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What is Phobics Awareness?
Phobics Awareness is a free online community and information site for people living with phobias, panic and anxiety, and for the family members and friends who support them. It combines guides, a forum and a chat room, with the stated aim of offering support through the exchange of ideas, information and coping skills.
What it covers
The site names the conditions it addresses directly: panic attacks, panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and social phobia, along with other anxiety disorders and related conditions. It also makes a point of welcoming people who are not themselves affected but are close to someone who is.
Who it suits
- Someone who wants to read explanations and coping approaches before or alongside professional treatment.
- Someone who prefers peer conversation to a formal clinical setting, and who wants to talk to others who have had similar experiences.
- A partner, parent or friend trying to understand what a phobia or panic disorder involves and how to respond.
What to expect from the community side
The forum and chat room are presented as active, warm and welcoming, drawing members from many countries. The site notes that it recently rebuilt its website and forum, and that the old forum could not be migrated; it is preserved as an archive with more than 30,000 posts, and existing login details still work. In practice, that means older threads are worth searching for accumulated experience, but new replies happen on the current forums rather than in the archive.
How to use it
Treat the guides and community as peer support rather than a substitute for assessment and treatment by a clinician, and use them for the things peers do well: describing symptoms in plain language, sharing coping strategies, and reducing the isolation that often comes with anxiety disorders. A reasonable first step is to browse the condition that matches your situation, then read a few recent threads to see whether the tone and activity level fit what you need before posting.
For a second perspective, the charity Anxiety UK and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America publish structured self-help and treatment information, while Mind covers anxiety and panic in a broader mental health context.
How can I join the Phobics Awareness community?
Joining Phobics Awareness means registering for its forum and chat room, which the site describes as free and open to people worldwide dealing with panic, phobias and anxiety — including family members and loved ones who want to support someone. There is no membership fee mentioned, and the community is positioned as peer support through exchanging ideas, information and coping skills rather than a clinical service.
What joining actually involves
- Create a forum account. The forum is the main structured space; discussions cover panic attacks, panic disorder, agoraphobia, GAD, OCD, PTSD, social phobia and other anxiety conditions.
- Use the chat room. The site describes chat as friendly and welcoming, with participants from many countries — useful if you want real-time contact rather than waiting for replies.
- Read before you post. The old forum was not migrated to the new one; it now sits in a searchable archive of over 30,000 posts. If you had an account before the move, the site says your login details remain the same.
A sensible first step
If you are unsure whether a forum suits you, start by browsing the archive and current forum threads for a topic close to your own experience — for example, driving anxiety or agoraphobia — and read a handful of replies before registering. That tells you whether the tone and activity level fit what you need. If you want a broader picture of how anxiety conditions are understood and treated, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America and National Institute of Mental Health publish plain-language overviews, while Mind covers support options in the UK. Peer communities like Phobics Awareness work best alongside, not instead of, professional care.
What types of anxiety disorders does Phobics Awareness cover?
Phobics Awareness is built around a broad range of anxiety conditions rather than a single diagnosis. Its stated scope includes panic attacks and Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), general anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Social Phobia, and "other Anxiety Disorders and conditions." Phobias, anxiety, depression, and panic attacks are all named as part of what the community addresses.
That breadth is the site's main practical advantage: someone who is not sure which label fits their experience can read across several conditions instead of deciding in advance which forum to join. It also means the content is organised for shared coping skills and peer exchange rather than for condition-specific clinical protocols.
Who it suits
- People with a diagnosis or suspected one who want to compare experiences with others dealing with panic, phobias or anxiety.
- Family members and loved ones, who the site explicitly invites, since anxiety disorders affect the people around the sufferer as well as the individual.
- Anyone seeking a low-commitment first step, such as reading the guides or the forum archive before posting.
Where it fits less well
A general community is not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment, and a wide scope can mean less depth on any one condition than a single-issue organisation would offer. If you need information on a specific condition such as OCD or PTSD, a dedicated body may go further; for peer support across the whole anxiety spectrum, this site's range is the point.
A useful next step: start with the forum archive, which holds over 30,000 posts from the previous forum, to see whether the tone and topics match what you need before joining the current forums or chat room.
How can family members or loved ones of someone with anxiety benefit from this website?
Family members and loved ones can use Phobics Awareness as a support community in their own right, not just as a resource for the person with anxiety. The site explicitly welcomes people who are not themselves struggling with anxiety but who care for someone who is, and it frames anxiety disorders as conditions that affect partners, parents, siblings and friends too.
What it offers loved ones
- A place to talk without being the patient. Forums and a chat room let you ask questions, vent frustration or share coping strategies with people in similar situations, rather than always being the one providing support.
