Characteristics of Phobias

• What are the 3 types of phobia outlined by the DSM-5?


  Specific Phobias

  Social Phobias

  Agraphobia
• What is a specific phobia?


  Fear of particular objects or situations
• What is a social phobia?


  Fear of social situations
• What is agoraphobia?


  Fear of outside or public spaces
• What are the 3 behavioural characteristics of Phobias?


  Panic

  Avoidance

  Endurance
• What behaviours shown when in Panic?


  Crying, screaming or running away
• How may people with phobias practice Avoidance?


  Limit their contact with phobic stimulus that may be involved in daily life
• What is an example of people with a phobia practicing avoidance?


  Phobia of public toilets mean they only leave home for limited time periods in order to not have to use a public toilet.
• How may a person with a phobia practice Endurance?


  Remaining in the presence of the phobic stimulus in order to keep an eye on it
• What is an example of a person with a phobia practicing endurance?


  Someone with arachnophobia remaining i the room with a spider in order to watch the spider and keep a safe distance from it
• What are the 3 emotional characteristics of Phobia?


  Anxiety

  Fear

  Unreasonable
• How is anxiety shown in a phobia?


  Long term effect of an unpleasant state of high arousal that prevents relaxation or positive emotions
• How is fear shown in phobia?


  An immediate & extreme unpleasant experience to phobic stimulus
• How is an unreasonable emotional response shown in phobia?


  Disproportionate response to threat posed & high anxiety/fear level than ‘normal’
• What are the 3 cognitive characteristics of Phobias?


  Selective Attention

  Irrational Beliefs

  Cognitive Distortions
• How do people with phobias show selective attention?


  Inability to look away from the phobic stimulus and focus on other things besides their irrational fear
• How do people with phobias show irrational beliefs?


  Have unfounded thoughts about the phobic stimulus with no basis in reality or with an explanation
• How do people with phobia show cognitive distortions?


  Perception of phobic stimulus becomes inaccurate & unrealistic