Page 43 - Healthy (March - April 2020)

theCLINIC

an’t enter a room if a big spider is lurking in the
THE EXPERTS
corner? Never learnt to swim because you can’t
bear the thought of sinking into water? Feel too
Cterriied to drive on the motorway or get on a plane?
Phobias are thought to afect 10 million of us in the UK to
varying degrees. And while phobias of lying, spiders, dogs and
conined spaces are common, it’s possible to develop one in
response to almost anything, from birds to clowns. Recently,
DR MEG ARROLL
is a chartered psychologist Apple even faced a backlash over the multiple mini-cameras
and scientist, with expertise on the iPhone 11 because it triggered those with trypophobia,
in the field of behaviour an aversion to repetitive patterns and clusters of holes.
change, specifically with So what exactly is a phobia? ‘It’s a type of anxiety disorder
regard to health, wellbeing and can be extremely overwhelming and debilitating,’ says
and performance. psychologist Dr Meg Arroll. ‘When you are near the source
drmegarroll.com of your phobia – whether that’s an object, animal, situation
or so on – you may become very distressed, with physical
symptoms such as trembling and sweating. Even thinking
about it can trigger symptoms.’
When it’s a ‘simple’ phobia (centred around a particular
object, animal, situation or activity), you can probably lead
a normal life as long as you stay away from the source.
PROFESSOR LANCE However, when it’s a ‘complex’ phobia – such as agoraphobia
WORKMAN (fear of situations where escape may be diicult, such as
is a visiting professor of
psychology at the University public transport) or social phobia (fear of social situations)
of South Wales, with an – in which the source of the fear is so pervasive it’s hard to
interest in evolutionary and escape, it can have severe consequences for the way you live.
biological psychology ‘A feature of phobia is avoidance, so you go out of your
way to ensure you’re not in the situation that triggers your
fear,’ says Dr Arroll. With some phobias, that’s not too
diicult – for example, if you’re in the UK and have a fear of
snakes, you’re unlikely to come across one, although it may
mean you avoid visiting certain countries. A phobia about
lying or getting in a car can be a lot more disruptive.

THE SOURCE OF YOUR DREAD
‘Our emotional, psychological and behavioural responses
are a complex mix of genetic predispositions and life
experiences – in particular, early life experiences,’ says Dr
Arroll. ‘Then you can throw in cultural norms – for example,
a dental phobia can be underpinned by the received wisdom
that none of us particularly enjoy a dentist visit – plus
temporary physiological factors, such as tiredness, hunger
and stress, which can make any fear worse.’
There’s also some evidence hormones may play a role –
scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that
women are more likely to experience phobias, and a study
from the University of Sydney suggested that women in
their 40s are most likely to develop dental phobias – more
evidence that hormone changes at perimenopause can be
linked with heightened anxiety. Traditionally, phobias have
been thought to stem largely from two sources.
Early life trauma ‘We know this is predictive of anxiety
later in life, much more so than trauma in adulthood,’ says
Dr Arroll. ‘Events such as major disasters or war, death of
loved ones or caregivers, personal childhood health issues,
and more common occurrences such as divorce, are related
to both anxiety and depression in adulthood.’

healthy-magazine.co.uk 43