Some phobias can be difficult to understand, according to a psychiatrist.
It's after a new survey found holes were the biggest fear among Irish people, followed by open spaces, spiders, heights and closed spaces.
However, a Professor of Psychiatry says a phobia can lead to serious levels of anxiety.
Brendan Kelly from Trinity College Dublin says agoraphobia is more complex than a fear of open spaces.
"In a supermarket for example, sometimes somebody feels very anxious and feels like they're being overwhelmed.
"They can feel like they can't escape even though they can and this can be very disabling.
"It causes a great deal of panic and distress even though it is logically quite difficult to understand."
Photo by: Mykola Kravchenko/Alamy Stock Photo
