Snakes, rats and spiders are common phobias.
But being afraid of bananas is extremely rare.
– You can actually get a fear of death, says Professor Per Carlbring at clinical psychology at Stockholm University.
Equality and working life minister Paulina Brandberg (L) has a phobia of bananas. It is news that received a lot of attention on Thursday, including internationally. “There must be no traces of bananas in the room,” said an email that was sent out when Speaker Andrea Norlén invited to a chat.
It’s not just Brandberg who has a banana phobia.
– I find everything about the track unpleasant. I really don’t like it. I have some kind of phobia, says Teresa Carvalho (S), Member of Parliament, who goes on to say that she has had such feelings for as long as she can remember.
“Can actually get scared to death”
About ten percent of women and five percent of men have some form of phobia.
At the top of the list you find rats, spiders and snakes. But some people also think that balloons and soap bubbles cause strong discomfort.
– Common symptoms of a phobia are a panic attack, pounding heart, fear, shortness of breath and you can actually have a fear of death, says Professor Per Carlbring at clinical psychology at Stockholm University.
The Professor: This is how you can treat your phobia
There is therapy for phobias. If it is about bananas in particular, you can start by being in the same room as a banana. It can bring high levels of anxiety, but after a while that feeling diminishes. Then you can try taking a few more steps and then you keep going.
– This treatment is very effective. It doesn’t matter if it’s the banana, dogs or snakes, you achieve incredibly good treatment efficiency, up to 95 percent. And this holds even when you do follow-ups many years later, says Carlbring.