A medical reason for phobias??

[mommykimmie]

I was watching Dr Phil the other day, and it was about people with phobias!! Agoraphobia and one other I can't remember. Well, he had gone on to say that some people with phobia have certain midical problems that predisposes them to aquiring phobias. I can remember all the conditions but one of them was thyroid diseases. Before one of the guest could go to treatment, she had to undergo a medical exam to rule out any physical reason for the phobia.


Isn't that crazy??? I always thought that I was a weirdo for having the damn phobia, maybe I can't help it. Just something to think about.


-Kim

[chicajojobe]

That's interesting. Do you remember if there were any other endocrine disorders listed along with thyroid disease?

[HDogg]

Well, I remember having to get blood tests done to check my thyroid when I first went on anti-anxiety meds. Thyroid conditions can mimic the symptoms of a panic attack. Racing heart, sweating, dizziness, etc. Was this what he was referring to? Or did he say that people who have thyroid problems are more prone to phobias because of a chemical thing in their bodies? Or were the panic attacks and phobias brought on by the similar symptoms of thyroid issues?


Like, if a person has thyroid problems, they develop phobias b/c the symptoms of a panic attack are so similar, that they think they are having one? Agoraphobia (basically, the fear of going out in public b/c of fear of having a panic attack and embarrassing yourself) develops after having a few panic attacks. Maybe the people with the thyroid problem develop agoraphobia the same way people with panic disorder do: because the symptoms are almost the same.





Anyway, enough babbling. I hope I made a tiny bit of sense.