How to manage your phobia: Entomophobia.

The Cambridge dictionary defines a phobia as "a type of anxiety disorder ( a mental illness that makes someone very worried and affects their life) that involves an extreme fear of something" ^Source
Anything can constitute a phobia, in this post, I will be analyzing a phobia that is common among women though men are not really excluded from the fear of the creepy-crawlers

What is Entomophobia

Entomophobia is a kind of specific phobia where the entomophobic is having an extreme, uncontrollable, persistent fear of insects. Unlike a person who simply don't like insects or one who is afraid of an insect, this is a irrational fear of insects even when such insect are completely harmless they still exhibit a completely disproportionate amount of fear. The fear is so intense that it results in trembling and panic attack in some cases.

Symptoms of Entomophobia

• Fear that is out of proportion
  The sensation of fear is not directly proportional to what caused the fear. Normally, the fear expressed should be proportional to the thing causing the fear.

• Irrational fear
  A person with entomophobia usually can not provide any reasonable reason why they are so afraid of the harmless insect.
  Why should you run and scream because of an earth warm. It can't bit or sting you.

• Out of control
  The fear is uncontrollable making the sufferers unable to compose themselves once faced with the situation. A person suffering from Entomophobia can not take control of himself when the insect causing fear is in close proximity.

• Don't diminish with Age
  Because the fear is not adaptive, the sufferers of entomophobia continues to fear as they grow up. It's not affected by age and experience. Instead of adapting to the situation they avoid the situations.
  Normal fear reduces as a child grows up because more information about the insect and how harmless they are result in reduced fear. But Entomophobia sufferers continue with the fear as they grow.

Treatment of Entomophobia

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This therapy tries to control the way the sufferers reacts to the thought of an insects, then gradually moves to the point where reaction to seeing an insect is considered. The therapist will have to talk about the various insects that causes this fear. Allowing the sufferer to visualize the insect while the symptoms are monitored and managed.
This will have to go on till the time when the sufferer can talk about the insect, visualize it and even flip through a catalogue of insects without a panic attack.

^source

Exposure therapy
This therapy systematically exposes the sufferers to insects so as to adjust their response to the situation through a process known as systematic desensitization. This stage often comes after the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been successful passed. The sufferer is brought in close proximity with the insect allowing them face their fear so they can overcome the fear.

Medication
Some medication can be given to reduce the sufferers anxiety. Though there is a risk of developing some level of dependency on some of this medications. Strict measures most be observed to avoid developing an addiction which will complicate the whole situation.

Conclusion

Entomophobia is a condition that often require medical attention. While some sufferers do not involve a physician in the management of this condition, it is best to attend to this condition if it affects our normal productivity.
The good news here is that, it can be managed.