Arachnophobia

This article is about the anxiety disorder. For the film see Arachnophobia (film), for the game, see Arachnophobia (video game), for the web design method, see Arachnophobia (web design)

Arachnophobia is the fear (or phobia) of spiders. It is among the most common phobias, and possibly the most common animal phobia of all. The reactions of arachnophobics often seem irrational to others (and sometimes to the sufferer himself, as well). People with arachnophobia may stay away from any area they believe to be inhabited by numerous spiders or covered in spider webs. If they see a spider they may not enter the general vicinity until they overcome the panic attack that is often associated with it. Like most phobias the fear can be overcome by psychological treatments and through gradual exposure to the object. Another technique is 'flooding', in which the phobic person is suddenly exposed to a high intensity stimulus.

Arachnophobia is, in many cases, the result of a traumatizing encounter with spiders in one's early childhood, though the experience may not be remembered. Then, considering the extreme diversity of phobias, always inexplicable and sometimes exceedingly rare and weird, (fear of carrot – as such and not as food – fear of glitter powder etc..), one hypothesis states that while some phobias are the result of a traumatic event, most are the result of a random brain wiring that causes inexplicable fear at the sight of a seemingly inocuous thing or animal. The main phobias, such as arachnophobia, fear of snakes or mice, claustrophobia, stand out by their prevalence because they would have given over thousands of years a survival edge to the sufferer and his/her offspring. Spiders, for instance, being relativly small, don’t fit the usual criteria for a threat in the animal kingdom where size is a key factor, but most species are venomous, and some are lethal. Arachnophobiacs will spare no effort to make sure that their wherabouts are spider-free, hence reducing sharply the risk of being bitten.

There are many different levels of arachnophobia. Many people find spiders eerie, creepy, or a little scary. On the other extreme, some unfortunate people can have seizures, panic attacks, or even faint or 'pass out' in the presence of a spider.