Do I have a Phobia?!
Question: I have noticed this for a while now. I'm really scard of spiders. Big, small, it doesn't matter they freak me out so much. If there is a spider in my room it has to be killed (by someone else) or i can't sleep in the room because I'm paranoid it will go on me when I sleep. Also if I'm looking through magazines and there is a photo of a spider in the magazine I have to turn the page I can't even look at it. They really scare me. Is this just a fear or is it a phobia? I'm 17 if that helps in any way...
Answers: I have noticed this for a while now. I'm really scard of spiders. Big, small, it doesn't matter they freak me out so much. If there is a spider in my room it has to be killed (by someone else) or i can't sleep in the room because I'm paranoid it will go on me when I sleep. Also if I'm looking through magazines and there is a photo of a spider in the magazine I have to turn the page I can't even look at it. They really scare me. Is this just a fear or is it a phobia? I'm 17 if that helps in any way...
Phobias are funny things. Psychologists define a phobia as a fear of a specific thing or situation which:
1: is useless, or beyond proportion to the threat it presents.
AND
2: Interferes significantly with the patient's everyday life.
your fear of spiders is definitely beyond proportion to the threat they present. You are afraid of pictures of them. Nobody ever got hurt by looking at a picture. You cannot kill them yourself, even though you have seen other people do it, and should realize that in a contest between a human and a spider, the spider will loose unless it hides.
At 17, it can be hard to tell how badly something interferes with your life. Here's a few questions to think about:
Do you loose sleep, ditch classes, miss activites, or leave homework unfinished because of spiders?
Have you lost friendships, or gained enemies because of spiders?
Do people tease you about spiders so much that it affects your social life?
Have you ever lost a job, or turned down a job because of spiders?
If your answer to more than two of these questions is yes, you qualify for having a spider phobia. Congratulations!
Fortunately, phobias are easy to treat. All you have to do is face your fear head on, and live through it. Usually, living through it is the easy part, and actually facing the fear is the hard part.
Try looking at those spider pictures. What are you afraid of? They're not even real spiders. They're just pictures. Nobody EVER died from looking at a picture. Maybe they're a little goss, but they're just pictures.
Once you do that, you might try an encounter with a real spider. Sweep up some cobwebs until you find one, and learn to kill it yourself.
After that, you can find some non-poisonous ones, and play with them for a bit. Nobody does this much in real life, so once you can do that, you may feel free to declar yourself cured!
Don't be surprised if you still get a little freaked out if a spider actually does crawl on you. Most people get a little scared by surprises like that, just remember you know how to kill it. Then kill it, and get on with your life.
yes
you have a phobia
Haha, me too. Im so scared of them, I hate them soooo much. I freak out whenever i see a little or big one. But its called Arachnophobia.
I would call it a phobia yes, but not a bad one. It is a really common one to have.
Sounds like it to me.
I have phobias.
I have two pretty normal ones, heights and snakes.
And then I'm afraid of fish food.
No lie.
If anyone finds a name for the last one, please let me know.
hehehe..I have phobia too.I always scream when I see one,doesnt matter if its small,big,or fake.you do have phobia
it sounds like a phobia
I used to have a phobia of spiders and I know exactly how scary it is to see even a tiny picture of spider eggs. If you ever sweat, can't breathe properly or cry when you see a spider you definently have arachnophobia.
You clearly have a fear of spiders. Technically do you have a phobia? That depends on whether or not your fear interferes with your living a normal life.
For example, if you found a spider in your room and thereafter you couldn't ever sleep in your room again, that would be your fear of spiders interfering with your life.....
If you were afraid to open any magazine for fear there *might* be a picture of a spider.....
See what I mean?
Seems to me your fear of spiders is a bit extreme, but not enough to worry about.
Hope this helps!
I'd say that you do have a phobia. Not that it's really anything big, but, the best way conquer your phobia is to grab a sandal(or something) and smash the next spider you see. (then grab toilet paper or newspaper...whatever, and thow it out) Do this to any spider that you see until you have conquered your phobia. Anyway, I should know, my sister has the same thing.
Arachnaphobia......