From where are phobias?

Psychologist Dr. Doping tells about the underlying causes of phobic disorders, the role of gamma-aminobutyric acid and disasterization.

Phobia is an intense fear of specific objects or situations leading to steady their avoidance. For example, if a person experiences intense fear when visiting the dentist, but overcomes it and regularly treats teeth of the phobia as mental disorders are not talking: no avoidance and related life limitations.

Modern science is dominated by the so-called biopsychosocial conception of mental disorders, including phobias. It is easy to see that the word "biopsychosocial" consists of three parts, which represent the main causes of phobic disorders. Thus, a phobia is due to the joint effect of three factors: biological, psychological and social - which also interact with each other, strengthening or weakening the contribution of each individual, so called biopsychosocial model system.

Biological causes of phobias are complex and associated with biochemical features of the brain; particularly important role in the regulation of the excitation is given in the so-called brain GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA is a neurotransmitter (a substance through which impulses are transmitted between neurons), has a calming effect on the nervous system. Thus, people who are prone to anxiety attacks GABA failure occurs which may be due to genetic factors, as well as prolonged stress or exposure to toxic substances. (You can find GABA in Pantogam, Picamilon)

However, only one biological vulnerability can lead to phobias. Psychological causes phobias describes different psychological schools differently. For example, analysts believe that the formation of a phobia symbolized intrapersonal conflict that arose at a certain stage of psychosexual development (recall described by Freud "Case of Little Hans," in which the boy's fear of being bitten by a white horse is interpreted as the offset for fear of being punished by his father to the proximity of the desire to mother ). Another look at the psychological causes phobias provide cognitive theory ( "cognitive" - associated with thought processes). In these theories, the phobia is seen as a consequence of the distorted effects of impact assessments object of fear, such as the so-called "disasterization": "I can not stand it, it will kill me."

Social reasons are usually associated with weathered through traumatic and stressful situations that can speak launchers incentives for the development of phobias (dogs bite a child, transferred serious illness, media reports about the high risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases). These start-up incentives can start the development of phobias only if there is the so-called "diathesis" (dispositions) by biological and psychological characteristics of the individual. Thus, the causes of phobias are systemic, and bringing them to any one factor would be unjustified and incompetent.