This document discusses phobias, which are persistent and excessive fears that are irrational or disproportionate to the actual threat. There are three main types of phobias: specific phobias which involve fears of objects like animals or situations; social anxiety disorder where people fear social humiliation; and agoraphobia which is a fear of being in public places. Phobias cause people to avoid triggers and experience anxiety symptoms. While some childhood phobias are short-term, most adult phobias are chronic without treatment, which typically involves psychotherapy and medication.

1. Phobia
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2. What is phobia?
∙ A phobia is a persistent, excessive,
unrealistic fear of an object, person,
animal, activity or situation. It is a type of
anxiety disorder. A person with a phobia
either tries to avoid the thing that triggers
the fear, or endures it with great anxiety
and distress.

3. ∙ Some phobias are very specific and limited. For example, a
person may fear only spiders (arachnophobia) or cats
(ailurophobia). In this case, the person lives relatively free of
anxiety by avoiding the thing he or she fears. Some phobias
cause trouble in a wider variety of places or situations. For
example, symptoms of acrophobia (fear of heights) can be
triggered by looking out the window of an office building or by
driving over a high bridge. The fear of confined spaces
(claustrophobia) can be triggered by riding in an elevator or
by using a small restroom. People with these phobias may
need to alter their lives drastically. In extreme cases, the
phobia may dictate the person's employment, job location,
driving route, recreational and social activities, or home
environment.

4. There are three major types of phobia:
Specific phobia
(simple phobia)
Social anxiety
disorder
(formerly called
"social phobia")
Agoraphobia

5. Specific phobia
(simple phobia)
∙ With this most common form of phobia,
people may fear specific animals (such as
dogs, cats, spiders, snakes), people (such
as clowns, dentists, doctors), environments
(such as dark places, thunderstorms, high
places) or situations (such as flying in a
plane, riding on a train, being in a confined
space). These conditions are at least partly
genetic (inherited) and seem to run in
families.

6. Social anxiety
disorder
∙ People with social anxiety disorder fear social
situations where they may be humiliated,
embarrassed or judged by others. They become
particularly anxious when unfamiliar people are
involved. The fear may be limited to performance,
such as giving a lecture, concert or business
presentation. Or it may be more generalized, so that
the phobic person avoids many social situations, such
as eating in public or using a public restroom. Social
phobia seems to run in families. People who have
been shy or solitary as children, or who have a history
of unhappy or negative social experiences in
childhood, seem more likely to develop this disorder

7. Agoraphobia
∙ Agoraphobia is a fear of being in public
places where it would be difficult or
embarrassing to make a sudden exit. A
person with agoraphobia may avoid going
to a movie or a concert, or traveling on a
bus or a train. Many people with
agoraphobia also have panic symptoms or
panic disorder (which involves intense fear
plus uncomfortable physical symptoms,
such as trembling, heart palpitations and
sweating).

8. ∙ Childhood phobias occur most commonly between the
ages of 5 and 9, and tend to last a short while. Most
longer-lasting phobias begin later in life, especially in
people in their 20s. Adult phobias tend to last for many
years, and they are less likely to go away on their own,
unless they are treated. Phobia can increase an adult's
risk of other types of psychiatric illness, especially other
anxiety disorders, depression and substance abuse.

10. Symptoms
Excessive, unreasonable, persistent
feelings of fear or anxiety
Feelings are either irrational or out of
proportion
Avoidance of the object, activity or
situation that triggers the phobia
Anxiety-related physical symptoms

11. Excessive, unreasonable,
persistent feelings of fear or
anxiety that are triggered by a
particular object, activity or
situation.
Feelings are either irrational or
out of proportion to any actual
threat. For example, while
anyone may be afraid of an
unrestrained, menacing dog,
most people do not run away
from a calm, quiet animal on a
leash.

12. Avoidance of the object, activity or
situation that triggers the
phobia. Because people who have
phobias recognize that their fears
are exaggerated, they are often
ashamed or embarrassed about
their symptoms. To prevent anxiety
symptoms or embarrassment, they
avoid the triggers for the phobia.
Anxiety-related physical
symptoms. These can include
tremors, palpitations, sweating,
shortness of breath, dizziness,
nausea or other symptoms that
reflect the body's "fight or flight"
response to danger. (Symptoms
such as these may lead to a
diagnosis of panic disorder.)

13. Expected Duration
∙ In children, specific phobias can be short-
term problems that disappear within a few
months. In adults, about 80% of new
phobias become chronic (long-term)
conditions that do not go away without
proper treatment.

14. Treatment
∙ Treatment usually includes some
combination of psychotherapy and
medication depending on the type of
phobia

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