what is a phobia???

Answer 1

Phobia -
A persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.
A strong fear, dislike, or aversion

An intense, abnormal, or illogical fear of a specified thing: claustrophobia

an exaggerated and often disabling fear usually inexplicable to the subject and having sometimes a logical but usually an illogical or symbolic object, class of objects, or situation

an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things or social situations; "phobic disorder is a general term for all phobias" [syn: phobic disorder, phobic neurosis]

Answer 2

Phobia is Latin for "fear". When we talk of a phobia, we say something like arachnophobia which is fear of spiders. "arachna" being latin for spiders. so when u see any phobia all u need to do is to figure the prefix to determine what kind of phobia is being described.

Answer 3

A phobia is a morbid fear of something which is taken to an illogical point.

Answer 4

1. A persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.
2. A strong fear, dislike, or aversion.

Answer 5

A persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.

Answer 6

According to Webster's, "aphobia" ~ is an irrational persistent fear or dread. Being affraid or having fear of.

Answer 7

It is when you are afraid of something to the point that it effects your everyday life in a negative way.

Answer 8

What Is It?
A phobia is a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation. It is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with a phobia either tries to avoid the thing that triggers the fear, or endures it with great anxiety and distress.
Some phobias are very specific and limited. For example, a person may fear only spiders (arachnophobia) or cats (galeophobia). In this case, the person lives relatively free of anxiety by avoiding the thing he or she fears. Some phobias cause trouble in a wider variety of places or situations. For example, symptoms of acrophobia (fear of heights) can be triggered by looking out the window of an office building or by driving over a high bridge. The fear of confined spaces (claustrophobia) can be triggered by riding in an elevator or by using a small restroom. People with these phobias may need to alter their lives drastically. In extreme cases, the phobia may dictate the person's employment, job location, driving route, recreational and social activities, or home environment.
~*Specific phobia (simple phobia) — With this most common form of phobia, people may fear specific animals (such as dogs, cats, spiders or snakes), people (clowns, dentists, doctors), environments (dark places, thunderstorms, high places) or situations (flying in a plane, riding on a train, being in a confined space). Although the cause of specific phobias remains a mystery, these conditions are at least partly genetic (inherited), and seem to run in families.
~*Social phobia (social anxiety disorder) — People with social phobia fear social situations where they may be humiliated, embarrassed or judged by others. They become particularly anxious when unfamiliar people are involved. The fear may be limited to performance, such as giving a lecture, concert or business presentation. Or it may be more generalized, so that the phobic person avoids many social situations, such as eating in public or using a public restroom. Social phobia seems to run in families. People who have been shy or solitary as children, or who have a history of unhappy or negative social experiences in childhood, seem more likely to develop this disorder.
~*Agoraphobia — Agoraphobia is a fear of being in public places where it would be difficult or embarrassing to make a sudden exit. A person with agoraphobia may avoid going to a movie or a concert, or traveling on a bus or train. In many cases, he or she also has repeated, unexpected panic attacks (intense fear and a set of uncomfortable physical symptoms — trembling, heart palpitations, sweating and hot flushes).
Treatment usually includes some combination of psychotherapy and medication:
~*Specific phobia — Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help, especially a procedure called desensitization therapy, also called exposure therapy. This technique involves gradually increasing your exposure to the thing you fear, at your own pace, under controlled circumstances. As you are exposed to the object, you are taught to master your fear through relaxation, breathing control or other anxiety-reducing strategies. For short-term treatment of phobias, your doctor may prescribe an antianxiety medication, such as lorazepam (Ativan). If the phobia is confronted only occasionally, as in a fear of flying, the use of medication can be limited.
~*Social phobia — If your social phobia centers on one particular performance (for example, giving a lecture or playing in a concert), your doctor may prescribe a medication called a beta-blocker such as propranolol (Inderal). This medicine can be taken just prior to the performance. It dampens the physical effects of anxiety (pounding heart or trembling fingers), but usually does not affect the mental sharpness needed for speaking or the physical dexterity needed for playing an instrument. For more generalized or long-term forms of social phobia, your doctor may prescribe an antidepressant, usually an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) such as sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil) or fluoxetine (Prozac). If an SSRI is not effective, your doctor may prescribe an alternative antidepressant or antianxiety medication. Cognitive-behavioral therapy also works well for many people with social phobia, in both individual and group settings.
~*Agoraphobia — The treatment for this disorder is similar to the treatment for panic disorder. Drug treatment includes antianxiety medications, such as clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan); SSRI antidepressants or older antidepressants, such as clomipramine (Anafranil) and imipramine (Tofranil). Psychotherapy is also helpful, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Answer 9

PHOBIA MEANS FEAR.

Answer 10

This can literally fear to or about anything.