Understanding Childhood Fears and Phobias
“I’m scared of …” Whether you are an adult with fears that stem from your past or have a child who appears to be scared of certain things, this blog explores childhood fears and phobias to help you better understand them.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I have a spider phobia!” or “I cannot go into this lift because of my claustrophobia!” (fear of confined spaces)? These are commonly known phobias, amongst others you might not have heard of, such as chronomentrophobia (fear of clocks), thalassophobia (fear of the ocean), pteromerhanophobia (fear of flying) and koumpounophobia (fear of buttons).
Is it fear or a phobia?
Usual fears in childhood are temporary and easily manageable; we all have probably experienced a fear of the monster under our bed, a fear of darkness, and certain animals. Has the fear become irrational, overwhelming and persistent? The result is a condition called “phobia”. Typical signs that you/your child may have a phobia are extreme fear when being confronted with a specific object/situation, avoidant behaviour towards it, as well as physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations and nausea, which can significantly impact day-to-day functioning.
A phobia often emerges from different factors combined, such as the environment, genetic predisposition and individual experience. Many times, a traumatic event is underlying or a series of negative situations leading to an exaggerated sense of danger and a deep sense of panic when encountering the source.
The symptoms of phobias might last a lifetime.
Different kinds of phobias
Generally, we differentiate between simple and complex phobias:
- Simple phobias
A simple phobia revolves around one particular animal/object/situation, often develops during childhood and is partly genetic. As we get older, these become more manageable. Here are the five categories of simple phobias:
1 Animal phobias: Refer to the picture above – whether it is spiders, dogs, or wasps, there is an intense and overwhelming fear of an animal.
2 Natural environment phobias: Certain weather conditions, such as thunderstorms and water, can underlie a phobia. Acrophobia (fear of heights) also falls into this category.
3 Blood-injection-injury phobias: As the name suggests, aichmophobia (fear of needles) and hemophobia (fear of blood) are common for this category, as well as any fear related to medical procedures.
4 Situational phobias: These are related to situations such as using an elevator or being in any enclosed space.
5 Other phobias: There are a variety of phobias that do not fit in any of the four above-mentioned categories, such as arachibutyrophobia (fear of peanut butter), venustraphobia (fear of beautiful women), and hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (fear of long words).
- Complex phobias
A complex phobia usually develops in adulthood, is more disabling and often has a deep fear of a specific circumstance underlying. The most commonly known complex phobia is social anxiety disorder, formerly known as social phobia (fear of social situations).
Treatment of childhood fears and phobias
A phobia typically leads to avoidant behaviour; the underlying source and triggers need to be understood to treat these effectively. Avoiding the triggers of our fear might be possible for some phobias, such as coulrophobia (fear of clowns), as the chance of contact with the source in daily life is extremely low. Other phobias, such as agoraphobia (fear of open spaces and crowds) and acrophobia (fear of heights), are easily triggered when being surrounded by people and walking or driving over a bridge, for example, and require treatment due to being exposed to the source regularly.
The good news is that most phobias are treatable, usually with a combination of therapy and medication, depending on the type of phobia:
Childhood fears and phobias can be explored and treated with different approaches, such as Play Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Exposure Therapy. The professional helps the child confront their fear in a safe environment and learn to manage it.
CBT and exposure therapy can also explore childhood fears and phobias in adults; it is important to identify the underlying cause. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help process traumatic experiences and recover from them. The professional can provide guidance as to whether medical treatment would be beneficial to manage the symptoms of the phobia.
References
https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/blog/childhood-fears-and-phobias
