Sensory issues -> phobia

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I have been having huge problems at university because the fire alarm goes off frequently. It is a very loud high-pitched noise and is quite unbearable for me and causes me a lot of panic. The problem that's happened now is I am becoming phobic of it because it keeps going off. I am now getting constantly frightened that the fire alarm will go off and getting panic responses to a lot of noises that are not the fire alarm and would have caused me little or no discomfort before this fire alarm phobia thing developed.
Has anyone else experienced a similar problem with a sensory issue causing a phobia, and if so, what would they recommend to overcome it?

I think I have developed something similar ay my goddam work, I've always been too sensitive to noises, there I'm exposed to neverending noises, then for one month there were works in the adjacent shop and that literally sent me out of my mind, I tried to stay as less as I could but still stayed way too long. Unfortunately I have no advice.

I had the same problem with the fire alarm in college. I moved to a room underground where the alarm wasn't as loud. It gave some warning beeps before the full blown alarm started, too, so I had time to get my fingers in my ears.

I don't like my school's fire alarm either. Whenever prewarned about the fire alarm going off, I always cover my ears moments before it actually goes off.

I'm sensitive to loud, unexpected noises in general.

I like to wear hats because they provide some barrier between my ears and the loud world, plus I like the sensory input, the feeling of the weight on my head. I know that won't help with a phobia regarding loud sudden sounds, but it's something that I've found helpful. You could also consider wearing earplugs, ipod headphones or a cell phone headset that's turned off whenever you're in a location that the alarms happen in.
My first college had frequent fire alarms, and people became so used to them being false alarms, that they would hide and avoid going outside when they went off, or learn to sleep through them, or professors would ignore them. Twice the alarms were real fires-one time just a minor trash can prank, but the other was a lethal fire.

The fire alarm went of at my college last week. I was quite literally saved by the bell, for reasons I will not go into. I'm very used to drills, as all three of my grade schools tested the system several times a year. That's not so bad. When the system turns out to have a short, and the weather outside is cold, that's bad.

I also find that I like wearing hats, but they tend to make my head too warm.

angiebanana - This is the same sort of thing that's happening to me - there are constant false alarms due to people burning toast and things and they also test the alarms frequently (I am warned of when they test them so I can stay out of the building!). Someone also keeps setting it off as a prank. People have been almost conditioned to not react to the fire alarm, and many cannot be bothered to leave the building - it's dangerous!

The problem I have is not what to do when the alarm goes off - I'm gonna get a really good pair of ear defenders for that - but how to avoid living in fear of the fire alarm all the time, and how to stop things reminding me of the fire alarm and causing me panic. I don't want to wear something in or over my ears all the time - it's impractical as I do need to hear many everyday noises (my alarm clock, my phone, conversation) and it's not very comfortable either.

[quote="Kajjie"]I have been having huge problems at university because the fire alarm goes off frequently. It is a very loud high-pitched noise and is quite unbearable for me and causes me a lot of panic. The problem that's happened now is I am becoming phobic of it because it keeps going off. I am now getting constantly frightened that the fire alarm will go off and getting panic responses to a lot of noises that are not the fire alarm and would have caused me little or no discomfort before this fire alarm phobia thing developed.
Has anyone else experienced a similar problem with a sensory issue causing a phobia, and if so, what would they recommend to overcome it?

You are exactly the same as me. All through big school I was like that with the bells. I panicked if the teacher would let us finish the lesson early because I didn't want to be in the corridor at the same time as the bell goes - I'd rather wait for the bell to go before ending the lesson.
But Science was awkward because the bells were in the Science classrooms and I panicked and panicked about the fire alarm going off. I felt embarrassed to put my hands over my ears, so I sat up the table pretending to rest my chin on my hands most the time, but instead they were actually on my ears. Other students didn't really notice because I had long hair over my ears.
So now I am absolutely relieved that I've finished school. But I can't get a job in any school because of bells. I am embarrassed to admit to my Mum because she will probably laugh and say, ''surely you're not still scared of the bell?! !!''
I've even caused arguements with my best friend at school because of the bell. I used to wait outside until the bell has gone, but my friend used to get pissed off.
It interferred with my school life at the big school. At the primary schools I wasn't usually near any bells because the teachers didn't used to let us in the corridors, but at the big school we had to change lessons every hour and couldn't help walking through the corridors to get from one classroom to the next. I felt embarrassed wondering about waiting for the bell to go because teachers have often spotted me and called me into the lesson.
Don't worry - you are cool. I am scared of the bell and it takes over my life.

i have terrible visual sensory issues. i get phobic anxiety (uncontrollable rocking, crying, can't move etc) when i see things of which i am frightened eg big bright flowers, earth quake patterns, butterflies, a cut open pepper. i asked my psychiatrist if there was anything that can be done to alleviate these symptoms of phobia and he said that most treatment for phobic anxiety disorders involve a variation on the theme of "graded exposure". i haven't yet been treated as he said i must get my adhd properly managed (until medication dose is spot on) first in order to maximise my response to treatment.

This isn't really a phobia, because I don't experience fear. But the results would be the same it it were.

I don't like going outside, especially in the summer, because bright sunlight sometimes makes me black out.

I'll be walking down the street, and suddenly I'll find myself half a block away with no memory of the time in between.
I've never collapsed, but there have been times I've felt like I might.

This only happens in the summer.

I'll rather have a fear of light, than a fear of sound. At least light doesn't make you jump. When I'm out in the street I hear all sorts of sounds of make me jump, but at least there is only one kind of light.

NTs can filter loud noise out - and that's the same with me with light: I can filter out light.