Anxiety, Phobias

Shyness is not a medical disorder, but rather a behavior pattern or personality trait – some individuals are more introverted than others – and this may stem from as far back as childhood. Shyness can also be defined in technical terms –
such as anxiety felt in social situations. A person who is shy may avoid meeting new people, confronting new situations or having attention on them.

Glossophobia may be defined as a very specific form of stage fright or speech anxiety which is the fear of speaking in public. Most confident people have experienced some degree of nervousness or anxiety when they have to give a speech, presentation, or perform on stage. They still manage to cope with the occasion even though they are not enjoying it. However, people who suffer from glossophobia (referred to as glossophobics) may deliberately avoid situations where they would have to speak in public.

The fear of open spaces (also referred to as agoraphobia) is defined as a form of anxiety disorder that causes an abnormal fear of open spaces, crowded public places or leaving a safe location. The person experiencing the fear is usually not afraid of open spaces or people but fears being in an embarrassing situation where he or she may not be able to escape from the situation. This disorder develops initially after the sufferer experiences a panic attack, usually in a public place, and afterwards the attacks may occur without warning.

Most people experience feelings of fear, anxiety or panic attacks when faced with the idea of speaking in public. This usually involves delivering a speech, making a business presentation to your manager and a team of colleagues,
announcing a toast at a wedding or talking to a small group of people in a team or
committee setting.

The fear of heights also referred to as acrophobia or altophobia is one of the most common phobias and is an extremely distressing condition. This irrational, persistent fear of heights may occur when you have to climb a flight of
stairs, use the escalator at a shopping center, drive near a cliff, stand on a ladder or enter a tall building.

Aviatophobia is defined as a fear of flying. It is also referred to as aviophobia, aerophobia or pteromechanophobia. People who suffer from aviatophobia become anxious and stressed at the thought of any transportation that involves air travel.

Acrophobia is described as an extreme, paralyzing fear of heights. This is one of the most common phobias which cause an intense, irrational fear of objects or situations. Most people may generally feel a bit apprehensive when looking down from a very steep cliff – this is considered a natural even appropriate feeling.

Children with Separation Anxiety often have unrealistic fears of being separated from the important people in their lives and are persistently worried that something terrible will happen to them. They can become clingy, tearful and may refuse to go to school or even leave the house. In some cases they are even afraid of sleeping in their own room separate from their parents.

When a fear severely impairs a person’s ability to function properly, they would be diagnosed as having a phobia. A phobia is characterized by an irrational fear of a specific object or situation that interferes with an individual’s ability to function.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by apprehension or excessive anxiety about everyday life issues. This anxiety is usually very difficult to control or stop, and people with this type of anxiety disorder often find themselves being in a constant state of worry.

While the term Hysteria is seldom used in reference to a medical condition today, the concept still remains and what was once the diagnosable condition Hysteria disorder is now more acceptably know as a somatization disorder or histrionic personality disorder.

A nervous breakdown can be described as an acute emotional or
psychological collapse. The term nervous breakdown is not a medical term,
but rather a colloquial term used by the general public to refer to and characterize
a wide range of mental illnesses.

Panic Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder characterized by the experience of at least three panic attacks in a three week period under circumstances not involving physical exertion or life threatening events.

A panic attack is a physiological response to fear or sudden anxiety. The object of the fear can be either physical (like a spider) or an event (fear of flying, fear of heart attack or dying) or it can be to an imagined situation or event. For many sufferers panic attacks occur without an apparent trigger, they just 'happen' despite your efforts to curtail them, and this causes a great deal of distress and anxiety.

Test anxiety is a type of anxiety that can affect a test taker before, during, or after a test. It is an issue that many students deal with at one time or another. Anxiety is a normal human feeling that is part of life, and can often serve as a good form of adrenaline-- for instance, butterflies before making a speech, taking a test, or performing on stage. However, there are methods how to overcome nervousness and anxiety when they interfere with performance.