Joavid:
mine's worse.

I can't take an escalator.

I rather take the stairs or elevator.


I hope to overcome the fear.

Rubyventures:
I don't know whether mine is a phobia, but I feel sick on hearing two metals rubbing against each other. e.g. using a metal spoon the scrap a pot. Most of the cooking spoons in my house are either wooden or silicon.

chronique:
I experience this a lot and it sends chills to my teeth(even if I'm not the one clinging both metals/irons together). I however,don't think it's a phobia. Probably som kinda genetic disorder.

floragregs:
[i]This is for those who have phobia problems. This is for those who don't even know they have it. This is for those who are not too lazy to read.




It started when I was in 100level in the university. I was young and inexperienced. I went to church with a friend, it was palm Sunday in the school's catholic church. The church was crowded there was even crowd outside (late comers). My friend and I were with the late comers. With our cross shaped palm leaves in our hands we stood patiently and listened to the priest from a very loud speaker. After the gospel reading, the doors were opened and people started rushing in (you know how students behave). My friend was dragging my left hand, urging me to hurry along with her but I was feeling something. I knew I had felt it once before but not like this. The crowd pushed forward and my friend couldn't hold me anymore. I felt choked up and very dizzy and I was gasping for air with my heart beating very fast. I didn't know what was happening to me. My friend was already inside the church when she realised I wasn't with her so she came outside to look for me. My heart was beating really fast and I was glad to see her. I just told her "Chinel, make we dey go hostel", she asked why, I just dragged her and we went back to the hostel without even blessing our 'palm cross'.
When we got to the hostel, I explained what I felt to my Chinel. I told her I could hear my heartbeat. She just rushed to the cupboard and brought out a sachet of tiny white drugs and gave me one. She said her doctor in Lagos recommended them when she had slight asthma symptoms. I just swallowed it without thinking or asking her any further questions. I wanted the palpitations to stop. After about 10minutes, I slept off. I woke up about an hour later, thanked Chinel and went upstairs to my room. But I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong with me.
I have an elder brother who lived and worked in the same city where I schooled. I called him around 4pm and told him I was sick. He didn't even wait for me to finish, he just said "ok start to come my house now now". I packed somethings and left for his place. His kids were happy to see me but something was troubling my mind so I couldn't play with them. The next morning, he took me to the Federal medical centre. We had a Doctor cousin there so it was easy for me to see him. After telling him what happened to me the previous day, he just said "you are Agoraphobic. Stay away from crowded places and lecture halls". He then prescribed a drug to control the palpitation. I was happy to have identified my problem. I did as he said, I stayed away from crowded places and halls and even market. I didn't notice when it stopped. I quit the drug and started living my normal life.
My second panic attack came when I was in 300level. I went to my sister's house in another state during one ASSU strike. We went to church one Sunday. The pastor making alter call for people with one sickness or the other. He even mentioned palpitation but I didn't want to face a crowd and experience another panic so I kept to myself. Then he told a short story of how he and his friend went to church and a pastor called out people like this. His friend who was asthmatic refused to come out so he died the next day bla bla bla. I still didn't go.
That night at home, I couldn't shake off the pastor's short story off my head. I wondered if something would go wrong. I went to bed at about 10pm but I couldn't sleep. I was thinking and I was scared. Some minutes to 12, something in my head started saying "so you refused to go out for prayers, you will die by sharp 12". The familiar wave of panic crept in. I jumped out of my bed with my heart beating very fast and loud. I knocked on my sister's room door. She came out with her husband. When she saw the horrible look on my face, she got scared and started crying and praying at the same time. I felt shortness of breath, my palms were sweaty, then the palpitation. I was having a panic attack. Why did I go to church that day? I thought. I hated the pastor for his short story. After some seconds I felt better. We all went back to bed. I slept well till morning. I felt good when I woke up, I didn't die!
When I was ready to go back to school, my sister's husband gave me a 'Rhapsody of realities' bible which contained nice and inspirational articles written by pastor Chris and his wife. These articles where inserted in between bible chapters. My sister's husband also gave me some verses to read when ever I felt sick.
My third panic attack came when I was still in 300level. We had workshop practice that Thursday afternoon by 1pm. I was already at the school gate by 12:30pm. I walking down to where we were to have the practical when I suddenly felt dizzy. I couldn't go further. I felt like if I did, I would faint. My heart started beating fast again and I felt shortness of breath but nobody noticed so I just turned and went back to the hostel. When I got my room I just cried and thought to myself "abi people for my village no want make I finish school?". Then I rebuked the thought and called my mum.
She was sick at that time and was admitted in another state about 2hours' bus ride. She told me to come over. I just packed somethings, not forgetting my bible, and left for the park. When I got to the hospital, they ran a test or two and said I had malaria. I didn't even bother to tell the doctor anything because I felt she might think I was crazy. I just let the treat malaria. They wanted to finish me with injections.
On my bed that night, I went through my Rhapsody bible and discovered an article by pastor Chris (page 654) "A very present help". It was just talking about fears, I was so happy to have seen it. I started reading psalm 91 everyday! I stayed in the hospital for 5days. I missed practical, tests and assignments. It was really bad because it affected my grade.
My brother came to take my mum and I home. I felt very dizzy, aftermath of plenty injections. I said to myself "I don't just any doctor, I need a shrink". I started browsing about phobias. I studied phobias more than my physics books. I wanted to know everything about them. We had free WIFI as at that time in my school so I always went to school with my ipod touch to browse and read about phobias. I started noticing that I didn't like being locked up in a room or being in closed spaces. I hated going to the bank because of the security door. I would say to my friends "if this door wastes one more second I might pass out". I just avoided tight and closed places, then I realised it was actually claustrophobia and not agoraphobia! Thanks to my browsing. I am sure 'Google' got tired of my search that period. Through my research, I got to know that millions of people have the same problems home and abroad. That was how I was able to conquer my fear. I haven't had a panic attack since I identified my problem and started avoiding what will trigger it. I even thought I would have a panic attack in NYSC camp because it felt like prison. Lol. But it didn't happen.

