Mental Disorders: Phobias

• Background

  • Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder 
  • Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders that share the primary symptom of extreme anxiety 
  • A phobia is an irrational, persistent and overwhelming fear of an object or situation 
  • The extent of the fear is out of proportion to any real danger presented 
  • Approximately 5 – 10% of people will suffer from a phobia at some point 
  • The DSM-5 recognises three types of phobia
  • Specific phobia
  • Social phobia
  • Agoraphobia
• Specific phobia:

  • Sufferers show an irrational, persistent and overwhelming fear of a specific object or situation
  • There are 
  • Animal types (e.g. spiders – arachnophobia)
  • Natural environment types (e.g. heights – acrophobia)
  • Blood-injection types (e.g. blood – hemophobia)
  • Situational types (e.g. flying – aerophobia)  
  • Other types (e.g. clowns – coulrophobia)
  • Even thinking about the specific object or situation causes sufferers anxiety.This results in avoidance of the object or situation, which can have a detrimental effect on quality of life
  • This is the most common category of phobia 
• Social phobia:

  • Sufferers show an irrational, persistent and overwhelming fear of social situations such as meeting strangers, talking in groups, starting conversations, speaking on the telephone or eating and drinking with company  
  • Even thinking about social situations causes sufferers anxiety
  • This results in avoidance of these situations, which can have a detrimental effect on quality of life
  • Social phobia usually begins in adolescence, but often has no obvious trigger
• Agoraphobia

  • Sufferers show an irrational, persistent and overwhelming fear of being in a place or situation that it would be difficult or embarrassing to get out of, or where you might not be able to get help if you have a panic attack 
  • Sufferers tend to be fearful of public places such as shopping centers or public transport 
  • Even thinking about public places causes sufferers anxiety
  • This results in avoidance of these places, which can have a serious detrimental effect on quality of life as sufferers are often fearful of leaving home 
  • This is the least common category of phobia  
• Characteristics of phobias

  • The characteristics of phobias can be divided into 
  • Cognitive characteristics 
  • Emotional characteristics
  • Behavioural characteristics
• Cognitive characteristics 

  • There are two main cognitive characteristics of phobias
  • Irrational thinking
  • Recognition of irrational thinking 

  Irrational thinking:

  • Sufferers hold irrational beliefs in relation to the feared stimulus
  • For example, an individual who suffers from social phobia may believe that if they blush people will think they’re weak 
  • Sufferers will also be resistant to rational arguments 

  Recognition of irrational fear:

  • Sufferers generally recognise that the level of fear they experience in response to their feared stimulus is overstated
• Emotional characteristics 

  • There are two main emotional characteristics of phobias
  • Anxiety 
  • Fear

  Anxiety:

  • Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder
  • They are characterised by a persistent state of anxiety
  • Anxiety is particularly high when in a place associated with the feared stimulus
  • This unpleasant state of high arousal makes it difficult for sufferers to relax or experience positive emotion

  Fear:

  • Fear is the immediate response sufferers experience in the presence of or anticipation of the feared stimulus  
  • This fear is 
  • Irrational (out of proportion to any real danger presented)
  • Overwhelming
• What are the two main behavioural characteristics of phobias?

  Avoidance and endurance
• What is avoidance in the context of phobias?

  • Sufferers avoid the feared stimulus
  • Can seriously affect quality of life
  • Interferes with normal routine, occupation, social activities, and relationships
  • Causes marked distress
• How does avoidance affect a person's quality of life?

  It can have a serious detrimental effect on quality of life
• In what ways does avoidance interfere with a sufferer's life?

  It interferes with their normal routine, occupation, social activities, and relationships
• What is endurance in the context of phobias?

  Endurance is when a person chooses to remain in the presence of the feared stimulus
• Give an example of endurance in a person with arachnophobia.

  A person with arachnophobia may choose to remain in a room with a spider on the ceiling
• Why might a person with arachnophobia choose to endure the presence of a spider?

  To keep a wary eye on the spider