A person with a phobia avoids or restricts activities or situations due to overwhelming fear. This fear is persistent, excessive and unreasonable in relation to the circumstances in which it is occurring.
There are currently three recognised types of phobic disorders namely:
- Agoraphobia which involves avoidance of situations because of the fear of a panic attack occurring. Some people avoid certain specific situations, whilst others avoid leaving their home all together and can remain indoors for years.
- Social Phobia which is the fear of public scrutiny and worrying about behaving in a way that is embarrassing or humiliating. Shyness as a child has been linked to Social Phobia.
- Specific phobias which involve specific situations for example fear of spiders or heights. These phobias tend to be less disabling than Agoraphobia and Social Phobia.
Symptoms and characteristics
Typical symptoms of phobic disorders include:
- avoidance of situations for example leaving home, crowds and public places, speaking in public, travelling on buses, trains or planes
- unrealistic and/or excessive fear and worry
- mind racing or going blank
- decreased concentration and memory
- indecisiveness, irritability, impatience, anger, confusion
- restlessness or feeling 'on edge' or nervousness.
Workplace adjustments and solutions
In the workplace there are various factors that would greatly assist people with a phobic disorder better manage their symptoms. These include:
flexible work arrangements, including working from home
- restructuring the work environment to reduce high anxiety situations, for example using privacy screens and other means of reducing contact with others or reducing work related travel
- a good support network.
There are other solutions and adjustments available for the following job requirements:
References
Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Mental Health Council Inc. & Kitchener, B., A. & Jorm, A., F. at ORYGEN Research Centre, University of Melbourne 2006, Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace—an e-learning course, Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Canberra.