Anxiety caused by spiders? Arachnophobia is one of the most commonly known specific animal phobias. From statistics from the Belgian Arachnological Society ARABEL, it has been shown that 7 out of every 10 Belgians are afraid of spiders. From research by the Belgian Arachnological Society it has also been shown that 1 out of every 5 Belgians find spiders unhygienic when they are inside their house. These statistics also go for people from the Netherlands.

Finding a spider to be unhygienic or being anxious about coming into contact with spiders does not necessarily point at arachnophobia. Except for the anxiety when it comes to spiders, there are several other criteria present, as described in the DSM. The prevalence of arachnophobia is high in Belgium. 3 out of every 10 people would suffer from arachnophobia according to statistics from the Belgian Arachnological Society ARABEL.

Arachnophobia is an issue which generally requires help in the form of treatment. The symptoms, just like those included in treatment, can be found on this page.

The symptoms of arachnophobia?

Arachnophobia causes anxiety of spiders. This is not just anxiety, but rather a fear which can severely disrupt your daily functioning. If you come into contact with a spider, you can experience a major anxiety response. In this, we think of sweating, pupils contracting, shallow breathing, hyperventilation, your heart rate going up,... The confrontation with a spider can form a true nightmare. Not only contact with a spider can cause anxiety, but even thinking about a spider can cause symptoms of anxiety to present themselves. We then consider this to be fear of the fear.

People with arachnophobia know that their fear is irrational, yet they cannot get rid of the symptoms. Anxiety sort of takes over your free will. After a while, this anxiety will lead you to avoid situations in which you think that you might be confronted with a spider. This way, the symptoms fall onto each other like domino bricks, and one symptoms causes a next one. This avoidance behavior has, in many cases, an influence on your social life, your relationships, your job,...

Dealing with arachnophobia? How does one treat arachnophobia?

Arachnophobia can be treated effectively at the hand of therapy. This therapy can be followed with the help of a psychologist, psychiatrist, or via an online program. "15Minutes4Me.com" developed an online self-help program, which guides you on a daily basis in the treatment of anxiety.

Do you think that you might suffer from arachnophobia and would you like to test your levels of anxiety? Then take the free anxiety test here and discover whether the anxiety influences your daily functioning, and if so, to what extent!