Phobias

• What is a phobia?

  An irrational fear of a particular stimulus or situation which causes high levels of anxiety and interferes with normal living.
• What are the three categories of phobia recognised by the DSM-5?

  1, Specific phobia = fear of a specific object or situation 2, Social phobia = fear of social situations 3, Agoraphobia = fear of being trapped in a public place where escape is difficult
• What 3 types of characteristics can we use to identify the symptoms of a phobia?

  Emotional, cognitive and behavioural
• What are two emotional characteristics of phobias?

  Persistent fear and anxiety
• What are 3 behavioural characteristics of phobias?

  Avoidance, freeze or faint, panic (crying, screaming)
• What are 3 cognitive characteristics of phobias?

  Irrational thoughts, awareness of their unreasonable thoughts, selective attention to phobic stimulus
• What is meant by a cognitive characteristic of phobias?

  The way a phobic stimulus makes a person think
• What is meant by an emotional characteristic of phobias?

  The way a phobic stimulus makes a person feel
• What is meant by a behavioural characteristic of phobias?

  The way a phobic stimulus makes a person act