Page 8 Saturday, August 4, 2007 - Korea JoongAng...
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C M Y K C M Y K C M Y K IHT *8 Page ***Print No. 01 C M Y K IHT *8 Page C M Y K IHT *8 Page IHT *8 Page C M Y K Illustration by Bae Min-ho Three years ago, Park Sang-hwi, 26, was in a dread- ful situation. Waiting for her departure from Gimpo Air- port, she was trembling and sweating. She took a sleep- ing tablet right before boarding, but her fear of flying was so intense that she felt even dizzier. When the plane was about to take off, she was unable to breathe. In the end, she ran off the flight and took a five-hour ferry boat ride from Mokpo to Jeju Island instead of the one-hour flight. Jung Doo-a, 23, also shares that fear. She refuses to ride escalators. Mountain climbing and carnival rides are the last things she would do in her life. Park and Jung suffer from acrophobia, the fear of heights, and they are not alone. According to a recent survey conducted by a public opinion institution, Real Meter, six of ten adults suffer from a phobia. “A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder and a strong fear or aversion to a specific thing or situation,” said Yook Sung-pil, a psychology professor at Korea University and public relations director of the Korean Society of Clinical Psychology. “It is an unseen force that terrifies people and paralyzes their mind and body,” he said. The word phobia originates from the Greek word pho- bos, meaning fear. In Greek mythology, Phobos is the son of Ares, the war god. The Greek poet Hesiod wrote in “Shield of Herakles:” “His [Phobos’s] mouth was full of teeth in a white row, fearsome and daunting.” Like the fearful image of Phobos, phobias are associ- ated with a feeling of panic, dread and horror. Fear is important for human beings to experience because it acts as a safeguard. In healthy doses, fear makes people cautious. “But there are irrational fears, which keep you from exploring the world,” Yook said. “People with phobias irrationally interpret a fact or a situation.” As Korea developed economically, residents started to recognize phobias as disorders after learning more about mental health issues. Causes of phobias differ. One person with musopho- bia, a fear of mice and rats, might be more horrified by a small furry animal than the threat of a nuclear bomb. Though the causes of fear are subjective, fear and anxiety are due to both genetic and environmental reasons. “Social phobia, or social anxiety disorder, is caused by the malfunction of neuro- transmitters [sense organs] in the brain,” Yook said. Traumatic events also trig- ger the malfunction. Humiliating social expe- riences, such as being reject- ed by friends or getting embarrassed in public, may lead to low self-esteem or a feeling of inferiority. In addition to social phobias, the other two types are specific phobias and agoraphobia, the fear of public places. Specific phobia is most common and entails people’s fear of certain animals, beings or situations. This variant is mainly genetic. Chae Dong Yoon, 23, has acrophobia, a specific pho- bia probably learned from his father. “As a young child, I saw my father reluctant to ride the elevator,” said Chae. “It made me think that elevators [or heights] are harmful.” Specific phobias can be also acquired by a traumatic event. Though she braved a ferry ride, Park Sang-hwi also suffers from a fear of water, aquaphobia. It started when she almost drowned in a public bath. Reluctant to recall that trauma, she said, “water makes me sick.” Even though she realizes that water may pose no imminent threat, she avoids activity in the ocean or rivers. A businessman, who asked to remain anonymous, goes on domestic business trips by taking the KTX bul- let train. An earlier event triggered fear so he always rides the train. “I lost my mother-in-law in a plane crash,” he said. “Since then, I’ve had aero- phobia.” Lee Sang-min, the head of the Institute for Fear of Flying in Korea, said the fear of flying can be cured. According to the Inter- national Civil Aviation Organization, in 2006 there were 25 million flights around the world, with 2.1 billion travelers. Accidents occurred 13 times, causing 755 deaths. The statistical data shows that five accidents occur in 10 million flights. “Compared to cars, air- planes are ten to a hundred times safer,” Lee said. Despite the fact that there is a low possibility of a crash, the number of people with aerophobia is increasing. “It is due to the unpleasant emotional feeling,” said Lee. “People imagine what could happen, combined with fear of turbulence and being locked up in a small space [claustrophobia].” The international organization reports that there is an annual loss of $1.6 billion from people with aerophobia. Losses from fearful flyers amounts to nine percent of total sales. “A person with a phobia either tries to avoid the situ- ation that triggers fear or endures it with great anxiety and distress,” said Yook. He cited the example of Blaise Pascal, a mathematician and chemist who suffered from agora- phobia and avoided the situation by refusing to join schol- arly meetings in public areas. Instead, he invited other mathematicians into his own room for discussions. “Most patients know that their excessive fear is unrea- sonable,” said Yook. “People are often ashamed or embar- rassed about