There are so many people who go through panic attack due to phobias but they don't even know it. You are half cured when you identify your problem and know that you are not the only one who has it. I remember the immigration recruitment test last year and I shiver with the knowledge that so many of them would have been claustrophobic or agoraphobic but didn't know it!
Holly wood actress, Whoopy Goldberg doesn't like being on a plane because she is aviophobic. Pete Edochie of Nollywood hates to fly because he's claustrophobic and can't be in an enclosed place. As for me, i'm still wondering if i'll be able to fly someday. I don't use elevators. I stay out of trouble because I don't want to ever be in a cell or worse still, a Nigerian prison. It has really affected me because I prefer to take long bus rides instead of flights.
There are worse phobias. I have read about Tokophobia which is the fear of pregnancy! The thought of a child growing in them makes them panic. There is also Xenophobia which is the fear of strangers or foreigners! They just hate meeting new people. I opened this thread to create little awareness of these problems.

My name is Flora. I'm a physicist and i'm Claustrophobic. Thanks for reading.

sumborri:
My other name is PHOBIA. I have all of them. It has made me live an unhappy life most times but God is on the throne. I am even capable of developing a new phobia with time. I remeber when a mother hen chased me as a child and pecked me all over my body simply because (as I thought at the time) I didn't greet her before passing. Till now as an adult, the sight of a mother hen coming with her kids from the east will make me go west, and if I have to go east in her direction I make sure I say good morning ma or good afternoon. Mi ori aye oshi.

My fear of dangerous heights and claustrophobia is the worst. I believe that's how I will enventually die. From being locked up in a car booth or any enclosed space. I shall definitely not make it out alive

Barney11:
mine is terrible,people even think that I might be possessed,I am Igbo by tribe and I can't stand loud sound ,Igbo burial place and christmass period is a nightmare for me,I am phonophobia!mine is worst cos I have tried all solution but can't get through it but I am thinking of ordering for earplug for shooting from online shop,hoping it will help me. my fingers aches during those period and I am a married adult and it is really affecting my social life .if you have any help I will be glad.

d33types:
OP, inasmuch I don't doubt your story,most persons on this thread confuse intense fear for phobia.
To make a diagnosis of a phobia is far more than a doctor asking you some set of questions.if the doctor isn't a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist I doubt it.

a phobia is more of a psychological problem that can be managed and overcome successfully with therapy.

Rubyventures:



You are right, I feel it in my teeth .

Genetic disorder?! Ewo!! odikwa risky!

0ubenji:

Bro/sis...plz don't play needless lexical-semantics on the terms: "phobia" & "intense fear"..
they r 100% d same..
Phobia is an anxiety disorder that is bein triggered by INTENSE fear..(Which u inadvertently expressed alredi)
when d fear dat triggers d Anxiety is bein SEVERE .dat's wen it's medically termed a phobia..
However(as I suppose u meant to say), INTENSE DISLIKE is nt always synonymous with PHOBIA...
Dnt let me bother to decipher that to avoid digression..thanks

0ubenji:

Bro/sis...plz don't play needless lexical-semantics on the terms: "phobia" & "intense fear"..
they r 100% d same..
Phobia is an anxiety disorder that is bein triggered by INTENSE fear..(Which u inadvertently expressed alredi)
when d fear dat triggers d Anxiety is bein SEVERE .dat's wen it's medically termed a phobia..
However(as I suppose u meant to say), INTENSE DISLIKE is nt always synonymous with PHOBIA...
Dnt let me bother to decipher that to avoid digression..thanks

saintdennis:
I have a phobia for homos (being around known homosexuals)

Yet the white men will criticise me for being homophobic? Why?

Don't I have the right to freedom of phobia ni?

MissSlimbody:
Please, is there anything like "food phobia"?
Most times I panic @the thought of food.