What is the best treatment for phobias?
Exposure therapy is the gold standard for treating phobias. Many people have also had success with cognitive behavioral therapy, which aims to replace cognitive distortions with realistic ideas about what scares you. If you’ve ever experienced a phobia, you probably already know that the terror you feel isn’t rational.
How to reduce anxiety and phobias?
Mindfulness training. Mindfulness techniques can help reduce the level of stress you feel. This technique may not stop the initial rush of anxiety a phobia can release, but mindfulness training may help you lessen the severity of the fear. It may be a good idea to work with a therapist to learn mindfulness techniques.
What is a phobia?
SDI Productions/Getty Images. A phobia is a strong but irrational fear of something specific — usually an object, a situation, a person, or an experience. Having a phobia is not uncommon: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 12.5 percent of U.S. adults will experience a phobia at some point in their lifetimes. ...
How to calm a phobia?
Once you’re equipped to calm yourself when under stress, you and your therapist can build a hierarchy of experiences related to your phobias. Include the least scary ones at the bottom and the biggest fears at the top. Exposure therapy is a way of gradually bringing you closer to something you fear.
Is virtual reality good for phobias?
Virtual reality allows a therapist to simulate contact with a phobia without exposing you to the actual threat. A 2019 research review. Trusted Source. showed that there is some evidence that virtual reality can be a good tool to use along with cognitive behavioral therapy in treating phobias.
Why is CBT important for anxiety?
This can amplify your anxiety . CBT helps you identify cognitive distortions. These are unhelpful thought patterns that aren’t accurate.
What is exposure therapy?
Exposure therapy is a way of gradually bringing you closer to something you fear. It usually begins first in your imagination, then in various representations, perhaps cartoons, drawings, or photographs. As you approach each one, your therapist guides you in using your relaxation skills to calm your anxiety.
What is the best treatment for phobias?
When it comes to dealing with a specific phobia, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help particularly with a component of CBT called Exposure Response Prevention (also known as exposure therapy). There are manuals that providers can use for treating specific phobias with ERP.
How to treat phobias?
1. Dr. Lee Keyes 1 In my experience, the most effective treatments for phobia include first discovering the conditioning history of the client so that the context of the fear is understood. This will likely involve interpersonal and psychodynamic approaches. 2 After that, I’d recommend considering exposure and response prevention (sometimes prolonged exposures), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). 3 And/or trauma-informed therapies incorporating those two treatments, but only at the appropriate time.
How to get rid of a phobia of snakes?
Tip#1: The most effective treatment for phobias is intensive psychotherapy. Talk therapy at least once a week can get to the root of the phobia. For example, someone who has a phobia of snakes may have been sexually abused as a child. And this unconscious memory gets triggered each time they see a snake.
What is MBCT in psychology?
With MBCT, a client can learn how to use cognitive methods and mindfulness meditation to interrupt the process that triggers the response. MBCT also helps clients learn how to recognize their sense of themselves as separate from their thoughts and moods.
How to calm down a panic attack?
They can even help you during a panic attack. Yoga is great to keep the balance in your mind and your body. Meditation can help you to accept and to let go of negative thoughts. PMR (progressive muscle relaxation) will help you to focus solely on your muscles and give you a deep state of relaxation.
Where is Katharina Stenger?
Dr. Katharina Stenger PhD focuses on online counseling and other service delivery modalities that leverage digital capabilities. Dr. Stenger practices in Germany. She obtained her PhD from Saarland University. She offers on-site sessions on weekends and after-hours.
Who is Lee Keyes?
Dr. Lee Keyes Ph.D., runs Keyes and Polychronis Consulting LLC, a company that focuses on college mental health care. Dr. Keyes is IACS-trained and boasts 30 years of experience in psychotherapy and management work.
What is the best medication for phobias?
Beta blockers, including Tenormin (atenolol) and Inderal LA (propranolol), are sometimes prescribed as a short-term treatment to help control trembling, sweating, and other physical symptoms of phobia-related anxiety. While medication is helpful for some, others find the benefits aren't worth the side effects.
What is the medical model of phobias?
The medical model places emphasis on the genetic and brain chemistry components of phobias. Medications are prescribed to reduce the symptoms associated with phobias. Studies show that in phobias, cognitive behavioral approaches tend to be more effective long-term than medication approaches.
Can you get help for a phobia?
Getting help for your phobia may feel uncomfortable and anxiety-provoking—but you can take comfort in the fact that you are taking the best first step to alleviate your anxiety, manage your phobia, and start enjoying your life.
What are the causes of phobias?
The latest studies show that there is likely a complex interaction of factors including genetics, brain chemistry, environmental triggers, and learned behavior. Two main approaches to treating phobias are the use of medications and psychotherapy.
Who is Lisa Fritscher?
Lisa Fritscher is a freelance writer and editor with a deep interest in pho bias and other mental health topics. Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Researchers are still unclear on exactly what causes phobias.
What is exposure therapy?
Exposure therapy is often part of a cognitive behavioral treatment program, but can also be incorporated into your daily life.
Is phobia a first line treatment?
Increasingly, mental health professionals and patients are turning to alternative treatments to augment traditional means of treating phobias, but these options are not considered first-line treatments and often come with their own set of side effects.
What is the first line of treatment for phobias?
The first-line treatment for specific phobia is exposure therapy . Prescription medications are not considered to be effective as the only treatment. But antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and beta blockers might be used in addition to therapy or to treat comorbid conditions.
What is the best medication for anxiety?
Anti-anxiety medication can help rapidly reduce the symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks. The most common of these are called benzodiazepines, which are a type of sedative. These include Klonopin (clonazepam), Valium (diazepam), and Ativan (lorazepam) .
