Wendel Abel
SHE SCREAMED! Her husband ran to her rescue. That night she booked herself into a hotel room. She could not sleep in the house. Lisa bought an apartment but she could not live in it.
What do they have in common? A phobia for lizards.
The fear they have is not an ordinary one. Phobias are excessive and irrational fears. Phobias are common psychiatric condition. It is estimated that one in 10 persons suffer from some kind of phobia and, those involving animals and insects, referred to as zoophobia, are the most common ones.
Animals and insects that are commonly feared are lizards, cockroaches and rats. Less feared are spiders and snakes. Phobias occur more commonly in females. There are a number of phobias that affect many persons such as phobias for heights, flying in aeroplanes, darkness, crossing streets or bridges. There are persons who have phobia for the number 13 so much so that many buildings, including hotels, do not use the number 13.
CAUSES
Many Jamaicans, both females and males, have a phobia for lizards. What are the causes of these phobias? Many phobias start in childhood. Phobias may be learnt from another person. Many children grow up seeing their mothers screaming and reacting hysterically to lizards.
Lisa reported that her mother had a terrible fear of lizards and insects. "My mother would scream frantically on seeing a lizard, I think I grew up modelling her behaviour," she said.
There are several aspects to developing this fear. For some people the trigger to their phobia was a traumatic experience.
"My brother chased me with a green lizard he caught when I was six years old, " reported one Kingston woman. "As a result I get terrified when I see those creatures."
It appears that these fears are learnt and the responses such as screaming and avoidance are also behaviours that are learnt.
WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF A PHOBIA?
1. Marked and persistent fear of an object or animal that is excessive and unreasonable.
2. Exposure to the feared object, animal, situation always provokes an anxiety reaction. This anxiety reaction is characterised by sweating, pounding heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, choking sensation, trembling, shaking, nausea and abdominal distress. Lisa reports that these feelings are so overwhelming that the place goes dark and she feels as if she is going to die.
3. The individual avoids the situation or object that triggers the phobia. Lisa always avoid any situation in which she will encounter lizards. She said: "I love my parents, but there are so many lizards at their home. It is impossible for me to visit them."
4. The phobias may affect our functioning. This affects social relations, occupational function and normal routine.
"I fell in love with a man who lived and worked in the country, our relationship ended as it was impossible for me to visit him", reported Lisa.
Samantha can only live in apartments as she feels safer. "The thought of a lizard entering my house was too devastating for me," reported Samantha.
IN ORDER TO PREVENT CHILDREN DEVELOPING PHOBIAS:
1. Reassure children that animals and insects such as cockroaches and lizards are harmless.
2. Learn to control your responses if you have a phobia
3. Do not frighten or traumatise children with objects and animals.
Phobias are treatable conditions. Techniques used to treat phobias include strategies to control our fears and thought patterns. These strategies also include those designed to control our responses and to encourage individuals to relax.
If you want to overcome your phobia contact a mental health professional.
Dr. Wendel Abel is a
consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer, University of the West Indies; phone: 922-3216; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
