----- Original Message -----

From: Katie

To: unusualphobias@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 7:31 PM

Subject: [unusualphobias] Re: Fear versus true Phobia??

So what are you saying?  That we should all keep quiet because our
own anxieties are not as significant as yours?  If we did then this
board would be even quieter than it is and would become a "serious
mental health problem" message board, rather than a place for people
to discuss their unusual fears (which correct me if I'm wrong, but I
believe is the creater's intention).  If these "real" phobias of
which you speak are the ones prescribed in textbooks, then you have
totally got the wrong idea about this forum.

I'm sorry if you feel that our own "trivial" fears are distracting
from/overshadowing your much greater ones.  I wasn't aware that there
was a psychological test which had to be taken before I was deemed
anxious enough to be able to post here.  Perhaps you could point me
in the right direction.  Perhaps those of us with trivial fears
should go start our own faction called unusualtriviallittlefears
because we have deigned to try and put ourselves in the same bracket
as you.

I sometimes wonder that people can't just live and let live, and
enjoy the banter that a board like this brings, instead of whinging
about the suitability of posts and whether they would best belong
somewhere else.

Some fears do rule lives, so where's this line you have between a
fear and a REAL phobia?  Who are you to say that something which
causes me significant distress as I go through life is trivial? 

Remember that it takes all sorts to make a world, before you go
trying to belittle peoples' "unREAL" fears.

In case you can't tell, your post has really got me quite upset!
Regards,
Katie

p.s. your post did NOT make me feel bad or guilty, if that was the
intention.

--- In unusualphobias@yahoogroups.com, "snowskinuk" <snowskinuk@y...>
wrote:
> It seems to me there are 2 kinds of problems people talk about here.
> One is just a fear , a general dislike of something, whatever it
> might be, whilst there are also many people here with REAL phobias -

> problems that disrupt their day to day lives.
> I don't want to upset anybody, but I think the people messaging
> here  with their 'fears' are distracting from people who have a
very
> serious mental health problem.
> I know this, as my own phobias cause me great distress, and  have
> not been listed yet on here (doubly depressing - am I alone?) 
> I still feel unable to even name them here !