What Is a Ph0bia? A lllogical anxiety about going outside. Agorapperz

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rxlist.com Definition of Agoraphobia Phobias are irrational fears of an activity, situation, or thing. The fear is so bad it limits a person's activities and life. Many people with phobias will go out of their way to avoid the things they fear. An estimated 6 million people in the U.S. suffer from phobias. Women are twice as likely to suffer from them as men. It's estimated that up to 28% of people suffer from phobias. The percent of the population who suffers from a phobia is estimated to be 7% to 13% in western countries. Phobias are likely underreported. The true number of people suffering from phobias is likely much higher. What Are the Different Types of Phobias? A lllogical anxiety about going outside. The fear associated with a phobia is much greater than that caused by stress or worry. Phobias cause extreme fear. There are many different types of phobias. It's possible to be afraid of certain situations, animals, and social interactions. When someone is afraid of a certain object or item they are said to suffer from a specific phobia. The list of different types of phobias is endless. The following slides contain information about the most common phobias. Social Phobia A microphone looms large in front of a huge group of people. Social phobia is an extreme fear of social situations such as speaking in public and interacting with others. The fear can be so extreme it can affect one's relationships with friends, family, and work colleagues. People with social phobia are terrified of being embarrassed in social situations. Social phobia is also sometimes called social anxiety disorder. Agoraphobia A man in a social setting is tied up and unable to escape. People who suffer from agoraphobia have excessive fear of being in open spaces or being anywhere from which they could not easily leave. Those with agoraphobia often worry about help not being available to them or about being embarrassed in front of others. There are many underlying causes of agoraphobia, but it appears to have a genetic component and it can run in families. Claustrophobia A woman suffers claustrophobia in an elevator. Claustrophobia, a common phobia, is the fear of enclosed spaces or being trapped. People with claustrophobia may be afraid of being in confined areas such as tunnels or elevators. People is distraught over how this phobia has affected this everyday life. Untreated, phobias can significantly interfere with one's ability to function and enjoy life. People with phobias may experience problems at work, school, and with family and friends. Phobias may get better for short periods of time, but they don't typically resolve without treatment. Phobias may go hand-in-hand with alcoholism. Those who struggle with alcoholism are up to 10 times more likely to have a phobia compared to those who don't struggle with alcoholism. And people who have phobias are up to twice as likely to be alcoholics compared to those who do not have phobias. What Are the Causes and Risk Factors for Phobias? A woman avoids fearful situation. A variety of factors contribute to the development of phobias. Genes, cultural influences, and traumatic events can all contribute to phobias. Someone who has an immediate relative with a phobia is about three times more likely to suffer from a phobia than someone who does not have a similar family history. People with phobias try to manage stress by avoiding things they are afraid of. They may also find it difficult to minimize the intensity of fearful or stimulating situations, which reinforces the phobia. What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Phobias? A woman stressed and having a panic attack over her phobia. Phobia symptoms may include panic, terror, dread, rapid or irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, sweating, feelings of wanting to escape or flee, and trembling. People with phobias often know their fears are out of proportion to any actual threat or danger. It's not uncommon for someone who has a phobia to go to extreme lengths to avoid or flee from a phobic situation. How Are Phobias Diagnosed? A doctor diagnoses and discusses a patient's phobia. A variety of healthcare professionals may diagnose phobias, including social workers, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and even primary-care professionals. Both physical and psychological symptoms are assessed. The doctor will rule out potential physical causes for the symptoms. Phobias often occur along with other anxiety disorders. Anxiety may be a feature of other medical conditions or occur as a side effect due to the use of certain medications. The doctor may order lab tests to explore other potential causes of symptoms. How Are Phobias Treated? Desensitization therapy is a treatment for phobias that involves gradually exposing a phobic person to what he or she is afraid of until the situation or thing no longer produces fear. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment that involves examining and changing underlying thoughts and behaviors that contribute to unwanted symptoms. CBT is an effective treatment for phobias. CBT has three components: Didactic component: During this phase, the treatment professional outlines expectations for therapy and encourages the patient to cooperate with the treatment. Cognitive component: In this phase, the treatment professional helps the patient uncover thoughts and assumptions that play a key role in producing phobic behavior. Behavioral component: This phase of treatment involves teaching the patient behavior-modification techniques to help him or her face phobic situations more effectively. What Medications Treat Phobias? A variety of medications treat phobias. Antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be used to treat phobias. Sometimes medications are used alone or along with another treatment such as desensitization therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Escitalopram (Lexapro), sertraline (Zoloft), fluvoxamine (Luvox), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and citalopram (Celexa) are examples of SSRIs. Beta-blockers are medications that counteract the effect of adrenaline in the body. These medications may be used to treat phobias. Propranolol (Inderal) is one kind of beta-blocker. Benzodiazepines are another class of medication that may be used to treat phobias. These medications promote relaxation, but they are highly addictive and overdose may be associated with very serious consequences. Mixing alcohol with benzodiazepines can be deadly. For these reasons, benzodiazepines are not frequently used to treat phobias. Medications in this class include clonazepam (Klonopin), alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and diazepam (Valium). Where Can People Get Information and Help for Phobias? The following associations can provide more information about phobias. If you or a loved one suffers from a phobia, the following organizations can help. