There are a lot of reasons why you would have fear of insects. Most of them are small and simply disrupt whatever it is you are doing. Some may even be harmful or deadly if you are not careful (think of killer bees).
However, you cannot discount the fact that they contribute in maintaining our ecosystem, and they indirectly benefit us as well.
Some insects are useful too, such as bees that manufacture sweet honey. The stings and bites of insects are also just their defense mechanisms. Regardless, there are still many people with a heightened fear of creepy crawlies. A portion of them may overcome the fear after a period of time, but there will a significant number whose lives will never be normal because of it.
Understanding the fear
The fear of insects is medically called entomophobia. The fear is more often than not a heightened reaction to something that is not pleasant or never before seen. There are those whose fear began due to an incident involving insects, but these are only a few cases.
The fear becomes so irrational that even videos or pictures with insects become extremely uncomfortable to them. Common symptoms include rapid beating of the heart, nausea, shortness of breath, and, in severe cases, panic attacks.
Seeking Treatment
At no point should medication be used unless the panic attacks become very frequent; else, you can become drug dependent. Usual treatment will involve counseling and forms of desensitization. You have to realize in a logical manner that your fear is far-fetched.
In desensitization, you will be methodically exposed to different levels of contact to insects. The contacts become frequent and longer once you would develop control over your fear until you can overcome every one of them.
It is very important to note, though, that a certain form of caution must still be present, since a lot insects may still prove dangerous.
