About Phobia

What is a Phobia?

A phobia is a learned, automatic, highly intensified irrational fear. It is a conditioned, physiological, emotional and cognitive response which leads to panic attacks.

The panic attack seems to come from out of the blue, but usually begin when one is exhausted, having generalized anxiety and an overload of stress. People who suffer from panic attacks sometimes, but not always come from dysfunctional homes where there is physical or mental abuse. Sometimes a person will start having panic attacks after the death of a loved one or a divorce. These are life changing situations and they can cause panic attacks to start.

What is Agoraphobia?

The definition of Agoraphobia means fear of the marketplace. It is the fear of open spaces, characterized by being alone or fear of being in public where escape may seem difficult or help may be unobtainable.

The AGORAPHOBIA syndrome is a complex of multiple fears. It is the fear of open spaces, crowds, bridges, tunnels or driving, just to name a few. It is also the fear of being away from home or a safe spot, and fear of being trapped. It is the fear of loosing control. Coping strategies developed for self protection are avoidance, withdrawal, dependency and passivity, thereby limiting everyday life involvement’s which could lead to being homebound or roombound. Agoraphobia usually begins in early adult life, between the ages of 18 and 35. It affects 1 in 160 people, 2/3 of which are women.

What is a Social Phobia?

A Social Phobia is the fear of embarrassment in a Social situation. This phobia keeps many people from social situations, including support groups. What is Panic? Panic is acute, extreme anxiety with disorganization of personality and function.




On the various sections of this site, we have provided detailed descriptions of the various conditions and treatment methods for anxiety and panic disorder, depression, phobia, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).


You are not alone. Our support group can help you learn and use many coping techniques you can learn and use and provide you valuable information and support. Feel free to contact us for additional information.