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 If you suddenly come face to face with a bully, you think you should run or panic, but your mind tells you to stay still and not run. If fear overtakes you, however, you will run as fast as you can. Fear describes an emotional reaction to threatening, imminent danger with a strong desire to escape the situation. People who experience an abnormally high amount of fear often feel overwhelmed, immobilized, and unable to make a decision to overcome the threat of danger. They sweat and panic, sometimes prompting a decision to fight. |
A phobia is an excessive, enduring fear of objects or situations that interferes with a person's normal life. Although they know their fear is irrational, people with phobias always try to avoid the source of their fear. Common phobias include fear of heights (acrophobia), fear of enclosed places (claustrophobia), fear of insects, snakes, or other animals, and fear of air travel. Panic attacks are intense, overpowering surges of fear. Some people experience panic attacks - periods of quickly escalating, intense fear and discomfort accompanied by such physical symptoms as rapid heartbeat, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness, and nausea. Because people with this extreme form of fear cannot predict when these attacks will strike, they worry about having more panic attacks and may limit their activities outside the home. |