Phobia's
Is your phobia out of control?
is it really affecting your life?
Stop you from doing daily tasks?
Shakes you up every time?
Shocks you out of your body in a flash?
A phobia (from the Greek meaning "fear" or "morbid
fear") is, when used in the context of clinical psychology, a type of anxiety
disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in
which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically
disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as
irrational. In the event the phobia cannot be avoided entirely, the sufferer
will endure the situation or object with marked distress and significant
interference in social or occupational activities.
The terms distress and impairment as defined by
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition should
also take into account the context of the sufferer's environment if attempting a
diagnosis. The DSM-IV-TR states that if a phobic stimulus, whether it be an
object or a social situation, is absent entirely in an environment — a
diagnosis cannot be made. An example of this situation would be an individual
who has a fear of mice but lives in an area devoid of mice. Even though
the concept of mice causes marked distress and impairment within the individual,
because the individual does not encounter mice in the environment no actual
distress or impairment is ever experienced. Proximity and the degree to which
escape from the phobic stimulus is impossible should also be considered. As the
sufferer approaches a phobic stimulus, anxiety levels increase (e.g. as one gets
closer to a snake, fear increases ), and the degree to which escape of the
phobic stimulus is limited has the effect of varying the intensity of fear in
instances such as riding an elevator (e.g. anxiety increases at the midway point
between floors and decreases when the floor is reached and the doors
open).
Finally, a point warranting clarification is that the term
phobia is an encompassing term and when discussed is usually done in terms of
specific phobias and social phobias, Specific phobias are nouns such as
arachnophobia or acrophobia which, as the name implies, are specific, and
social phobia are phobias within social situations such as public speaking and
crowded areas.
Clinical
Phobias
Psychologists
and psychiatrists classify most phobias into three categories and, according to
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition such
phobias are considered to be sub-types of anxiety disorder. The three
categories are:
1.Social
phobia: fears other people or social situations such as performance anxiety or
fears of embarrassment by scrutiny of others, such as eating in public.
Overcoming social phobia is often very difficult without the help of therapy or
support groups. Social phobia may be further subdivided into generalized social
phobia
(also
known as social anxiety disorder or simply social
anxiety).
specific
social phobia, in which anxiety is triggered only in specific situations.
The symptoms may extend to psychosomatic manifestation of physical problems. For
example, sufferers of paruresis find it difficult or impossible to urinate
in reduced levels of privacy. This goes far beyond mere preference: when the
condition triggers, the person physically cannot empty their
bladder.
2. Specific
phobias: fear of a single specific panic trigger such as spiders, snakes, dogs,
water, heights, flying, catching a specific illness, etc. Many people have these
fears but to a lesser degree than those who suffer from specific phobias. People
with the phobias specifically avoid the entity they fear.
3.
Agoraphobia: a generalized fear of leaving home or a small familiar 'safe' area,
and of possible panic attacks that might follow. It may also be caused by
various specific phobias such as fear of open spaces, social embarrassment
(social agoraphobia), fear of contamination (fear of germs, possibly complicated
by obsessive compulsive disorder) or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder)
related to a trauma that occurred out of doors.
Phobias
vary in severity among individuals. Some individuals can simply avoid the
subject of their fear and suffer relatively mild anxiety over that fear. Others
suffer full-fledged panic attacks with all the associated disabling symptoms.
Most individuals understand that they are suffering from an irrational fear, but
they are powerless to override their initial panic reaction.
Specific
phobias
As
briefly mentioned above, a specific phobia is a marked and persistent fear of an
object or situation which brings about an excessive or unreasonable fear when in
the presence of, or anticipating, a specific object; furthermore, the specific
phobias may also include concerns with losing control, panicking, and fainting
which is the direct result of an encounter with the phobia. The important
distinction from social phobias are specific phobias are defined in regards to
objects or situations whereas social phobias emphasizes more on social fear and
the evaluations that might accompany them.