What is the most common antidepressant?
Antidepressants are used to treat depression, but they can also be helpful for treating anxiety disorders. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are the most common antidepressants used as first-line treatments for anxiety.
Can medications be used for phobias?
As mentioned above, it is believed that medications by themselves are of limited use in the treatment of specific phobias. But there have been investigations into whether some medications might be effective at enhancing therapy treatment of specific phobias when taken alongside, before, or after exposure therapy.
What is DCS used for?
One medication that has been explored is D-cycloserine (DCS), which is an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis. It is thought to affect certain receptors, namely NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors, in a part of the brain associated with fear.
What is the best herbal medicine for anxiety?
The most widely studied herbal medication in relation to anxiety disorders is a compound called kava. This comes from the kava kava plant, which is a member of the pepper family.
Can you avoid phobias?
While avoidance can be useful for some with specific phobia, it can be damaging if it involves changing your life dramatically. Seeking treatment from a medical professional may help you live a healthier and less restrictive life.
Can phobias be cured?
Almost all phobias can be successfully treated and cured. Simple phobias can be treated through gradual exposure to the object, animal, place or situation that causes fear and anxiety. This is known as desensitisation or self-exposure therapy.
Which therapy seems to be the most effective treatment for schizophrenia?
Medications are the cornerstone of schizophrenia treatment, and antipsychotic medications are the most commonly prescribed drugs. They're thought to control symptoms by affecting the brain neurotransmitter dopamine.
How can you treat fear?
Tips to Work Through Your Fear and Live Your Life Allow yourself to sit with your fear for 2-3 minutes at a time. Breathe with it and say, “It's okay. Write down the things you are grateful for. Remind yourself that your anxiety is a storehouse of wisdom. Exercise. Use humor to deflate your worst fears.
How do you treat phobias naturally?
The most effective way to overcome a phobia is by gradually and repeatedly exposing yourself to what you fear in a safe and controlled way. During this exposure process, you'll learn to ride out the anxiety and fear until it inevitably passes.
What is the best medication for claustrophobia?
Treatment Options for Claustrophobia Among the medications that can be helpful for claustrophobia are SSRIs such as Zoloft, Paxil, or Lexapro, Dr. Vittone says. Another treatment involves gradual desensitization, he explains. For this, an individual is exposed in a graduated way to what he fears.
What is the success rate of exposure therapy?
Success rates for treatments of mental illnesses are difficult to gauge because of different definitions of “success,” however most estimates range from 60% to 90% of treatment completers either no remaining symptoms or “sub-clinical symptoms” (meaning if the anxiety were this mild in the first place, the individual
How long does exposure therapy take to work?
Getting Started With Exposure Therapy "The first few sessions are distressing," says Foa, but the distress of exposure therapy usually lasts for only three or four weeks. Plus, patients usually work their way up to scarier situations by first tackling challenges that are somewhat less scary.
What is the best treatment for phobias?
Systematic desensitization is a common relaxation technique for phobias. This form of treatment involves learning relaxation techniques, such as contracting and releasing various muscles, and then practicing these techniques while exposed to the source of the phobia.
How does exposure therapy help with phobias?
Through exposure therapy for phobias, people can face the source of the phobia and learn that it is tolerable and perhaps not as frightening as they once thought. Virtual reality exposure therapy uses computer programming to allow a person to virtually interact with the object or situation they fear.
How to help someone with a phobia?
Additionally, to help someone with a phobia, you can: 1 Avoid telling them that their fear is ridiculous or irrational, which could lead to a defensive response 2 Help them find a local counselor or therapist 3 Offer to drive them to therapy appointments 4 Give them constant reassurance that they can overcome their phobia 5 Be available to listen if they want to talk about therapy or their experiences
Why is it important to treat phobias?
Phobia treatment may be necessary for someone who has a specific phobia that interferes with his or her daily functioning. When a phobia becomes difficult to manage without professional help, various mental health treatments are available and can reduce the impact that the phobia has on a person’s life.
What is the purpose of CBT?
In cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a clinician helps a client to change irrational, uncomfortable thoughts that contribute to distress. Phobias involve irrational fears of certain objects or situations, so CBT can be helpful for overcoming a phobia.
What is recovery village?
Medical Disclaimer: The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes.
Can phobias be treated with other conditions?
There are numerous effective options available for treating phobias, but sometimes phobias can occur with other conditions, such as a drug or alcohol addiction. Treating phobias and co-occurring disorders requires a comprehensive treatment plan that addresses both the phobia and the other mental health condition.
Therapies
Prescription Medications
Adjunctive Treatment
- Many phobia sufferers are best treated with a combination of medication and therapy. Most psychiatrists do not perform the types of therapy best suited to phobia treatment. Therefore, psychiatrists and therapists often form referral networks to help clients meet both needs. Mental health centers often have a range of mental health specialists on st...
Alternative Treatments
- Cognitive behavioral therapy will usually be recommended as the first-line treatment. Specifically, exposure-based CBT is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders such as specific phobia.
Summary
- No medications are currently approved for the treatment of specific phobias by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).5 It is generally thought that medications by themselves are of limited use in the treatment of specific phobias. However, they may be considered in certain situations, such as if the patient is resistant to exposure-based therapy or if that kind of therapy is not available.6 S…
A Word from Verywell
- As mentioned above, it is believed that medications by themselves are of limited use in the treatment of specific phobias. But there have been investigations into whether some medications might be effective at enhancing therapy treatment of specific phobias when taken alongside, before, or after exposure therapy.