Good Fear, Bad Fear 
                                                                                                                       

Fear is an innate instinct, necessary for survival. If something causes you pain, the memory is etched in your brain until another, more positive, memory overrides it. A phobia, on the other hand, is a fear that is not based on a specific, rational memory. More than six million Americans have specific phobias such as arachnophobia (fear of spiders), acrophobia (fear of heights), scolechiphobia (fear of worms) or belonephobia (fear of needles, pins or other sharp objects). 
[SOURCE: Libby Tucker, "Fear Factors: Everyone Reacts to Fear Differently. Scientists Are Beginning To Understand Why," Science World, February 7, 2003]

OCD versus Phobias
                                                                                                                       

Even though they may both fear or seek to avoid certain situations or objects, individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) differ in a number of ways from those with phobias. Persons with phobias are fixated on coming into contact with the situation or object they fear; those with OCD are more concerned with the elaborate, time-consuming rituals they perform to ensure safety. Those with phobias experience terror at the thought of coming into contact with the feared object; those with OCD experience feelings of embarrassment and disgust related to their behavior. 
[SOURCE: Sharon Valente, "Perspective in Psychiatric Care," October-December, 2002]

Overcoming a Fear of the Water 
                                                                                               

While their friends are flocking to the pools and beaches during the hot summer months, some individuals make excuses, schedule other activities or simply don't go...because they have an overwhelming fear of the water. The phobia may be linked to a traumatic childhood experience or it may, like other phobias, simply be an unexplained and irrational fear. If you have a phobia, you know that forcing yourself to dive in the deep end is no solution. There are, however, effective programs to help hydrophobes overcome their fear. Most start by gradually building the person's confidence in the water while he or she masters basic techniques of breathing and floating. 
[SOURCE: R. Daniel Foster, "Pool Panic," American Fitness, July, 2000]

Social Phobia Grips 13% of Population 
                                                                                   

A person who is painfully shy - to the point of avoiding certain social situations or being unable to initiate conversations - may have social anxiety disorder or social phobia, a problem affecting 13 percent of Americans. Some persons are fearful of a certain type of situation such as speaking in public or taking tests; others have an unusually high sensitivity to interpersonal relations, fearing rejection or saying something foolish. Most patients develop behaviors that allow them to avoid the feared situation, and this avoidance may severely limit normal activities. Some degree of shyness or performance anxiety is common; social phobia involves more intense physical symptoms and causes more disruption in daily functioning. Treatment today usually involves behavioral therapy and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor such as Prozac. 
[SOURCE: H. Michael Zal, "Social Anxiety Disorder: How To Help," Consultant, August, 2000]