One sniff may clear away that awful phobia!

Scientists from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, have found that a simple nasal spray may help people deal with irrational fears.

The team say millions of people afflicted by chronic phobias such as agoraphobia (fear of open spaces), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), fear of flying, heights, spiders and even chronic shyness, could benefit from the use of the spray.

Chronic fearfulness affects hundreds of thousands of people and the discovery could very well be a breakthrough in treating such disorders.

Dr. Adam Guastella, a psychology researcher says these conditions can be crippling.

Dr. Guastella says their research shows that the treatments for phobias can be greatly enhanced using compounds that make the brain more receptive.

Their research focused on two chemicals - oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone long known to play a role in human emotions, and D-cycloserine (DCS), an antibiotic used against tuberculosis that has been found to have subtle effects on the brain.

Both of these can be delivered by nasal spray.

Current treatments include exposure therapy where phobics are confronted with the things that terrify them, but its benefits often disappear over time.

For the research, Guastella used DCS combined with exposure therapy to treat 23 patients suffering from chronic shyness.

The patients were asked to make a speech, normally a terrifying task for people with such a condition.

A second group of 23, who were also asked to make speeches, were given a placebo.

According to Guastella the participants were so shy they could not enter a crowded room or speak in public.

He then compared the results with patients who also made a speech but without having had any treatment for their phobias.

Dr. Guastella says the difference between the two groups was 'astonishing'.

Those who received DCS showed a great reduction in fear and also reported lasting improvements in work and social relationships.

Guastella has also used oxytocin to treat people with social phobias and DCS to treat people with a fear of spiders.

He is now researching a new use for oxytocin which is helping couples to repair relationships that have deteriorated.

Experts suggest as many as 13 in every 100 people suffer from a social phobia and are worried about being watched, judged or criticised in public.

The first symptoms of social phobias usually appear around age 15 and can continue for a long time if left untreated.

The scientists say that DCS has no effect on fear on its own, but enhances the therapy sessions by changing the neurotransmitters in the brain associated with learning to overcome fear.