Specific Phobia

What is Specific Phobia?

Specific Phobia is a severe fear of circumscribed objects or situations. The fear creates extreme distress (when in contact) and can precipitate avoidance as well. The objects, events, or situations that might form the basis for a specific phobia can be almost anything but are usually considered one of five types: animal, natural environment, blood-injection-injury, situational or other. These fears, although specific to a certain situation, event, or object, may nevertheless be very severe and cause significant functional impairment; for example, an individual who is afraid of flying may refuse to fly for work or may accept a demotion to avoid the possibility of having to fly to business meetings.

How common is Specific Phobia?

Specific Phobias are among the most common anxiety disorders, affecting approximately 10% of the general population and specific phobias exist among children, adolescents, and adults. Fears of certain situations, such as heights or airplanes, are common in the general population, but fear alone is not sufficient for a diagnosis of Specific Phobia.

What causes Specific Phobia?

Some individuals describe an aversive event (such as being bitten by a dog) that caused the onset of their specific phobia. Others cannot recall a specific event but note that parents or other relatives also have a similar fear, leading some to suggest that some of these fears are acquired by a person modeling the fearful behavior. Family history, and perhaps a iological basis, may be more characteristic of the blood-illness-injury category of specific phobia.

How is Specific Phobia treated?

Behavior therapy is the treatment of choice for the treatment of specific phobia. Exposure therapy, which may be conducted in various ways, is the most effective treatment for this disorder.