Did you know that nearly one in ten Americans have a phobia? (Check this out.)
Since the pandemic began, germs have been at the center of our national conversation. Now it is coupled with the political turmoil of our day. All the talk about COVID-19 has created anxiety in many people; and it’s no wonder—this microorganism that causes the disease is invisible, silent, and sometimes deadly.
The pandemic has targeted its terror on germaphobes, that is people who have germaphobia (also spelled germophobia). However, people with an intense fear of germs have a lot of company; there are millions of us who have a phobia of some sort.
Take courage. You can overcome a phobia.
We will consider the prevalence and type of phobias and their signs and symptoms in Part One of this two-part series and then discuss biblical solutions in Part Two. It appeared first here at the Biblical Counseling Coalition and has been updated.
Thousands of Phobias!
Germaphobia is one of many thousands of phobias. Here is a long list of them.
What they have in common is an intense, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. The word phobia comes from the Greek word “phobos,” which means fear or terror. For instance, hydrophobia literally means the fear of water, aerophobia is the fear of flying, and glossophobia is the fear of public speaking or of speaking in general.
In Scripture, phobos has two primary meanings: sometimes, it is positive and speaks of awe or respect, as in Acts 2:43, but usually, it refers to withdrawal from the Lord’s will. Here is an example of the latter: “They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41, NIV).
Types of Phobias
DSM-5, used by health professionals to describe and diagnose mental health conditions, lists phobias in categories: specific phobias, social anxiety disorder (formerly social phobias), and agoraphobia.
While DSM-5 describes phobias and other anxieties, it falls short in addressing the deepest needs of the human heart and soul. Therefore, counselors who desire to minister to the heart of people they counsel offer remedies that differ from the medical mainstream. As a biblical counselor, my goal is to point fellow strugglers to the changeless truth of God’s Word, which speaks to fear and how to handle it biblically, the topic of Part Two of this article.
Specific phobias zero in on one fear like the fear of germs. Other common specific phobias are fear of heights, elevators, dentists, and thunderstorms. The National Institute of Mental Health reported that 9.1 percent of U.S. adults had a specific phobia in the past year and that 12.5 percent of U.S. adults experience a specific phobia at some point in their lives.
Social anxiety disorder (formerly called social phobia) involves fear of embarrassment or humiliation in situations where you may be noticed or scrutinized. Common social phobias are fear of crowds, fear of spilling food while eating in public, and, of course, fear of public speaking.
Agoraphobia is the mother of all phobias, as it has been described as “the fear of fear.” Folks with this phobia often avoid grocery stores, movie theaters, restaurants, and public transportation. Approximately 0.9 percent of U.S. adults had agoraphobia in the past year, with the degree of their problem varying from mild (28.7%) to moderate (30.7%) to serious (40.6%).
Signs and Symptoms of a Phobia
Someone with a phobia may experience mild apprehension toward the feared object or situation or may have a full-blown panic attack. Bodily sensations of a phobia may include these:
- difficulty breathing
- a racing heart
- chest tightness
- perspiration
- trembling
- tingling in the hands and feet
- nausea.
Emotional effects of a phobia include fear of losing control or going crazy and feeling an intense need to escape. The more symptoms, the greater the fear and the greater the likelihood that panic attacks may develop.
I describe a specific phobia of highway driving that led to my experience of panic attacks in my mini-book Help! I Get Panic Attacks.
An Invitation
Are you sick of fear? If so please contact me for a complimentary phone consult to see if biblical counseling through Telehealth would help you. I’ve counseled women and their families by Telehealth and Skype since 2008 all over the world. I’d love to help you too. Biblical counseling by video is effective, affordable, and convenient.
