Phobias

• What are phobias?

  They are characterised by excessive irrational fear and anxiety triggered by an object, place or situation
• What is fear?

  A natural response to a threating stimulus
• Why are phobias irrational fears?

  They are extreme reactions that are out of proportion to the phobic stimulus
• What is often a cause of phobias?

  A traumatic event
• What is the difference between a fear and a phobia?

  Phobias are irrational
• What are the three categories of phobia recognised by the DSM-5?

  Specific, social, agoraphobia
• What are specific phobias?

  Sufferers are anxious in the presence of a particular stimulusThis is the most common category
• Examples of specific phobias

  Animals, body parts, flying or having injections
• What are social phobias?


  Sufferers experience inappropriate anxiety to social situationsThis leads to avoidance affecting someone's quality of life
• Examples of social phobias


  Eating out, public speaking, using a public toilet.
• When do social phobias usually start?


  In adolescence with no clear trigger
• What is agoraphobia?

  Sufferers are anxious when they are in a situation they cannot easily leave
• Examples of agoraphobia

  Open spaces, crowds
• What is the least common category of phobias?

  Agoraphobia
• What 3 categories can characteristics of phobias broken into?

  Emotional, behavioural, cognitive
• Basic emotional category explanation (phobias)

  How you feel
• Basic behavioural category explanation (phobias)

  How you behave
• Basic cognitive category explanation (phobias)


  What you think
• What type of disorders are phobias?

  Anxiety disorders
• 2 parts of emotional characteristics of phobias?

  Anxiety, fear
• What is anxiety? (phobias)

  Phobias involve an emotional response of anxiety, an unpleasant state of high arousalThis prevents a person relaxing and makes it difficult to experience any positive emotion
• What is fear? (Phobias)

  The immediate and extremely unpleasant response we experience when we encounter or think about a phobic stimulusIt is usually more intense than anxiety but for shorter periods
• What is the phobia anxiety and fear disproportion too?

  This anxiety or fear is much greater than is normal and is disproportionate to any threat posed
• 3 parts of behavioural characteristics of phobias

  PanicAvoidance Endurance
• What is panic? (phobias)

  Crying, screaming, running away
• Panic in children (phobias)


  Freezing, clinging, tantrum
• What is avoidance? (phobias)

  Makes conscious effort to not go near the phobic stimulusThis makes is hard to go about daily life
• What is endurance? (phobias)


  Alternative to avoidance Choosing to remain in the presence of the phobic stimulus
• 3 parts of cognitive characteristics of phobias?

  • Selective attention to phobic stimulus
  • irrational beliefs
  • Cognitive distortions
• What is selective attention to phobic stimulus? (phobias)

  • If a person can see the phobic stimulus it is hard to look away from it
  • Keeping attention on something dangerous is good as it gives us the best chance of reacting quickly but this isn't useful if the fear is irrational
• What are irrational beliefs? (phobias)

  • A person with a phobia may have unfounded thoughts in relation to a phobic stimulus
  • These beliefs increase the pressure on individuals within these situation
• What is cognitive distortions? (phobias)

  Perceptions by a person with a phobia may be inaccurate and unrealistic