their symptoms and that is why more people try to avoid the fear rather than endure it.” Jung’s friends find her fear unreasonable. Said Park: “My friends keep persuading me that it is O.K. to take airplanes and that nothing will happen.” Even so, she still struggles. Park even took a ferry to Papua New Guinea from Korea. It took a week. She tried to overcome the fear by visiting a psychiatrist and receivomh counseling, but the treatment didn’t get rid of the fear. “Phobias interfere with social life,” Yook said. “But they can be cured.” Of various treatments, behavior therapy and cognitive therapy are known to be most effective. Behavior therapy allows patients to gain control over unwanted fears. They learn to cope with terrifying situa- tions through gradual exposure. They are taught to master the fear through relaxation, breathing control or other anx- iety-reducing strategies. Cognitive therapy allows patients to combat unpro- ductive and harmful thoughts as they learn to differenti- ate realistic and unrealistic danger. “A combination of both behavior and cognitive thera- py is best,” said Yook. This combination is called cogni- tive behavior therapy. Other treatments include anti-anxiety medication such as anxiolytics, antidepressants or beta-blockers. Chae has gradually overcome acrophobia through self- behavior therapy. He joined a rock climbing club and started slowly, first climbing sideways and gradually moving upwards. To overcome aerophobia, the Institute for Fear of Flying in Korea offers programs. Clients are educated about airplane operation, for example. So far, of 99 clients who participated in the program, 76 percent subsequently traveled by air more than once within a three-month period. “I’ve seen a patient who traveled 30 times in three months,” said Lee. “Phobias can be cured, if you put in some effort.” [email protected] JoongAng Daily Page 8 Saturday, August 4, 2007 http://joongangdaily.joins.com By Lee Eun-joo Contributing Writer (Unit: Percent) Source: Real Meter Acrophobia Anthrophobia Agoraphobia Aerophobia Zoophobia Misophobia Claustrophobia Others No phobias 16.4 11.4 3.8 2.9 2.6 2.4 2.0 18.1 39.8 Common phobias in Korea 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Acrophobia: Fear of heights Anthrophobia: Fear of people Agoraphobia: Fear of open or public spaces Aerophobia: Fear of airplanes Zoophobia: Fear of animals Misophobia: Fear of being contaminated with dirt Claustrophobia: Fear of enclosed or confined spaces
Transcript of Page 8 Saturday, August 4, 2007 - Korea JoongAng...
![Page 1: Page 8 Saturday, August 4, 2007 - Korea JoongAng Dailyjoongangdaily.joins.com/_data/pdf/2007/08/04/2007080408.pdf · 2011. 9. 1. · heights] are harmful.” Specific phobias can](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022071015/5fce787aae028a630427fb87/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
CMYK CMYK
CMYK
IHT *8 Page ***Print No. 01CMYK IHT *8 Page CMYK
IHT *8 Page
IHT *8 PageCMYK
Illustratio
n b
y Bae M
in-h
o
Three years ago, Park Sang-hwi, 26, was in a dread-ful situation. Waiting for her departure from Gimpo Air-port, she was trembling and sweating. She took a sleep-ing tablet right before boarding, but her fear of flying wasso intense that she felt even dizzier. When the plane wasabout to take off, she was unable to breathe.
In the end, she ran off the flight and took a five-hourferry boat ride from Mokpo to Jeju Island instead of theone-hour flight.
Jung Doo-a, 23, also shares that fear. She refuses toride escalators. Mountain climbing and carnival rides arethe last things she would do in her life.
Park and Jung suffer from acrophobia, the fear ofheights, and they are not alone.
According to a recent survey conducted by a publicopinion institution, Real Meter, six of ten adults sufferfrom a phobia.
“A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder and a strongfear or aversion to a specific thing or situation,” said YookSung-pil, a psychology professor at Korea University andpublic relations director of the Korean Society of ClinicalPsychology. “It is an unseen force that terrifies people andparalyzes their mind and body,” he said.
The word phobia originates from the Greek word pho-bos, meaning fear. In Greek mythology, Phobos is the sonof Ares, the war god. The Greek poet Hesiod wrote in“Shield of Herakles:” “His [Phobos’s] mouth was full ofteeth in a white row, fearsome and daunting.”
Like the fearful image of Phobos, phobias are associ-ated with a feeling of panic, dread and horror.
Fear is important for human beings to experiencebecause it acts as a safeguard. In healthy doses, fear makespeople cautious. “But there are irrational fears, which keepyou from exploring the world,” Yook said. “People withphobias irrationally interpret a fact or a situation.”
As Korea developed economically, residents started torecognize phobias as disorders after learning more aboutmental health issues.
Causes of phobias differ. One person with musopho-bia, a fear of mice and rats, might be more horrified by a
small furry animal than thethreat of a nuclear bomb.
Though the causes offear are subjective, fear andanxiety are due to bothgenetic and environmentalreasons.
“Social phobia, or socialanxiety disorder, is causedby the malfunction of neuro-transmitters [sense organs]in the brain,” Yook said.Traumatic events also trig-ger the malfunction.
