Yesterday my father sent me a Whats-app video about some guy freaking out because he was supposed to get an injection. He squealed like a pig and pulled away every time that they brought the needle anywhere close to him. It was quite funny, but it just made me think about how scared he really was. He was in total panic and you could see the sweat running down his face. His heart must have been racing and you could see how anxious he was.   

Could someone be so scared just because of a small needle?

                         

Apparently the fear is real.  Many people are scared of things that cannot really hurt them. These are called phobias. A phobia is more of an anxiety disorder. It is an extreme or irrational fear of something specific and the affected person would go to great lengths to avoid that particular object or situation.    

We all have something that we are scared of, but we try and avoid these things to make life simpler.  If I just think about my own family then I can name a few things that they are scared of, but not to such a point where they will go out of their minds.  My sister in law has an absolute fear of spiders and she would literally burn the house down to get rid of one tiny spider. 

Let us have a look at some real fears or phobias that people have and start with the first one on my list. 

1. Trypanophobia- The fear of needles

                       

This is the video and somewhat funny but all I could see was the actual fear in this man's eyes.

2. Odontophobia - The fear of dentists! 

                           

Some people are so afraid of a dentist that they need a lot of courage to actually visit one.  Believe me the pain of a sore tooth is much worse than the actually drilling while sorting out your teeth.  

3.  Arachnophobia- The fear of spiders 

                               

                         

 Many people are afraid of spiders. This is the most common phobia worldwide. Now just think about this. What could a spider, a little tiny spider actually do to you?  Some spiders are poisonous if they bite you, but other than a small bite what could a spider actually do to a human being?  You are more than a thousand times bigger than that little eight legged monster, but some people nearly  have a panic attack if they see a spider. 

4.   Coulrophobia - Fear of clowns

                

This  symptoms can include nausea, crying, screaming or even anger when placed  in a situation where a clown is present. A clown is supposed to bring happiness and put a smile on your face, but personally I am not a fan of clowns myself and no clown has ever made me happy. How weird is it that they always use clowns in scary movies?   

What happens to your body when you are afraid of something?

The body has it's own protective mechanism called the fight or flight response.  This is a type of acute stress response. It is an automatic response when someone is frightened, or if there is a threat to survival.  Some call it an adrenaline rush. Adrenaline is a stress hormone secreted from the adrenal glands on the kidneys. 

This hormone plays an intense role in preparing the body for the fight or flight response.  The brain communicates directly with the adrenal glands.  An adrenaline rush need not be triggered by an actual life threatening experience but could be triggered by an imagined threat like the fear of clowns, dentists or spiders. 

                    

An adrenaline rush can also be triggered by exercise, chronic stress  as well as heart-failure, anxiety or even a brain disorder or defective  adrenal glands.  

Could someone be scared to death?

Yes, the possibility that someone could be scared to death is very real.  When a person has an adrenaline rush, it causes a very rapid heart rate. It increases blood flow to the muscles and causes the pupils to dilate. These  increased levels of adrenaline can damage the heart.   

To be more specific, when adrenaline is released it triggers the calcium channels in the heart to open and the calcium keeps on pouring in.  The heart muscles cannot relax.  A person can then develop an arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation.    

What is ventricular fibrillation?

Ventricular fibrillation is a heart rhythm problem that occurs when the heart beats with rapid, erratic electrical  impulses. This causes pumping chambers in your heart (the ventricles)  to quiver uselessly, instead of pumping blood.

 High levels of adrenaline can lead to death. The fight or flight reaction could even cause heart attacks.  High levels of adrenaline can be triggered by loud sounds and even during sexual intercourse.

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