The
DSM breaks specific phobias into five subtypes: Animal, Natural Environment,
Blood-Injection-Injury, Situational, and Other. In children, phobias involving
Animals, Natural Environment (darkness), and Blood-Injection-Injury usually
develop between the ages of 7 and 9, and these are reflective of normal
development. Additionally, specific phobias are most prevalent in children
between ages 10 and 13.
Diagnosis
Marked
and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or
anticipation of a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals,
receiving an injection, seeing blood).
Exposure
to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response,
which may take the form of a situationally bound or situationally predisposed
panic attack. Note: In children, the anxiety may be expressed by crying,
tantrums, freezing, or clinging.
The
person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable. Note: In
children, this feature may be absent.
The
phobic situation(s) is avoided or else is endured with intense anxiety or
distress.
The
avoidance, anxious anticipation or distress in the feared situation(s)
interferes significantly with the person's normal routine, occupational (or
academic) functioning, or social activities or relationships, or there is marked
distress about having the phobia.
In
individuals under the age of 18, the duration is at least 6
months.
The
anxiety, panic attack, or phobic avoidance associated with the specific object
or situation are not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (e.g., fear of dirt in someone with an obsession
about contamination), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (e.g., avoidance of
stimuli associated with a severe stressor), Separation Anxiety Disorder (e.g.,
avoidance of school), Social Phobia (e.g, avoidance of social situations because
of fear of embarrassment), panic disorder With Agoraphobia, or Agoraphobia
Without History of Panic Disorder.
Social phobia
The
key difference between specific phobias and social phobias is social phobias
include fear of public situations and scrutiny which leads to embarrassment or
humiliation in the diagnostic criteria. In social phobias, there is also a
generalized category which is included as a specifier below. Unlike specific
phobias which may develop before the age of 10, social phobias are typically not
present until pubertal transition. After this transition, the prevalence of
social phobia increases with age. Many adolescents who develop a social phobia
consequentially become rejected by their peers. As interpersonal dysfunction is
a risk factor for depression, there are some negative outcomes for adolescents
with social phobia. For example, about 20% of adolescents diagnosed with a
social phobia also suffer from depression and use alcohol or other
substances.
is it really affecting your life?
Stop you from doing daily tasks?
Shakes you up every time?
Shocks you out of your body in a flash?
A phobia (from the Greek meaning "fear" or "morbid
fear") is, when used in the context of clinical psychology, a type of anxiety
disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in
which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically
disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as
irrational. In the event the phobia cannot be avoided entirely, the sufferer
will endure the situation or object with marked distress and significant
interference in social or occupational activities.
The terms distress and impairment as defined by
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition should
also take into account the context of the sufferer's environment if attempting a
diagnosis. The DSM-IV-TR states that if a phobic stimulus, whether it be an
object or a social situation, is absent entirely in an environment — a
diagnosis cannot be made. An example of this situation would be an individual
who has a fear of mice but lives in an area devoid of mice. Even though
the concept of mice causes marked distress and impairment within the individual,
because the individual does not encounter mice in the environment no actual
distress or impairment is ever experienced. Proximity and the degree to which
escape from the phobic stimulus is impossible should also be considered. As the
sufferer approaches a phobic stimulus, anxiety levels increase (e.g. as one gets
closer to a snake, fear increases ), and the degree to which escape of the
phobic stimulus is limited has the effect of varying the intensity of fear in
instances such as riding an elevator (e.g. anxiety increases at the midway point
between floors and decreases when the floor is reached and the doors
open).
Finally, a point warranting clarification is that the term
phobia is an encompassing term and when discussed is usually done in terms of
specific phobias and social phobias, Specific phobias are nouns such as
arachnophobia or acrophobia which, as the name implies, are specific, and
social phobia are phobias within social situations such as public speaking and
crowded areas.
Clinical
Phobias
Psychologists
and psychiatrists classify most phobias into three categories and, according to
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition such
phobias are considered to be sub-types of anxiety disorder. The three
categories are:
1.Social
phobia: fears other people or social situations such as performance anxiety or
fears of embarrassment by scrutiny of others, such as eating in public.
