Can You Mobilize A Teenager Who Has A Phobia?

Beyond the medical field, few parents, family members, teachers, coaches, or other interested people, understand what a phobia is. For a teenager to have a "morbid fear" is very sad and debilitating, to say the least. Forget about positive self esteem or self confidence. It is gone!

Just imagine. An intelligent, winsome, outwardly outgoing, extremely handsome seventeen year old boy is unable to go to school. He has seen his doctor, and been given anti-anxiety medication. Also, the medical professional initiates acid reflex control. The boy had, and does not now, have any symptoms of gastro esophageal disease. Neither procedure seems to have any positive effect on this boy's "phobia". Were these just precautionary measures? Does a family doctor have the expertise in this area of umpteen different types of phobias? Yes, there are many.

Mostly you can consider there to be about three categories, and lots of sub-types. Specific (snakes, etc), Social and Agoraphobia. We will concentrate on the last two.

You, as the parent, will want to have as much information as possible. Ask questions. Is my child mentally ill? Is there some sort of physical cause for his inability to function? Could this be a combination of external events and internal susceptibility? Why is this boy unable to leave his home environment? Obviously, he has an inordinate fear of a situation, thing, or activity. But what? He has NO idea. All he knows is that he has no control over his life, as it exists now.

The fear is interfering with his daily life. He can no longer go to school. He can no longer go to his youth group at Church. He cannot participate in school sports. He throws up whenever he leaves home. This does not happen when he is home.

Social phobias and agoraphobia (unable to go outside of known territory) are complex. No one knows "what" causes them. Was there a traumatic experience at an early age? Divorce and death are often suspected to be largely responsible. But what if neither of those existed? Do genetics and brain chemistry play a role? Teenage hormones?

Agoraphobia - Generally, panic can follow if leaving a 'safe' area.

Social phobia - Fear of speaking, dancing, eating, being "seen", singing, performing, or just ANYTHING done in public.
An interesting phobia called Paruresis is a subset of social phobia where some people are incapable of urinating when there are others around, whether near or farther away. It can be a severe problem going well beyond simple shyness. It is a psychological dilemma and the physical effect can be immense.

Of course, phobias vary among individuals...in degrees of intensity and types. If your teenager becomes powerless and overcome with anxiety and panic in everyday occurrences, you MUST seek professional help. Mental help intervention may be your next step.

P.S. Don't rule anything out! If your kid needs help, you must find it. You WILL.