Phobic Disorders

Question: Advice on anxiety /phobic disorders? I developed an anxiety/phobic disorder a year & a half ago. Had counselling for 16 wks & medication for panic attacks. I found that CBT improved the situation but hasn't resolved it. I am now seeking long term counselling to continue making progress and have also read several books on counselling and am studying psychology at university. I'm still nowhere near back to being my normal self although I am able to function a bit better day to day. It's very scary and my life is extremely limited. Has anyone else had a similar experience and if so have you fully recovered or is this something that I will have to 'manage' for the rest of my life? If you have had a similar experience, you have my sympathy and I wish you luck in trying to combat it.

Answer: I completely sympathise with your situation. I suffer from anxiety and panic from a sexual assault last year. It makes you feel very isolated and scared, and you are forever craving 'normality' back into your life. I draw a lot of optimism and encouragement from the positive spin you have put on your experiences and how you are getting on with your life. I too have had the counselling and medication and the next step for me is the CBT. Sorry I haven't been able to answer your question as such, but thank you for sharing your experiences for me to relate to. I wish you every success with your recovery x

Question: CITALOPRAM- for depression/phobic disorders? has anybody taken this drug, what kind of reaction did you get. I am a bit worried about all the side effects that go with it. or am i worrying for nothing?

Answer: I took Citalopram for about 8 months several years ago. It was the first anti depressant that I had ever taken and I was a little scared to take it. Anyway....I did....and I'm glad I did. It really helped me out of a hole! There were some side effects at first which didn't help my anxiety disorder at all at the time!!! But once I knew that they were just side effects of the drug I was OK. Everyone can experience different side effects, mine were sleepiness, and once my skin came out in a rash of tiny blisters when I got in a bath. The worst thing was that I had a reduced sex drive the whole time I was taking them, and the feeling that I was not 100% with it all the time :( Another POSITIVE thing about Citalopram, is that I didn't have any problems coming off them, I just reduced the dose for a couple of weeks and then came off them. I didn't have ANY withdrawal effects. Last year I had a bit of a relapse, and before it got so bad that I was in 'the hole' again, I went back to my GP and between us we decided on a short couse of SSRI's again. She was going to put me on Citalopram again but I asked if there was anything else (cos of the sex drive thing) and she told me about Escitalopram which is a newer, I suppose more refined version of Citalopram with less side effects. I've been taking these for several months now with NO side effects (apart from being a bit more sleepy the first week)...infact I almost forget I'm taking anything!!! BUT....I've started to reduce my dose recently so I can come off them and I'm finding it harder than with the Citalopram :( I'll do it tho!!! Good luck and take care :)

Question: poll : are phobic disorders real? Hi. I have OCD and I study Psychology and I come around everyonce in a while to the point of view that perhaps most phobias, are not really as bad as they seem. I talked to my Psych prof about my fear of driving which she upgraded to a "driving phobia", which i dont see thats exactly the case. driving is dangerous. people get in accidnets all the time. its expensive, its nerve racking, theres always someone with his road rage wanting to fly off the handle. I see it as perfectly rational, and should I wnat to, something I can get over if I really want to. I'm also afraid of dogs. when i see one coming, my heart starts beating fast and i try to avoid it. but do i wish to be treated for it? no. i dont encounter dogs that often outside, and having a pet in your house is bad for allergies. domestic dogs are a waste of space LOL but the point is, do you think phobias are real?

Answer: without a doubt they're real, but I think there is often a fine line between fear and phobia. For example, I'm scared of spiders... but it doesn't affect my life... I'm phobic of crabs (yes I've been told that's a silly/weird one, although I don't know why, just look at them!) and actually get full on panic attacks if I see one, even a hermit crab, even if it's on TV. It affects my life, I avoid going to beaches, etc. It's an irrational fear, because it's not like I'm going to get attacked by crabs (hope not anyway... yikes) but I still can't bring myself to be in any situation where I might see one (aquarium, beach, etc). So in my opinion, a phobia is a fear that affects your life, and is for the most part, completely irrational. A fear is rational and often justified, like being afraid of the unknown or a fear of flying (if you're still able to get on a plane and it doesn't control your life, and it's rational because hey, flying is risky). hope that makes sense...

Question: What is phobic disorder? and can you try to explain the various subtypes of phobic disorder to me.

Answer: Phobic disorders are disorders caused by an overwhelming fear. Usually, the disorder is anxiety disorder caused by an extreme phobia usually confronted on a near daily basis. Agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped with no way out, which many people suffer from. It isn't necessarily small spaces, its more like a door disappears or becomes locked. Phobophobia is the fear of being afraid. Many times people break out in anxiety attacks not because of a certain fear in itself, but also because the fear of actually becoming afraid. The six you are referring to are below (or what i could find). I have never known various subtypes of phobic disorders. Panic Disorder Specific Phobia Teen Social Phobia - Teen Social Anxiety Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Stress-Related Disorders Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Question: Help! I'm a serious meso(germ)phobic mixed with anxiety disorder and looking for reassurance.? I'd like to hear some scientific explanations(I've heard the empty "they wont hurt you" and Germs are a way of life" so many times and by the most ignorant people i know. Can someone tell me something good that will keep me out of the nuthouse?(I'm very close my mom even said she was scared i might get commited) Well I go into temporary insanity sometimes(blinding uncontrollable rages) and often think of suicide...still think i wont be commited?

Answer: Find a major distraction such as anything you enjoy and be glued to it, that way u wont be thinking about germs so much.

