Specific Phobia Introduction - OmniMedicalSearch.com

Conditions & Diseases: Psychological & Mental Health

Specific Phobia

Introduction and Overview

Phobia is a common anxiety disorder and refers to a group of conditions characterized by fear-related symptoms triggered by certain objects or situations. It can take different forms: social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia.

Specific phobia (formerly known as simple phobia) is an anxiety disorder characterized by an intense, irrational, and involuntary fear of specific objects, living beings, and situations "that present little or no real threat".(1) Some of the objects, living beings, and situations (known as phobic stimuli) that can be the source of a specific phobia include: animals, insects, reptiles, storms, heights, water, escalators, tunnels, bridges, highways, enclosed places, public transportation, driving, flying, seeing blood, receiving injections, undergoing invasive medic procedures, and fear of choking, vomiting, or contracting an illness.

When individuals with specific phobia anticipate or encounter the phobic stimulus, they experience an intense level of anxiety. In some individuals, the anxiety response may take the form of a panic attack. A panic attack is an episode of intense, out-of-proportion fear in the absence of a real danger that is usually perceived as suffering a heart attack or stroke, as death is imminent, as losing control over emotions and behavior, or going crazy.

Individuals with specific phobia recognize that their fears are excessive and unreasonable, and the anxiety caused by the phobic stimulus uncontrollable. This typically leads to an avoidance behavior towards the phobic stimulus itself and situation where it can occur.

Every person may have things that frightens them or makes them feel uncomfortable and uneasy (such as new places, driving on bridges, insects, elevators), but they manage to control their fears and carry on with daily activities. Specific phobia becomes a problem when the avoidance behavior, the fear, and the anxiety are so severe that they interfere with the person's daily routine, occupation and social life.

The onset age for specific phobia can vary. Some specific phobias develop during childhood, while most seem to develop during early adolescence and young adulthood. Specific phobia seems to be more common among women than men.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 5 to 12 percent of the population suffers from a form of phobia. Approximately 19 million people in the United States and 2.5 million people in the UK suffer from specific phobia.

Article by Alina Morrow
MS Psychology
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com