Good morning everyone. Today’ is #mentalhealthawarenessday.
Today I want to talk about a mental health condition I have suffered with all my life and continues to affect me today. It’s one that is often overlooked and/or diminished.
Behold! An Thread....! (1/x)

I am talking about phobia.
Phobia isn’t a “dislike” or “aversion” to a particular object or situation. It is defined by Wikipedia (yes, I know) as “a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation.” It has a rapid onset and lasts for at least 6 months, often life (2/x)

The key word here is “excessive”. There are many different kinds of phobias: arachnophobia (spiders), acrophobia (heights) and claustrophobia are commonly known, but there are less common ones. BTW, there will be no pictures in this of phobia triggers... (3/x)

Phobias are bizarre. They can be triggered by seeing the object/experience, even if it’s in a photo. They even often can be triggered by mentioning the word. This can lead to an anxiety reaction, including panic attacks and other physiological and psychological responses (4/x)

People have been known to run into traffic or commit suicide to escape phobias. That is definitely an “excessive” reaction (5/x)

There are also less well defined phobias - these include social phobias such as agoraphobia, and fear of being incontinent in public, and so on. I call these less well defined as the triggers are more situational than object based, but no less terrifying(6/x)

Still with me? Excellent.
For some reason, phobia still seems to be one of the acceptable faces of prejudice in mental health. As phobias often manifest in childhood, they are disregarded as a “phase” or something you will grow out of. Nope. (7/x)

For clarity, a phobia and a natural fear (e.g. fear of the dark) are separate things. A fear of the dark is part of a natural childhood and is not a phobia in itself, however it may manifest into a phobia, especially if poorly managed (8/x)

When I tell people of my phobia, the reaction is often “what, a big chap like you is afraid of that?” Or “they’re harmless you know” or “they are more scared of you than you are of them.”
Why thanks.... (9/x)

I have repeatedly had my phobia mocked, diminished and disregarded. I’ve been told to “man up” and “just get on with it”. Mate, if I could, don’t you think I would? Trust me, nobody hates phobia more than the sufferer (11/x)

My husband and good friends understand and appreciate my phobia for what it is, and they know the adverse effect it has on me. They help me manage it (mainly through removing the source) (12/x)

Another interesting thing is that phobia often likes to couple up with other MH problems. For example 25% of children with #ADHD also have a phobia. And guess what I am lucky enough to also have...(13/x)

You will not be “cured” of a phobia. You can be taught management techniques to control your response. I have learned some of these and find them helpful, but my phobia has not diminished; merely my response to it (14/x)

To sum up: phobias are horrible, disproportionate anxiety responses to a stimulus that can lead to serious harm to the sufferer. Please support those of us who suffer and recognise we hate more than anyone. (15/x)

They have a massive secondary effect on mental health and as with all MH problems, kindness helps. Thank you.

Oh, to answer the question you’ve been asking throughout this thread...I have Lepidopterophobia: a fear of butterflies. (16/16)

FIN