According to a report quoted by Very well Mind in 2020, phobias are the most common mental disorder in the US. These overwhelming fears fall under anxiety disorders and lead people to avoid specific or general surroundings, animals, people, objects, medical treatment, and situations.

Let’s take a look at what causes these debilitating fears.

Family History

Phobias might run in families through inheritance or learned behavior. When inherited, the fear is passed down just like any other biological trait, such as moles, eye color, hair color, and so on.

However, some behaviors could become common practice, getting passed down to the child via nurture instead of nature. For instance, a person might pick up and take on the fear of closely placed holes, aka tropophobia, from a close relative.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

People with PTSD may get triggered by situations or objects reminiscent of a harrowing past event. For example, a person may not use public transport because memories of a previous accident make them anxious.

The reaction to coming across the source of your fears is just a small part of the broader symptoms of PTSD, which includes irrational fears.

Culture

Phobias stemming from cultural norms are particular to the relevant culture. For example, phobia response called ataque de nervios or “attack of the nerves” is prevalent in the Latino community.

More common in females than males, an attack on the nerves can cause the victims to scream, cry, shout, hyperventilate, and display a range of intense extreme reactions. The trigger behind these reactions: stress.

Suppressed or Forgotten Memories

You might suffer from the effects of an event you don’t even remember. Indeed, some people experience palpitations, shortness of breath and react quite strongly when they’re confronted with a forgotten memory.

For example, falling off a swing and sustaining a serious injury as early as four years of age could create a long-term habit of never getting back on a swing again.

Bullying

Bullying might fan the flames of teenage awkwardness and turn it into a full-blown social anxiety disorder. This mental health condition involves constantly feeling self-conscious, fearing insult at every turn, tiptoeing around other people, and worrying about becoming a social reject.

A mental disorder like social anxiety can cause a person to fear other people and the outdoors, turning them into agoraphobes combined with anthropophobia.

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