Question: Do i have avoidant personality disorder or am i social phobic? I Left school at fourteen and didn't leave my house for nearly a year after that and if i ever meet new people it can take days for me to feel o.k around them. i avoid social contact with people i don't know and i can't get a job because for fear of what people will think of me i rareley trust people and if my family has people over i almost completeley freeze because i dont want to be noticed and sometimes dont hear people properley because i get so nervous. its starting to get on my nerves because i might lose where i'm living because i hinder myself getting a job. any help is apreciated

Answer: Only psychological evaluation will help answer that question for you. Reading from your statement, it might be a good idea to get it checked out. With any personality disorder, there is a spectrum.. for it to be called a disorder it has to fall within the extremes of the spectrum. More information of your past and current life need to be stated in order to make a correct evaluation, only a psychologist can do this. You seem to have signs of it, for sure.. so I think it would be best to seek a psychologist and get the help you need to overcome this fear. Best of luck.. and don't be scared, you'll be ok..

Question: Should I be concerned about my 10 year old bipolar son wetting himself during the day? My 10 year old son has bipolar disorder amongst other problems. Recently he has started wetting himself during the day. Should I be concerned? He sees his doctor on Monday and I would like them to do bloodwork. He is very phobic of needles and the labs have little patience for him so I try not to request anything unnecesary. People around us are saying he is lazy but I am finding that hard to beleive. He has always had a problem with this at night but not during the day since he was about 3.

Answer: that is definitely a development. yes, you should be concerned. regression, going back to behavior that should be expected at a younger age, has always some ramifications especially if he is suffering from bipolar disorder. if its not physical, by all means i suggest you contact your mental health provider.

Question: A little help on this psych question, please? In an experiment to determine the usefulness of virtual reality therapy in curing phobic disorders subjects are assigned to a VR or non-VR group. This is the study's… A.control variable B.independent variable C.dependent variable D.placebo variable E.extraneous variable This confuses me because I'm not sure what they're asking me to identify.

Answer: B. Independent variable (the group to which the participants are assigned - treatment/non treatment) ~Dr. B.~

Question: Why Are People So Harsh To Suicide Victims? It drives me insane when I hear people being so heartless towords people like this. Suicide might not be the real way to fix unbearable torment and pain but that does not mean every person that killed themselves is weak or cowardly. People who end their lives are miserable, anxious and sometimes even temporeraly insane as a result life long pain. Phobic disorders, irrational fears, bad events from the past, clinical depression etc or all soul numbing illnessis of the mind that destroy even the most kind hearted and careing person. Sensitivity is a positive thing for any human to have but it can play against you at bad times and people kill themselves, not because they were weak, but because they were too sensitive and soft to live and cope with these problems and ultimatley become consumed by it, it doesn't make them bad. People should understand these victims not only because they're not alive to defend themselves but also because no one can know exactly how it felt for them.

Answer: Quite right.

Question: quick psychology quiz.....? ___ 1. Which of the following is not an example of an anxiety disorder? a. bipolar disorder b. panic disorder c. obsessive-compulsive disorder d. phobic disorder ____ 2. A phobic disorder is marked by a. persistent, uncontrollable thoughts and the urge to engage in senseless rituals b. a persistent and irrational fear of objects or situations that present no real danger c. chronic, high anxiety levels that are not tied to any specific threats d. recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that occur suddenly and unexpectedly ____ 3. Mood disorders tend to be a. chronic, with few periods when the individual is unaffected b. escalating, with each successive episode having more severe symptoms than the previous episode c. episodic, interspersed among periods of normality d. diminishing, with each successive episode having less severe symptoms than the previous episode ____ 4. An individual who shows extreme mood shifts in two directions is likely to be classified as having a. schizophrenia b. obsessive-compulsive disorder c. bipolar disorder d. hyperdelusional disorder ____ 5. Which of the following statements is not accurate in relation to depressive disorders? a. They are quite common and affect approximately 7% of the population. b. Individuals with depressive disorders often show insomnia and loss of appetite. c. Individuals with depressive disorders often show slowed thinking and speech. d. They are age related, with onset typically occurring during adolescence. ____ 6. In comparing different types of psychological disorders, schizophrenia occurs a. less frequently than anxiety disorders, but more frequently than mood disorders b. less frequently than either anxiety or mood disorders c. more frequently than either anxiety or mood disorders d. more frequently than anxiety disorders, but less frequently than mood disorders ____ 7. In schizophrenia, delusions involve a. perceptual distortions such as hearing nonexistent voices b. jumbled, vague, fragmented speech patterns c. false beliefs that are maintained even though they are out of touch with reality d. a deterioration in routine functioning and personal care ____ 8. Chester sometimes sits for hours in extremely rigid positions staring blindly at the wall. During these episodes, he appears completely unresponsive to external stimuli. Chester's symptoms are most consistent with those seen in a. catatonic schizophrenia b. paranoid schizophrenia c. undifferentiated schizophrenia d. disorganized schizophrenia ____ 9. One of the potential neurochemical factors that has been implicated as a possible cause of schizophrenia is a. reduced dopamine activity in the brain b. excess dopamine activity in the brain c. excess serotonin levels in the brain d. reduced norepinephrine levels in the brain ____ 10. MRI scans of schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic individuals have shown that schizophrenic patients may have a. shrunken brain ventricles b. an enlarged hypothalamus c. reduced activity across the corpus callosum d. enlarged brain ventricles

Answer: 1. A 2. B 3. C 4. C 5. B 6. B 7. C 8. A 9. B 10. D ~Dr. B.~