Print We call an intense fear of a certain animal or insect an animal phobia (zoophobia).
The most common animal phobia in the Netherlands is a phobia for spiders. About 10% of the population is afraid of spiders.
When you are suffering from an animal phobia and are confronted with your fear, you may experience accelerated breathing, a dry mouth, excessive sweating, nausea and headaches. In some cases, you may even experience tremors, confusion, stomach cramps, chest pain, and extreme panic reactions, such as screaming and flight behaviour.
How do you know if you are suffering from an animal phobia?
When someone suffers from an animal phobia, they can experience:
- A persistent excessive or unreasonable fear when the animal/insect is nearby.
- An anxiety reaction when in the presence of the animal/insect, which almost always arises immediately and can lead to a panic attack.
- Recognition that the fear of the feared animal/insect is excessive or disproportionate.
- Avoidance of the animal/insect or tolerating this animal with intense fear or stress.
- Problems in daily functioning that are caused by the anxiety reactions or concerns about having the phobia.
- Persistent anxiety that lasts for at least six months.
Causes
The emergence of an animal phobia can have various causes. A traumatic event (such as being bitten by a dog) can lead to the development of a phobia. Phobias are also known to run in families to some extent. In addition, some people are more prone to develop a phobia.
Upbringing also plays a role. Parental behaviour is often adopted in childhood, which means that you, like your parents, will react fearfully to spiders, for example.
In many cases, there is no clear cause for the development of the phobia. However, that does not mean that you can never get rid of it.
Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been shown to be the most effective in treating an animal phobia. An important part of this is exposure; being confronted with the animal or insect which evokes the fear. This can be in your imagination or in reality. Every step of the treatment is taken in consultation with your practitioner.
Sources:
https://www.psycom.net/anxiety-specific-phobias/
https://kindtclinics.com/genezen/?f=Arachnofobie
https://www.thuisarts.nl/angststoornis/hoe-ontstaat-angststoornis
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/anxiety/exposure-therapy-anxiety-disorders
https://www.verywellmind.com/prevalence-of-phobias-2671911