Overcoming social phobia is often very difficult without the help of therapy or
support groups. Social phobia may be further subdivided into generalized social
phobia
(also
known as social anxiety disorder or simply social
anxiety).
specific
social phobia, in which anxiety is triggered only in specific situations.
The symptoms may extend to psychosomatic manifestation of physical problems. For
example, sufferers of paruresis find it difficult or impossible to urinate
in reduced levels of privacy. This goes far beyond mere preference: when the
condition triggers, the person physically cannot empty their
bladder.
2. Specific
phobias: fear of a single specific panic trigger such as spiders, snakes, dogs,
water, heights, flying, catching a specific illness, etc. Many people have these
fears but to a lesser degree than those who suffer from specific phobias. People
with the phobias specifically avoid the entity they fear.
3.
Agoraphobia: a generalized fear of leaving home or a small familiar 'safe' area,
and of possible panic attacks that might follow. It may also be caused by
various specific phobias such as fear of open spaces, social embarrassment
(social agoraphobia), fear of contamination (fear of germs, possibly complicated
by obsessive compulsive disorder) or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder)
related to a trauma that occurred out of doors.
Phobias
vary in severity among individuals. Some individuals can simply avoid the
subject of their fear and suffer relatively mild anxiety over that fear. Others
suffer full-fledged panic attacks with all the associated disabling symptoms.
Most individuals understand that they are suffering from an irrational fear, but
they are powerless to override their initial panic reaction.
Specific
phobias
As
briefly mentioned above, a specific phobia is a marked and persistent fear of an
object or situation which brings about an excessive or unreasonable fear when in
the presence of, or anticipating, a specific object; furthermore, the specific
phobias may also include concerns with losing control, panicking, and fainting
which is the direct result of an encounter with the phobia. The important
distinction from social phobias are specific phobias are defined in regards to
objects or situations whereas social phobias emphasizes more on social fear and
the evaluations that might accompany them.
The
DSM breaks specific phobias into five subtypes: Animal, Natural Environment,
Blood-Injection-Injury, Situational, and Other. In children, phobias involving
Animals, Natural Environment (darkness), and Blood-Injection-Injury usually
develop between the ages of 7 and 9, and these are reflective of normal
development. Additionally, specific phobias are most prevalent in children
between ages 10 and 13.
Diagnosis
Marked
and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or
anticipation of a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals,
receiving an injection, seeing blood).
Exposure
to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response,
which may take the form of a situationally bound or situationally predisposed
panic attack. Note: In children, the anxiety may be expressed by crying,
tantrums, freezing, or clinging.
The
person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable. Note: In
children, this feature may be absent.
The
phobic situation(s) is avoided or else is endured with intense anxiety or
distress.
The
avoidance, anxious anticipation or distress in the feared situation(s)
interferes significantly with the person's normal routine, occupational (or
academic) functioning, or social activities or relationships, or there is marked
distress about having the phobia.
In
individuals under the age of 18, the duration is at least 6
months.
The
anxiety, panic attack, or phobic avoidance associated with the specific object
or situation are not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (e.g., fear of dirt in someone with an obsession
about contamination), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (e.g., avoidance of
stimuli associated with a severe stressor), Separation Anxiety Disorder (e.g.,
avoidance of school), Social Phobia (e.g, avoidance of social situations because
of fear of embarrassment), panic disorder With Agoraphobia, or Agoraphobia
Without History of Panic Disorder.
Social phobia
The
key difference between specific phobias and social phobias is social phobias
include fear of public situations and scrutiny which leads to embarrassment or
humiliation in the diagnostic criteria. In social phobias, there is also a
generalized category which is included as a specifier below. Unlike specific
phobias which may develop before the age of 10, social phobias are typically not
present until pubertal transition. After this transition, the prevalence of
social phobia increases with age. Many adolescents who develop a social phobia
consequentially become rejected by their peers. As interpersonal dysfunction is
a risk factor for depression, there are some negative outcomes for adolescents
with social phobia. For example, about 20% of adolescents diagnosed with a
social phobia also suffer from depression and use alcohol or other
substances.