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) provides education and advocacy for mental health issues. NAMI also offers support groups, online discussion groups, and listings for state and local NAMI chapters. MentalHealth.gov offers education and a helpful treatment locator to help you find mental health services and resources in your area. Psych Central By George Hofmann Last updated: 10 Aug 2020 People with mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed when approached or stopped by the police than are other civilians. While 1 in 50 people have a severe mental illness, at least 1 out of 4 people killed in police shootings have a mental illness (NAMI places this estimate at 1 out of 2). These statistics, reported in Overlooked in the Undercounted: The Role of Mental Illness in Fatal Law Enforcement Encounters [see below], illustrate the complicated relationship between mental illness and violence. And the complicated practice of policing and mental illness. While encounters with people with severe mental illness are common and have the potential to end tragically, police training on mental illness and how to approach a person with mental illness without escalating the situation is infrequent and inconsistent across police departments. People with mental illness often act in ways that officers can interpret as aggressive or threatening, or, because of fear, misunderstanding or past experience, they may be more likely to flee. Officers, on the other hand, are placed in situations where they have to interpret and respond to difficult behavior without much unique training on those encounters and the illnesses and behaviors that often underlie them. The question that lingers is, why is this not being discussed in the current conversation about police violence? Mental illness appears to be the number one factor in episodes of police violence, but no one is carrying signs or demanding the training required to help those with mental illness in their encounters with police. Also, it’s not a contradiction of the preceding points to include that police encounters with people who have mental illness that involve police use of force are rare. Half of police encounters that involve people with mental illness result in transport or referral to services, and 2 in 5 encounters between the police and people with mental illness are resolved informally. While many encounters between police and people with severe mental illness end in violence, most encounters, which occur repeatedly each day, end peacefully and successfully. In society today, mental illness and violence are often seen as inextricably linked, creating a harsh stigma for those with mental illness and an uncomfortable environment for the police. While the point is often made that people with mental illness are the victims of violence at rates higher than the general population, it must be considered that people with severe mental illness like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also commit violence at a higher rate. What needs to be understood to mitigate this factor is when this violence most often occurs. The 10-week period following a hospitalization is when it is most common for mental illness and violence to appear together. This period is when it is most likely that a person with severe mental illness will commit a violent act, and when a person with severe mental illness will be involved in a violent encounter with police. Better support during this period for the recently discharged and the availability of a mental healthcare worker to accompany police officers on calls involving a person with mental illness, especially post hospitalization, could significantly reduce violence perpetrated by and against those with mental illness. When I reflect on my own experience, it is striking that every time I was discharged from the hospital I left with a follow up appointment and no other significant support. This time, post hospitalization, is desperate and confusing. I was lucky to have support from family, for without that support I could not have navigated the requirements to live well post-crisis. Others without such support often find themselves in confusing situations. Sometimes these situations turn violent. Incidences of violence between police and people with severe mental illness are well-researched and preventable. Both people with mental illness and police need more support, especially at key times. Maybe this will finally come up in the current debates and demands concerning police violence. To view original article click here Overlooked in the Undercounted: The Role of Mental Illness in Fatal Law Enforcement Encounters — (Treatment Advocacy Centre) December 2015 [The following article is full of misleading and inaccurate information – we know that it is not “untreated” mental illness that is the biggest problem, it is psych drugs that cause problems for people who are taking them and for people who have taken them. They prevent recovery from mental states that were temporary beffore the advent of psych drugs.] Enormous attention has been focused in recent years on the lack of complete and accurate official statistics reporting fatal law enforcement encounters. Barely noted in the uproar has been the role played by serious mental illness, a medical condition that, when treated, demonstrably reduces the likelihood of interacting with police or being arrested, much less dying in the process. Despite the dearth of official data, there is abundant evidence individuals with mental illness make up a disproportionate number of those killed at the very first step of the criminal justice process: while being approached or stopped by a law enforcement officer in the community. Overlooked in the Undercounted: The Role of Mental Illness in Fatal Law Enforcement Encounters surveys the status of law enforcement homicide reporting, examines the demonstrable role of mental illness in the use of deadly force by law enforcement and recommends practical approaches to reducing fatal police shootings and the many social costs associated with them. Top Takeaway Because of the disproportionate volume of contact between individuals with serious mental illness and law enforcement, reducing the likelihood of police interaction with individuals in psychiatric crisis may represent the single most immediate, practical strategy for reducing fatal police encounters in the United States. Fast Facts The risk of being killed while being approached or stopped by law enforcement in the community is 16 times higher for individuals with untreated serious mental illness than for other civilians. By the most conservative estimates, at least 1 in 4 fatal law enforcement encounters involves an individual with serious mental illness. When data have been rigorously collected and analyzed, findings indicate as many as half of all law enforcement homicides ends the life of an individual with severe psychiatric disease. The arrest-related death program operated by the Bureau of Justice Statistics within the US Department of Justice is the only federal database that attempts to systematically collect and publish mental health information about law enforcement homicides. The program was suspended in 2015 because the data available to the agency was not credible enough to report. Recommendations to Policymakers Restore the mental illness treatment system sufficiently that individuals with serious mental illness are not left untreated to the point that their behavior results in law enforcement action Accurately count and report the number of fatal police encounters in a reliable federal database Accurately count and report all incidents involving use of all deadly force by law enforcement, not only those incidents that result in death Systematically identify the role of mental illness in fatal law enforcement encounters Since the Study The 21st Century Cures Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in December 2016, included a mandate for the US attorney general to collect and report data on the role of serious mental illness in fatal law enforcement encounters. The Bureau of Justice Statistics overhauled its system for collecting law enforcement homicide data and, in December 2016, resumed reporting arrest-related death statistics. Using the new methodology approximately doubled the number of arrest-related deaths that were verified and reported by the Department of Justice. The role of mental illness in them has not yet been reported.