• Question: Where do phobias come from?

    Asked by anon-174278 to Alex, Carl, Hayley, Melanie, Tim, Yewande on 18 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Alex Seeney

      Alex Seeney answered on 18 Jun 2018:

      Phobias can develop at any time during our lives. Sometimes they’re linked to a frightening or stressful event – for example, I have a phobia of wasps, and was stung by one that I accidentally put my arm on when I was very young.

      Sometimes they develop because of a direct event like that, whilst other times they can develop because of the way someone acts around you. We also have physical reactions to these phobias, like sweating, trembling, and breathing faster with a faster heart rate. This can reinforce the mental side of the phobia too.

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