What causes a fear or phobia?

Generally phobias occur when the sufferer has had a bad experience with the object of their phobia. Common phobias that stem from these types of experiences are Spiders, dogs, and the fear of being ridiculed. It is also possible that we biologically inherit some phobias from our parents. Others develop phobias later in life and are never able to determine the cause.

The important things to remember are 1) you are not alone, and 2) there are successful treatments for the condition.