Phobias

[Trinity]

As well as my E i'm also on medication for anxiety and depression - Zoloft. I used to think that the depression was the major problem and the anxiety was secondary to it but this morning I got to thinking perhaps it's the other way around. When i'm anxious about something I will often get depressed, it's like the anxiety fuels my depression if you know what I mean. Anyway, I get anxious about a lot of things in general but specifically I noticed that I have a number of phobias also

* Nyctophobia - fear of darkness
* acrophobia - fear of heights
* Arachnophobia - fear of spiders (not so bad now as it used to be)
* Bathmophobia - fear of stairs or steep slopes
* Dentophobia - fear of dentists (does anyone like the dentist)
* Hydrophobia - fear of water (mostly the beach and surf)
* Claustrophobia - fear of enclosed spaces

In all of these scenarios I will be likely to have some symptoms of anxiety/panic attack and I know that a lot has to do with either my E (as in the water and heights) or because I think my Mum passed a lot of her fears onto me. With heights though i'm okay if i'm in a tall building and even if I can see out the window or sit on the balcony (near the door) but I do not want to stand right near a glass window (even if closed) or look over the railing of a balcony. Even standing on my kitchen bench to clean the top of my cupboards freaks me out (although yes I am able to stand up there for a short amount of time before needing to take a breather).
So, I know that there is said to be a link between E and depression so I wonder if there is a link between it and anxiety as well, like does having E make one more prone to anxiety.

If others are happy to share what phobias do you have???? Or am I the only messed up one!!! LOL

[Chel]

You're definitely not the only messed up one lol

Connecting phobias to E, of course, is hyperventilation. So it pays to stay calm, even when faced with your worst phobias.

My phobias include (no fancy names):
Big hairy spiders (although I'm overcoming that one *splat*)
Heights
Claustrophobia (getting stuck in a lift for 50mins was fun!)
Travelling over water in an enclosed space (e.g. car, boat)

The last one is a killer for me, as I have to travel over bridges fairly often, and on ferries occasionally. Breathe... calm... breathe... calm...

[Trinity]

I am afraid of driving on bridges too - particularly if I don't just pass over, like if i'm caught in traffic. I worry that it will collapse or something. My husband told me once that it's not possible, doesn't happen if there is not an earthquake or the like and we don't get earthquakes here so no problem. Then I saw that bridge collapse on the TV in Minneapolis back in 2007. So of course that renewed my fears.
Other thing I don't like is driving over train tracks. Hubby again thinks it's funny - last time he drove over train tracks with me in the car I closed my eyes and my daughter (10years old) said mum doesn't like driving over train tracks. He asks why??? (I swear I have told him a number of times) My daughter explains to him it's because I worry that the car will break down whilst we are on the tracks and then we won't be able to get out of the car in time. He thinks it's hysterical and I guess from the outside it is rather but it's true. I saw a TV show once that showed a lady break down on the train tracks and she couldn't get her baby car seat undone and the train was coming - a police officer came along just in time (didn't call wasn't time) and pushed the car over the tracks seconds before the train passed. True story too - I think it was on Oprah or something.

[Loopy Lou]

I've had some odd phobias from when I was younger including grass. When I was a toddler and all the family went for a picnic or to the park I would stand on the footpath crying and waving my arms around until someone picked me up and put me on the picnic blanket. Water also, as in swimming pools or the beach. Carpet tiles up until I was about 20, but the one that has endured is a fear of sticky things. Glue that's not quite dry, sellotape ( should see me wrapping presents without ever touching the sticky side of tape, its quite a skill!) And plastic wrapping that sticks because of static. If something sticks to me I panic and hyperventilate. Once my brother covered a door handle in sellotape so I couldn't get out, the meany.

Mind you, with a mum that's terrified of jelly (as in jello) and a dad thats a wuss around polystyrene, its hardly surprising lol. We used to have to warn my mum if there was a bowl of jelly made in the fridge because she would scream if she found it there!

[huskymom]

We are all so talented It is hard to find a group of people who have the skills that we have developed to make it through life! First we have E. to deal with, and now all of this other stuff. I think we should pat ourselves on the back.

My oddities are:

don't like climbing up open stairs. The ones that have no backing to the treads.

not a fan of heights

not hot on bridges

[survivor]

E, anxiety and depression are linked! Yes! But I do not have any phobias as such. But I often feel that whenever i place some crockery on the higher shelf, i dont look up, I just see once and then look down only and if I do look up, something inside floats! That way I am good at breaking things! I do suffer from anxiety and depression but try keeping it under control. But sometimes.......................things gat out of control!

[jyearta]

In my 39 to 40 years of E. I have dealt with depression --with medic. to help me-- no big deal.

fast forward to about 2005-My phobias seem to be taking me over. I'm guessing this is due to the weakness in my legs (B-12 defic.)
I get scared so bad when I read what B-12 defic. can do to you, then when I take the shots I can't stand myself.

I realy was beginning to think I'm loosing it.

Thanks for this post. It helps

[Rae1889]

Lol I have a lot of fears. Not so many phobias though.

I'm afriad of spiders and small spaces. But I handle them better than my phobias.

Phobias include heights (I faint) water where I can't touch the bottom (I can swim but its the thought of the bottom being so far below me that makes me panic that I freeze and start drowning. I think its related to heights) I also have an irrational phobia of styrofoam. I won't touch it, I cry I hyperventialate, I run. I hate it!

[huskymom]

I hate the sound that styrofoam makes!!! That terrible squeaky sound.....YIKES

[BlueSkies2220]

Weird phobia ~

When i was a kid, in shcool, in the lunchroom - i had developed a phobia of eating in front of other people. I thought, what if they are watching me, and think that i am weird? For several years, i didn't eat my lunch, i just sat there. of course my E was untreated at the time, had never had medicine for it so i just lump it in with my problems that i was facing at the time including severe depression.

I no longer have that phobia and i enjoy eating out. Sometimes ya just gotta dive in and do whats frightening, cause its a liberating experience once you are able to leave it behind you.

Fear is a natural emotion, its one of the oldest, deep-seated emotions that we have as humans. it evokes the fight or flight response. its treatable through therapy.

There was a chick on the Maury show that was afraid of PEACHES!! and Clowns!! The video is on youtube..check it out, she's really scared of peaches!!


My husband is deathly afraid of heights. We went to a friend's condo, and he's 14 floors up, one of the tallest buildings in the area. My husband wanted to pass out, just by stepping foot out there. He got sick to his stomach. I was leaning over the edge, laughing "Look, no hands!!" - i tease him about it [in a playful way] cause heights don't bother me a bit.

Heights is probably the most common phobia, for good reason. We are land creatures..