- Perspective from people who have the condition. Reading threads about panic attacks, agoraphobia, social phobia, OCD or PTSD can make a loved one's behaviour less confusing and less personal.
- Breadth of topics. The community covers panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, phobias and related conditions, so you can find discussions relevant to whatever your family member is dealing with.
- An archive of past experience. The old forum was kept as an archive with a large number of posts, which is useful for searching whether a specific worry has already been discussed.
- No cost barrier. The site describes its website, forum, guides and chat room as free, which matters for families already paying for treatment.
Practical trade-offs
| What you get | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|
| Peer support from a worldwide community | Peer advice is not clinical advice |
| 24/7 access to forums and chat | Chat and forums depend on who is online |
| Anonymity, so you can speak freely | Online support does not replace therapy for you or your relative |
A useful next step is to decide what you actually need before joining. If you want to understand the condition, start with the guides. If you want to stop feeling isolated, introduce yourself in the forum or chat and describe your situation as a family member. If you are looking for treatment options, use the community for signposting only and confirm anything important with a clinician.
One caution worth stating plainly: a peer community can normalise and comfort, but it can also amplify catastrophising if you read only the most distressed threads. Balance community reading with reputable clinical information such as Mind or NHS.
Where can I find support for panic attacks and phobias on this site?
Support for panic attacks and phobias on Phobics Awareness is built around two connected areas: a peer community and written guides. According to the site, the forums and chat room are free and open to people worldwide, and the community is intended for anyone affected by panic attacks, panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, PTSD, social phobia and other anxiety conditions.
What you can use
- Forums — the main place for ongoing discussion. The site notes that its older forum was archived rather than migrated, and that archive contains over 30,000 posts. New conversations now take place in the current forums.
- Chat room — described as a live, friendly space where members from different countries talk in real time.
- Guides — written material about phobias and anxiety, positioned alongside the community rather than as a replacement for it.
- Archive — useful for reading past threads on specific fears, panic symptoms or coping approaches, even though you cannot continue those old discussions there.
Who it suits
This is a peer-support community, not a clinical service. It may suit you if you want to read about other people's experiences, ask questions without waiting for an appointment, or talk to someone who recognises what a panic attack feels like. The site also explicitly welcomes family members and loved ones, which matters if you are trying to support someone else and do not know where to start.
If you are in crisis or need diagnosis and treatment, a peer forum is not a substitute for a clinician. A practical approach is to use the community for day-to-day understanding and the guides for background, while keeping professional care as your main route for medical decisions.
A sensible first step
Create a free account, then read a few recent threads in the forum area closest to your situation before posting. If live conversation feels easier than writing, try the chat room at a quiet time and simply say you are new. For background reading, the archived posts can help you see how others have described similar fears over the years.
For additional perspectives, you can also look at Anxiety and Depression Association of America for educational material on anxiety disorders, or Mind for plain-language explanations of panic and phobias.
What resources are available for dealing with agoraphobia or social phobia?
For agoraphobia and social phobia specifically, Phobics Awareness is built around peer support rather than clinical treatment: its forum, chat room, and guides are free, and the community is explicitly aimed at people dealing with panic, agoraphobia, social phobia, GAD, OCD, and PTSD, as well as their partners and family members.
What the site actually offers
- Discussion forums where all aspects of anxiety disorders can be discussed, so you can read others' experiences with avoidance, panic in public places, or fear of social situations before posting yourself.
- A live chat room, which suits people who want immediate contact with others who understand the problem rather than waiting for a reply to a forum thread.
- Guides on phobias and anxiety, useful as a starting point if you are still working out whether what you experience matches agoraphobia or social phobia.
- A forum archive with more than 30,000 posts from the previous version of the site. This is a substantial searchable body of first-hand accounts, although it is read-only: the community has moved to new forums, and existing login details were carried over.
Choosing between this and other routes
Peer support and professional treatment do different jobs, and most people benefit from both:
| Need | Peer community like Phobics Awareness | Clinical route |
|---|---|---|
| Feeling less alone, hearing coping strategies | Strong fit | Not its purpose |
| Structured therapy (e.g. CBT, exposure work) | Not a substitute | Appropriate fit |
| Support for a partner or family member | Explicitly welcomed | Usually indirect |
| Urgent crisis | Not designed for this | Emergency or crisis services |
A practical next step: if agoraphobia or social phobia is limiting your daily life, use the site's guides to put words to what you experience, then read a few archive threads from people with a similar pattern. Bring what you recognise to a GP or therapist as a starting point for treatment, and use the forum or chat for the ongoing support that sits alongside it. For general information on anxiety disorders from a clinical perspective, NIMH and ADAA are established alternatives worth comparing.
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