How common are Specific Phobias and who experiences them? Specific Phobias are thought to affect around 11 per cent of the Australian population.
About 19 million Americans have one or more phobias that range from mild to severe. Phobias can happen in early childhood. But they are often first seen between ages 15 and 20. They affect both men and women equally.
More than 60 per cent of Australians fear public spaces or large crowds.
Anxiety disorders (such as Social Phobia) are the most common type of disorder, affecting 1 in 6 (17%, or 3.3 million) Australians, followed by Affective disorders (such as Depressive Episode) (8%), and Substance Use disorders (such as Alcohol Dependence) (3. %).
The most common specific phobia in the general population is fear of animals — particularly dogs, snakes, insects and mice. Other specific phobias are fear of closed spaces (claustrophobia) and fear of heights (acrophobia). Most simple phobias develop during childhood and eventually disappear.
1. Acrophobia. Acrophobia is the fear of heights and it affects more than 6% of people. People who have acrophobia can have anxiety attacks, which causes them to avoid high places, such as bridges, towers, or tall buildings.
Specific (simple) phobias, which are the most common and focus on specific objects. Social phobia, which causes extreme anxiety in social or public situations, and. Agoraphobia, which is the fear of being alone in public places from which there is no easy escape.
Mental illness in Australia
Mental illness is very common. One in five (20%) Australians aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in any year. The most common mental illnesses are depressive, anxiety and substance use disorder. These three types of mental illnesses often occur in combination.
Nearly 15-20% of us experience specific phobias at least once in our life. In the U.S., nearly 8.7% of people (aged 18 and over) have at least one extreme specific fear and nearly 25 million Americans report having the fear of flying phobia.
How common is social anxiety? If you have social anxiety disorder you're not alone: around 11 per cent of Australians experience social anxiety during their lifetime. around 7 per cent experience social anxiety in any 12-month period.
1. Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth) Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. While the phenomenon has happened to everyone at one point or another, people with arachibutyrophobia are extremely afraid of it.
Spectrophobia is the fear of mirrors. As a result of this fear, people may avoid any situation where they might encounter a mirror. This can create significant disruptions in an individual's life, making it difficult to enter different social settings or even leave the house.
An estimated 5 per cent of Australians have arachnophobia, but there are plenty of others happy to get close to the creepy crawlies.
Research suggests that phobias can run in families, and that both genetic and environmental factors (nature and nurture) can contribute to developing a phobia.
Many phobias develop as a result of having a negative experience or panic attack related to a specific object or situation. Genetics and environment. There may be a link between your own specific phobia and the phobia or anxiety of your parents — this could be due to genetics or learned behavior.
Temperament: Research suggests that people who exhibit more behavioral inhibition have a higher risk for a variety of anxiety disorders, including specific phobias. 4. Genetics: People who have a family member with an anxiety disorder or phobia are more likely to also develop some type of phobia.
Prevalence of Specific Phobias
Specific phobias have a lifetime prevalence of 15% among adolescents, with the incidence highest at 16.7% between the ages of 13 and 14 years old. Between 18 and 29 years old, specific phobias have a lifetime prevalence of 13.2%. About 22% of annual cases are classified as severe.
Some people may experience multiple phobias. They can be broadly categorised into two groups: Specific phobias. Complex phobias.
What are ways to overcome nosophobia? A mental health specialist can help you overcome a fear of disease. You may benefit from therapies like: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): A form of psychotherapy (talk therapy), CBT helps you understand why you think and feel the way you do about diseases and your health.
Interestingly, the number of mental health issues does differ from state to state. For example, Tasmania sees the highest rate of anxiety and depression -- at 21.6% and 18.1% affected respectively, while Queenslanders show the highest stress levels, with 27.5% reporting that they're regularly affected by stress.
In their lifetimes, about one in five Australians will experience depression. Around the world, depression affects around 300 million people.
Mental health is a key component of overall health and wellbeing (WHO 2021). The National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing conducted in 2021 found that an estimated 1 in 5 (21%) Australians aged 16–85 experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months (ABS 2022a).
Although specific phobias often begin in childhood, their incidence peaks during midlife and old age. Phobias persist for several years or even decades in 10–30% of cases, and are strongly predictive of onset of other anxiety, mood, and substance-use disorders.
Scopophobia is also commonly associated with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Often, scopophobia will result in symptoms common with other anxiety disorders. Scopophobia is considered both a social phobia and a specific phobia.
Phobias are among the most common of all mental illnesses, and they are usually the most successfully treated. Phobias are divided into categories according to the cause of the reaction and avoidance. Agoraphobia is the fear of being in situations in which a person cannot get help or escape.