Phobias

• Behavioural characteristics include, avoidance, freezing on the spot, fainting or the fight or flight response.
• Emotional characteristics include panic and anxiety, immediate fear response or a panic attack caused by exposure to specific situation or object.
• Cognitive characteristics include irrational thoughts, resistance to logic, cognitive distortion and negative perceptions.
• Phobias are characterised by excessive fear and anxiety, triggered by an object, place or situation.
• The DSM criteria recognises specific and social phobias.
• Behavioural characteristics are based on the way people act.
• Cognitive characteristics are based on how people think.
• Emotional characteristics are based on how people feel.
• Panic and running away is a behavioural characteristic.
• Avoidance is a behavioural characteristic.
• Anxiety is an emotional characteristic of phobias.
• Fear is an emotional characteristic of phobias.
• Irrational thoughts are cognitive characteristics of a phobia.
• Cognitive distortions/ perceptions are a characteristic of phobias.