Specific Phobia
What is specific phobia?
Specific phobias (often referred to simply as phobias) are disorders in which individuals have an excessive fear of a specific object, animal or situation.
People with specific phobias experience intense fear (sometimes full-blown panic) nearly every time they come in contact or anticipate coming in contact with the feared object or situation.
People with phobias often make great efforts to avoid the feared object or situation (e.g., someone with a dog phobia will avoid walking down streets where they may encounter a dog). This avoidance can greatly interfere with activities.
Phobias typically fall into one of the following categories:
- Animal Type. Involves fear of animals (e.g., snakes or insects)
- Natural Environment Type. Involves fear of natural environmental objects or situations (e.g., heights, bodies of water, or storms)
- Blood-Injection-Injury Type. Involves fear of seeing blood, receiving an injection or other medical procedure
- Situational Type. Involves fears of everyday situations (e.g., tunnels, bridges, flying, driving, closed places, etc.)
- Other Type. Involves fear of situations not covered in the other categories (e.g., choking or vomiting)
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