Phobias

• DSM-5 categories of phobia

  • Specific phobia
  • Social anxiety (social phobia)
  • Agoraphobia
• Phobias

  • Characterised by excessive fear and anxiety, triggered by an object, place or situation
  • The extent of the fear is out of proportion to any real danger presented by the phobic stimulus
• The latest version of the DSM recognises the following categories of phobia and related anxiety disorder:
• Specific phobia

  Phobia of an object, such as an animal or body part, or a situation such as flying or having an injection
• Social anxiety (social phobia)

  Phobia of a social situation such as public speaking or using a public toilet
• Agoraphobia

  Phobia of being outside or in a public place
• Behavioural characteristics of phobias

  • Feeling high levels of anxiety and trying to escape
  • Panic, which may involve crying, screaming or running away
  • Avoidance of the phobic stimulus
  • Endurance, where the person chooses to remain in the presence of the phobic stimulus
• Emotional characteristics of phobias

  • Anxiety, an unpleasant state of high arousal
  • Fear, the immediate and extremely unpleasant response when encountering or thinking about a phobic stimulus
  • Emotional response is unreasonable and disproportionate to any threat posed
• Cognitive characteristics of phobias

  • Selective attention to the phobic stimulus
  • Irrational beliefs about phobic stimuli
  • Cognitive distortions, where perceptions are inaccurate and unrealistic