Tips for Getting Professional Help With Phobias

Video Transcript

"In this clip we'll talk about when to seek advice and who to talk to. The first thing you want to think about when you have a phobia, is it a phobia, is it not a phobia, if it's something that's causing general discomfort once or twice but then it passes and it goes away, it's probably not a phobia. Now if it's something that's constant or if it's something that starts causing a panic attack, that's when you know that you have something a little more serious. And the main key thing is, anytime anything seems off kilter to you, or you start getting the butterflies in your stomach, there's absolutely no harm in talking to a primary care physician and saying, "look, I've been experiencing these kind of feelings, what do you think, is it something I have to worry about, can we look into this?" And the reason you want to talk to your primary care physician first, is they'll be able to check out your body, and make sure there are no medical conditions that are causing any of these symptoms. Because you might be having problems with your heart, and hence the racing heart and the things that feel like a panic attack. But once your physician, he or she rules out any kind of medical conditions, they're most likely going to refer you to a mental health professional; that can be a social worker, a psychologist, anyone who deals with and specializes in anxiety disorders or phobias."