NHS GLOUCESTERSHIRE has reminded residents that talking therapies can be used to treat a range of mental health conditions, including phobias. 

Talking Therapies is a free NHS service that treats conditions like depression, stress, anxiety and phobias. 

Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder where you can develop a severe fear of a particular object or situation. However, unlike typical everyday fears, phobias can interfere with your normal life and have a significant impact on your daily routine.

NHS Gloucestershire say that a fear becomes a phobia when the fear becomes out of proportion to the level of danger the situation or object poses, and that this fear has lasted more than six months.

Sarah Woods, a Clinical Lead for Talking Therapies said: “Having a phobia can have a severe impact on someone’s life, and can stop them from doing normal everyday things that other people might take for granted.

“Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help to give someone the tools to overcome their phobia. We work with people using a range of techniques that often includes ‘graded exposure’, to build their confidence to tackle their fears. 

“This involves working with individuals to understand what may be causing the fear, and their thoughts and feelings around this. We then work at the person’s pace, to help build someone’s confidence to gradually approach what they have been avoiding, and equip people with the tools they need to cope with their phobia.

“It’s a really powerful treatment that can help someone to get their life back from what they have been avoiding.”

Those that live with phobias may experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, trembling and shaking, and they may go to extreme lengths to avoid the trigger of their phobia.

To find out more about the service and to make a self-referral, visit www.letstalkglos.nhs.uk or call 0800 073 2200.