Phobias are irrational fears that can cause severe physical and psychological reactions. Because these reactions are so intense, many people who suffer from them alter their lives to avoid experiencing the overwhelming anxiety caused by the fear from this condition. If it is affecting normal daily functioning, there are treatments available to overcome it.
Psychotherapy
Utilizing psychotherapy or talk therapy with professional phobia doctors in Pennsylvania can be very effective at uncovering the reasons behind this condition. Oftentimes, these unjustified fears are a result of a negative childhood experience. With the assistance of a phobia doctor, the root of the problem can be discovered, which is an important part of overcoming the problem.
Behavior Therapy
Behavior therapies can include cognitive therapy, which involves learning ways to cope with the object or situation that is associated with the phobia as well as learning to change beliefs about the fearful situation or object. Exposure therapy is another type of treatment, which helps the patient to change their response to the fearful situation or object. This can be very effective for treating certain types. This form of therapy involves slowly and repeatedly exposing the individual to the cause of the fear helping them to overcome the nervous reactions that occur from it. This may include looking at pictures of the fearful object, imagining the situation and gently progressing to actually being exposed to the real situation or object. With slow and repeated exposure, individuals can learn to take control of their anxiety.
Virtual Reality Therapy
Virtual reality therapy is a more advanced form of exposure therapy, which involves the use of a 3-D computer graphics program. The graphics provide patients with a simulated situation to reproduce the situation that causes the fear. The patient is given the opportunity to be exposed to the irrational fear using different case scenarios. This offers individuals more exposure to the phobias, which results in lessening the irrational fear. Virtual reality therapy is one of the many tools available in cognitive behavior treatments.
Medications
There are several different medications used to treat phobias. These include antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Also often used are beta-blockers and sedatives. These types of medications can help to balance the mood, reduce anxiety and prevent the effects of adrenaline such as trembling, rapid heartbeat and heightened blood pressure. Phobias such as agoraphobia, which cause the individual to avoid certain situations due to the fear of panic, are often treated with a combination of behavioral therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Individuals who suffer from social phobias may find that beta-blockers or antidepressants combined with behavioral therapies can be helpful in overcoming irrational fears. Other types of phobic disorders may successfully be treated using only behavioral therapies.
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