Awareness Post: Phobias

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Phobias are very serious to the people who suffer from them, even if you lose your temper with them. How you try ro manage a situation matters. You can't control how others feel.

For example, if someone has a snake phobia, every time they see a snake, their Ophidiophobia will be triggered. They will freak out, and likely have a panic attack.  Depending on the person, they might only be triggered by being in the physical presence of a snake, and not just from seeing one in media. Unless the see a snake, they may even respond normally to other situations and stimuli. It is not just paranoia; they are actually scared.

Expecting an snake phobic person to respond calmly to snake triggers is unrealistic. Yelling at them won't cure their phobia. Being dismissive won't cure their snake phobia. Ignoring them won't cure their phobia. Being aggressive with them will only further stress them out, and extend/escalate their panic attack. Being empathetic, and trying to help them calm down, are the only things you can actually do to control the situation; you can also warn them about the likelihood of snakes beforehand, as a preventative measures.

Additional Resources:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phobia

https://www.anxiety.org/phobias

https://www.mhanational.org/conditions/phobias

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