Fear is an emotion that everyone experiences from time to time throughout his or her life. Fear is part of a biological response to danger. This emotion was programmed into each human being eons ago through evolution to alert us to the presence of danger by releasing adrenaline into our bloodstream therefore causing heart palpitations, sweating, tremors, chest pain, and nausea or abdominal distress among other symptoms induced by adrenaline. Our body's reaction to fear is called the flight or fight response, which alerts us to the presence of danger and enhances our chances of survival.Some anxiety disorders which include fear as one of the symptoms experienced by patients are specific phobia disorder, social phobia disorder, and panic disorder. Patients who experience a persistent fear of objects or situations suffer from specific phobia disorder. Fear of animals or insects is very common. Some patients fear storms, water, or heights. Other patients fear seeing blood, an injury or undergoing a medical procedure. Specific situations that are feared by patients with a phobia include fear of enclosed places, fear of going through tunnels, or over bridges, fear of elevators, or flying and driving. Treatment of this kind of fear is accomplished by a visit or several visits to a therapist qualified to treat a person with phobias. A therapist may use behavioral therapy that might include systematic desensitization, where a patient learns to use relaxation techniques when he or she is gradually exposed to anxiety-producing stimuli. People who suffer from this type of disorder do recognize that their fears are excessive and irrational. "Social phobia is a disorder marked by a persistent fear of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur," as stated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The criteria for this disorder include, but are not limited to a fear of social situations, avoida...
