A little fear in life can be a good thing. Fear can warn us of danger, deter us from foolish decisions or encourage better preparation. But when it’s irrational, persistent and interferes with your quality of life, fear is no longer a valuable tool. It’s a phobia that needs attention.

Phobias are surprisingly common. A study by the National Institute of Mental Health estimates anywhere from one in 10 to one in five Americans suffer from them. It also found phobias are the most common mental illness among American women of all ages and the second most common mental illness among men over age 25.

Common phobias include fear of creepy, crawly things (like spiders, mice, snakes and bats), flying, water, heights and closed spaces. Social phobia also ranks high, explaining why many people report they would rather die than speak in public.

Symptoms include the obvious fear and desire to flee, along with physiological signs of a panic attack — rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling or even difficulty breathing. Often they come merely in anticipation of encountering the feared object or situation.

At their core, phobias are anxiety based. They often occur as a result of modeling from someone else in our experience or from past traumatic events. As primates, we also have a fear response to many things we perceive as being potentially harmful to us, even if only imagined.

Whatever the origin, the most effective treatments are cognitive behavior therapy, medication or both. If therapists believe there’s a chemical component to a phobia, they may recommend medications on a regular basis. Physicians may also prescribe mild tranquilizers to help for a short period of time or for a particular encounter with your fear — such as an airplane trip or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine.

Cognitive behavior therapy is probably the best long-term solution because it focuses on the thinking patterns that produce the panic and dread. It identifies and restructures those patterns to create different perceptions of feared situations or objects.

That’s the cognitive side. The behavioral side ultimately requires one to step into the fear in order to overcome it. This process, called desensitization, provides phobia sufferers a controlled, safe environment in which to face their fears gradually and practice coping skills developed in therapy. Any of the approaches — prescriptions or therapies — might not eliminate phobias, but they can make them more manageable.

If your fears are getting in the way of your daily life — preventing you from enjoying activities with your family, getting in the way of things your want or need to do — talk to your physician or therapist. With treatment, time and tenacity, you’ll go from saying “I can’t do this,” to “I can do this, and I am going to do this.”

Wanda Schafer is a therapist at the Family & Children’s Center in La Crosse.