PHOBIAS: October is approaching, and if you’ve been in a store lately, you’ve seen all sorts of Halloween decorations.

For some who suffer from phobias, a very real type of anxiety disorder, these decorations are more than spooky, they may actually cause physical reactions like panic, a rapid heartbeat, trembling and a strong desire to get away.

Many Halloween decorations feature scary clowns, which can be very difficult for those who suffer from coulrophobia — a fear of clowns. Spiders are another favorite decoration, causing issues for those who suffer from arachnophobia, a fear of spiders.

There’s a specific phobia for those who fear Halloween — Samhainophobia.

The National Institute of Mental Health says phobias are “a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no real danger.”

An estimated 9.1% of U.S. adults have had a specific phobia in the last year, and an estimated 12.5 percent of U.S. adults experience a specific phobia at some time in their lives.

Some of the most common are fear of heights — acrophobia — with an estimated 3 to 5% of adults suffering from it; social phobias; agoraphobia, a fear of open spaces; pteromerhanophobia, a fear of flying; claustrophobia, a fear of enclosed spaces; entomophobia, a fear of insects; and astraphobia, a fear of storms.

There are some uncommon ones as well, like arithmophobia, a fear of math; chirophobia, a fear of hands; omphalophobia, a fear of belly buttons; turophobia, a fear of cheese; xanthophobia, a fear of the color yellow; genuphobia, a fear of knees; alektorophobia, a fear of chickens; and anatidaephobia, the irrational fear that somewhere, a duck or goose is watching you.

While some of these may seem odd or even silly, they are very real to the person who is suffering.

Take it seriously, and don’t pressure the person to confront it. Encourage the person to seek help.

Having supportive friends and family can help improve symptoms and make challenging situations better.