Anxiety

Specific Phobia

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Specific Phobia, Simple Phobia, Phobic Anxiety Disorder, Phobia

  • See Also
  1. Social Phobia
  2. School Phobia
  3. Agoraphobia
  4. Anxiety Disorder
  5. Anxiety Secondary Cause
  6. Anxiety Symptoms
  7. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  8. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  9. Body Dysmorphic Disorder
  10. Panic Disorder
  11. Acute Stress Disorder
  12. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  13. Excessive Worry
  14. Anxiety Non-pharmacologic Management
  15. Anxiety Pharmacologic Management
  • Definitions
  1. Specific Phobia (Simple Phobia, Phobic Anxiety Disorder)
    1. Severe, intense, irrational fear leading to panic of a specific trigger (e.g. Spiders, air travel, heights, elevators, enclosed spaces)
    2. Specific trigger almost always causes the reaction of intense fear and anxiety
    3. Fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual risk of the specific trigger, object or situation
  • Findings
  1. Severe, intense, irrational fear leading to panic of a specific trigger (e.g. Spiders, air travel, heights, elevators, enclosed spaces)
  2. Specific trigger consistently (>6 months) causes the reaction of intense fear and anxiety
  3. Fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual risk of the specific trigger, object or situation
  4. Examples
    1. Social Phobia
    2. School Phobia
    3. Agoraphobia
  • Differential Diagnosis
  1. Social Anxiety Disorder
  2. Separation Anxiety Disorder
  3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  4. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  5. Agoraphobia
  • References
  1. Kowalchuk (2022) Am Fam Physician 106(6): 657-64 [PubMed]