Types and characteristics

• what type of disorder are phobias?

  anxiety disorders
• what are anxiety disorders categorised by?


  excessive fear and anxiety
• what is fear?


  the emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat
• what is anxiety?


  the anticipation of future or potential future threat.
• where does the word phobia come from?

  phobus, the god of fear
• what is the defintinion of a phobia?

  a phobia may be defined as excessive fear and anxiety triggered by an object, place or situation.
• what are the three categories of phobias?


  specific phobia, social phobia, agoraphobia
• what is a specific phobia?

  fear of objects (most commonly animals), events (such as flying) or a situation (such as enclosed spaces.)
• what is social phobia?


  fear of social situations such as public speaking, parties or meeting new people.
• what is agoraphobia?


  'fear of the market place.' of public places (not open space), of leaving the safety of home.
• which phobias are more common in women than men?

  specifc phobia and agoraphobia
• when is social phobia most prevalent?

  in adolescence
• when is agoraphobia more prevalent?

  in middle age
• what are the broad diagnostic criteria for all phobia types outlined by the DSM-5?

  - marked by fear or anxiety about the object or situation.

  - the object or situation almost always provokes an anxiety response.

  - the object or situation is avoided or endured with intense fear.

  - the fear and anxiety are out of proportion to the real threat.

  - persistent (symptoms have lasted 6 months or more)

  - causes distress or impairment in social, occupational or other functioning.
• how much of the DSM-5 criteria must be met to be diagnosed with a phobia?

  All
• what are the three sub-categories of phobia characteristics?

  emotional, behavioural and cognitive
• what are the emotional characteristics of phobias?

  - Anxiety - feelings of worry and stress in the presence of the object or situation. Can be difficult to experience positive emotions.

  - fear - feelings of terror and unpleasent response when encountering the phobic stimulus. Usally shorter term but more intense.

  - unreasonable - the anxiety and fear is greater than what is 'normal' and disproportionate to any threat posed.
• what are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?

  - panic - can involve crying, screaming, running away or freezing, clinging and tantrums in children.

  - avoidance - go to a lot of effort to prevent being in contact of the phobia. This can make it hard to go about daily life.

  - endurance - the person may choose to remain in presence of the phobic stimulus rather than avoid it.
• what are the cognitive?

  • selective attention to phobic stimulus - struggle to focus as they are paying attention to the threat.
  • irrational beliefs
  • cognitive distortions - perceptions are inaccurate or unrealistic