Call Now
Fear is a commonly experienced reaction to a frightening and terrifying experience. A digestible emotion, most individuals can however overcome such fear by fighting through or reducing the exposure of triggers.
Yet, for some individuals, such fear is so extreme that types of phobia can form, standing as the most common form of anxiety. While to onlookers, phobias may seem weak or senseless, such anxiety is a medical diagnosis, recognised as a mental health condition.
At Nova Recovery, we can offer dual diagnosis treatment for people experiencing drug or alcohol addiction and phobias. Learn more below.
Get in Touch
Our admissions team can give you expert help and advice on the best options available for treating phobias and addiction, get in touch today to find out more.
Phobias are more common than people think, where danger, debilitating levels of worry, and risk are perceived in relation to a certain situation, object, place, mammal or emotion. A phobia can amount to the most random thing, which makes phobias an extremely complex condition to live with and treat.
The development of phobias stems from both nature and nurture responses. Genetics can play a part in causing phobias, as can be taught behaviours and responses. Yet trauma or significant distress can also trigger anxiety, which if uncontrolled, can amount to a phobia, such as a social phobia.
Many individuals can manage phobias personally, by avoiding their phobias. Yet for some, phobias can be linked to everyday situations, where intervention is required. Here’s some insight into phobias treatment, to help those suffering from any degree of phobia, available as dual diagnosis treatment with addiction here at Nova Recovery Scotland.
How Common Are Phobias?
Phobias are more common than people believe. This is down to the fact that differentiating anxiety and a phobia can be difficult, as their symptoms cross over.
The symptoms that phobias reflect surround fear, unsteadiness, physical symptoms of anxiety, and increased pressure on the cardiovascular system; all of which are also experienced through anxiety.
Yet the difference is that symptoms and causes of phobias occur due to a trigger, whereas anxiety attacks are general.
Phobias are personal to the individual and some aren’t as common. There are however common types of phobias that are influenced by such as environments, situations, animals and bodily phobias. Two further complex phobia types are social phobia and agoraphobia.
As we’ve shared above, a phobia is personal and can develop around the most random objects. For the person with a phobia, random exposure to that thing can be engulfing, overpowering and very scary.
Phobias are highly linked to panic, which if exposure continues, can lead to mental health problems and drug or alcohol addiction developing.
For some, phobias can be managed. For example, fear of snakes can be suppressed by avoiding their habitat. Yet, for other phobias, such as social phobia and environmental phobias, control can be challenging as these things are unpredictable and unavoidable.
Down to this, the need for phobias treatment will be high, to make symptoms manageable through everyday life.
Scotland Based Mental Health & Addiction Treatment Providers
Key offerings available include:
- Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Scotland
- 1:1 Support from Clinical Nurse Practitioners, Registered Mental Health Nurses and Therapists
- Access to Trained Psychiatrists
- 24-Hour Nursing Care
- Comfortable & Quality Accommodation
- Clinically Led Recovery Model Underpinned by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- 1 Year Aftercare
So what are you waiting for?
Begin your journeyWhat Causes Phobias?
Phobias can be taught, influenced by trauma or can be filtered through genes.
Through nurture, phobias can be taught, where the phobias of parents or siblings may be witnessed, digested and taken on personally. This is very common when an extensive phobia is present in a loved one, where such emotions are transmitted and then attached to triggers.
Another causation of phobias lies within the impacts of trauma, where a distressing event can materialise into anxiety, which can develop into a phobia. Such feelings can be attached to exposure to an event, which then increases fear, turning into the need for distance.
This is how ongoing exposure can then advance the strength of a phobia. For example, trauma may have been experienced through social situations, which can cause returning feelings of unease and anxiety when further exposure to social situations is experienced.
Genetics can also increase the susceptibility of vulnerabilities linked to anxiety, which can advance the potential development of phobias, supporting the nature argument.
As phobias are complex, which is easy to see down to the multitude of possible causes, phobias treatment should be sourced for personal benefits.
Sourcing Phobias Treatment for Relief
Phobia treatment doesn’t stand as a definite cure. Yet it can provide relief from anxiety while aiming to motivate rational and logical thinking surrounding such stimuli. This result can be highly impactful for some individuals, helping to offer a greater sense of normality, without the need to avoid certain situations or places.
One of the most effective phobias treatment which is utilised is cognitive behavioural therapy. Used to consider causations and outlooks, with the aim to revert outlooks and offer clarity, CBT is a significant talking therapy in the world of anxiety recovery. Alongside CBT, psychotherapy and counselling are suitable treatments for phobias by focusing highly on emotional responses, to adjust such responses once exposure has been experienced.
Medication is used in some cases where symptoms of anxiety are high. Yet, the most utilised form of treatment focuses on talking therapy, to help clients process their fears.
For example, treatment will ask clients to consider their phobias. Considerations will look into how the phobia started, the emotions it results in and how avoidable such stimuli currently are. From here, talking through the underlying issues of fear, and helping to see the truth behind phobias, will work to change outlooks. This is very important, as some forms of fear are taught or are heightened through secondary experiences, which must be reflected upon and accepted.
Treatment for phobias, for some individuals, can provide a lifeline, can provide structure, and can provide clearer insight into the realism of their phobia. If you’re suffering, phobias treatment may benefit you.
Tailored Phobia Treatment at Nova Recovery Scotland
Tailored treatment programmes should always be promoted when working through mental health recovery. This is the approach we follow here at Nova Recovery, through our private recovery centre dual diagnosis treatment.
We understand your phobias, addiction, emotions and experiences, with the aim to recommend suitable treatment services, to offer relief, insight and management.
On the surface, phobias are manageable. However, they can be debilitating for some individuals, requiring intervention. Through addiction phobias treatment, you can reach a point of management, by seeing your fears differently.
Reach out to our team to experience a range of talking therapies and exposure therapy sessions. Further manageable steps can also be arranged to help you with mental health recovery.
Dr Alexander Lapa
- Author
- Last updated: June 23, 2023
Dr. Lapa (MBBS, PG Dip Clin Ed, OA Dip CBT, OA Dip Psychology, SCOPE Certified) graduated in Medicine in 2000 and has since gained extensive experience in various psychiatric settings, handling a wide range of illness presentations and patient backgrounds in inpatient, community, and secure environments. This experience has been complemented by ongoing professional development in postgraduate clinical research, closely linked to their daily work as an NHS and Private Psychiatrist.