Humiliating social expe-riences, such as being reject-ed by friends or gettingembarrassed in public, maylead to low self-esteem or afeeling of inferiority.
In addition to socialphobias, the other two typesare specific phobias andagoraphobia, the fear ofpublic places.
Specific phobia is most common and entails people’sfear of certain animals, beings or situations. This variantis mainly genetic.
Chae Dong Yoon, 23, has acrophobia, a specific pho-bia probably learned from his father.
“As a young child, I saw my father reluctant to ride theelevator,” said Chae. “It made me think that elevators [orheights] are harmful.”
Specific phobias can be also acquired by a traumaticevent.
Though she braved a ferry ride, Park Sang-hwi alsosuffers from a fear of water, aquaphobia. It started whenshe almost drowned in a public bath. Reluctant to recallthat trauma, she said, “water makes me sick.”
Even though she realizes that water may pose noimminent threat, she avoids activity in the ocean or rivers.
A businessman, who asked to remain anonymous,
goes on domestic businesstrips by taking the KTX bul-let train. An earlier eventtriggered fear so he alwaysrides the train.
“I lost my mother-in-lawin a plane crash,” he said.“Since then, I’ve had aero-phobia.”
Lee Sang-min, the headof the Institute for Fear ofFlying in Korea, said the fearof flying can be cured.
According to the Inter-national Civil AviationOrganization, in 2006 therewere 25 million flightsaround the world, with 2.1billion travelers. Accidentsoccurred 13 times, causing755 deaths.
The statistical datashows that five accidentsoccur in 10 million flights.“Compared to cars, air-
planes are ten to a hundred times safer,” Lee said.Despite the fact that there is a low possibility of a crash,
the number of people with aerophobia is increasing.“It is due to the unpleasant emotional feeling,” said
Lee. “People imagine what could happen, combined withfear of turbulence and being locked up in a small space[claustrophobia].”
The international organization reports that there is anannual loss of $1.6 billion from people with aerophobia.Losses from fearful flyers amounts to nine percent of totalsales.
“A person with a phobia either tries to avoid the situ-ation that triggers fear or endures it with great anxiety anddistress,” said Yook. He cited the example of Blaise Pascal,a mathematician and chemist who suffered from agora-phobia and avoided the situation by refusing to join schol-arly meetings in public areas. Instead, he invited other
mathematicians into his own room for discussions.“Most patients know that their excessive fear is unrea-
sonable,” said Yook. “People are often ashamed or embar-rassed about their symptoms and that is why more peopletry to avoid the fear rather than endure it.”
Jung’s friends find her fear unreasonable.Said Park: “My friends keep persuading me that it is
O.K. to take airplanes and that nothing will happen.”Even so, she still struggles.
Park even took a ferry to Papua New Guinea fromKorea. It took a week. She tried to overcome the fear byvisiting a psychiatrist and receivomh counseling, but thetreatment didn’t get rid of the fear.
“Phobias interfere with social life,” Yook said. “Butthey can be cured.”
Of various treatments, behavior therapy and cognitivetherapy are known to be most effective.
Behavior therapy allows patients to gain control overunwanted fears. They learn to cope with terrifying situa-tions through gradual exposure. They are taught to masterthe fear through relaxation, breathing control or other anx-iety-reducing strategies.
Cognitive therapy allows patients to combat unpro-ductive and harmful thoughts as they learn to differenti-ate realistic and unrealistic danger.
“A combination of both behavior and cognitive thera-py is best,” said Yook. This combination is called cogni-tive behavior therapy.
Other treatments include anti-anxiety medication suchas anxiolytics, antidepressants or beta-blockers.
Chae has gradually overcome acrophobia through self-behavior therapy. He joined a rock climbing club andstarted slowly, first climbing sideways and graduallymoving upwards. To overcome aerophobia, the Institutefor Fear of Flying in Korea offers programs. Clients areeducated about airplane operation, for example.
So far, of 99 clients who participated in the program,76 percent subsequently traveled by air more than oncewithin a three-month period. “I’ve seen a patient whotraveled 30 times in three months,” said Lee. “Phobias canbe cured, if you put in some effort.”
JoongAng DailyPage 8
Saturday, August 4, 2007
http://joongangdaily.joins.com
By Lee Eun-jooContributing Writer
(Unit: Percent)
Source: Real Meter
Acrophobia
Anthrophobia
Agoraphobia
Aerophobia
Zoophobia
Misophobia
Claustrophobia
Others
No phobias
16.4
11.43.8
2.9
2.6
2.4
2.0
18.1
39.8
Common phobias in Korea
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Acrophobia: Fear of heightsAnthrophobia: Fear of peopleAgoraphobia: Fear of open or public spacesAerophobia: Fear of airplanesZoophobia: Fear of animalsMisophobia: Fear of being contaminated with dirtClaustrophobia: Fear of enclosed or confined spaces
