Rabies And The Fear Of Rabies Can Be A Frightful Thing

By Trevor Johnson

What to know about the fear of rabies, first of all, means knowing that it is a phobia that is technically called "hydrophobophobia." In many people who suffer from this fear, it can be a completely debilitating condition. Rabies -- which is also known as hydrophobia -- is a truly serious and very graphic disease that causes many people to greatly fear contracting it.

This fear or phobia is one of numerous phobias that have been identified by clinical mental health specialists over the years. What makes this one particularly serious is that the fear that it can create in many of its sufferers borders on the near hysterical. Perhaps this is partly due to the way in which rabies as a disease is so horrible and also in how it occupies a place in pop culture.

A still bigger reason why so many people become fearful of contracting rabies is that it is almost certain to kill them should they actually contracted. There is no cure for it once someone develops the symptoms, though there is a completely effective medication that is administered should someone be bitten by an animal infected with a virus. Still, the image of a mouth-foaming dog is hard to forget.

It doesn't really help that there have been a number of movies over the years that have taken advantage of the rabies theme, particularly one that was released in the early'80s that featured a large St. Bernard who eventually developed rabies and became, basically, a killing machine. In people, the fear of contracting rabies, then, can become almost visceral in its intensity.

Certainly, there are a number of effective therapies that have been developed to help people deal with this phobia, but some can take years of concerted treatment. Fortunately, there have been certain recent advancements in treating this sort of phobia that can actually lead to it being eliminated or cured in a relatively shorter amount of time.

For those actually suffering from the fear of rabies, others need to know that it is a real phobia that can strike terror in the hearts of those afflicted by it. This is even though the chances of being afflicted by rabies itself are extremely remote. Fortunately, those who suffer from the phobia have treatments available to them that are effective and widely available. - 30450

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here