’s help at hand for people suffering from anxiety phobia:
• You can choose to speak to close friends/relatives whom you trust-talking help.
• One can join self-help groups where you are with people who have suffered from anxiety phobia and can learn how to cope.
• One can opt for educational tapes and CD’s available.
• Meditation can be therapeutic in some cases of anxiety phobia.
• Seeking help of professionals like psychotherapists or psychiatrists.
• Drugs like anxiolitics, antidepressants need to be taken only after a professional consultation.
Ideally anxiety phobia is best dealt by a combination of Psychotherapy and drugs.
It is time that one understands anxiety phobia is a clinical condition and help be sought for a friend or self and deal with life situations in ways all other people de
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