What Was The First Modern Use Of The Word Phobia?

Phobias are complex if analyzed a bit further and have been around for quite a while now, however, only recently have people actually started to understand what they are. Phobias date way back to the B.C. era, to the ancient Greeks. The Greek physician, Hippocrates, wrote about it in his ancient works, however, the actual word phobia was not used in context until 500 years after, used only for hydrophobia. The term was actually derived from the ancient Greek named Phobos, son of Aries, the god of war. Phobos was a frightening figure that Greek warriors would embed their shields to strike their enemies with fear. Korgeski, G. (2012)

The first modern use of the word phobia was not until the year of 1786. A writer in the Columbian Magazine defined

S., “Phobias are exaggerated, unjustified fears of everyday objects or situation, such as fear of certain types of animals or fears of doing things in front of other people.” The article also states that while many people experience these fears, very little actually seek treatment for it. Because of this, the people who have this and do not seek treatment will have their daily lives limited when encountered with the thing that they are scared of or might have to deal with the pain that comes along with it. There are also so many other factors that tie into phobias such as anxiety that interferes with daily functioning. This can be a normal thing for people to deal with or have and can apply or relate to physical diseases as well. However, as part of human nature, people have shy tendencies to tell someone else that they have certain diseases. Also according to the article, “Phobias are common in the general population; approximately one person in ten suffers from mild phobias, and severe, disabling phobias are found in one person out of five hundred”. Salem, D. S. (2016) With numbers so high, it is normal to question what occurs in the brain when experiencing

Places that can trigger agoraphobia are places where the person feels uncomfortable or a place that they feel as if they are in danger. The other type of phobia is social phobia. People who have this can fear to eat with other people, using the public restroom, and fear public speaking. This can damage someone’s social skills and prevent them from making friends. The last type is specific phobia, which is when someone fears a specific thing. This itself is split into 5 categories which are animal phobias, fear of the natural environment(such as the fear of heights), fear of injury, situational phobia, and other phobias that do not fit into a specific category. Salem, D. S.