Characteristics of phobias

Question 1

What are phobias?

Answer 1

Anxiety disorders characterised by extreme, irrational, uncontrollable fears

Question 2

What is the occurrence rate of phobias?

Answer 2

10% of people will suffer from a phobia at some point, with females having twice the incidence rate as men

Question 3

When do most phobias originate?

Answer 3

In childhood

Question 4

What are the behavioural symptoms of phobias?

Answer 4

Avoidant/anxiety response: Efforts are made to avoid the feared objects and situations in order to reduce anxiety responses

Disruption of functioning: Anxiety and avoidance responses are so severe that they interfere with the ability to conduct everyday working and social functioning

Question 5

What are the emotional symptoms of phobias?

Answer 5

Persistent, excessive fear: Phobias produce high levels of anxiety due to the presence or anticipation of feared objects and situations

Fear from exposure to phobic stimulus: Phobias produce an immediate fear response, even panic attacks, due to the presentation of the phobic object/situation

Question 6

What are the cognitive symptoms of phobias?

Answer 6

Recognition of exaggerated anxiety: Generally, phobics are consciously aware that the anxiety levels they experience are overstated

Question 7

What are the three sub-types of phobias?

Answer 7

• Simple
• Social
• Agoraphobia

Question 8

What is a simple phobia?

Answer 8

Sufferers have fears of specific things and environments, such as astraphobia (the fear of thunderstorms), and coulrophobia

Question 9

What are simple phobias further divisible into?

Answer 9

• Animal, e.g. arachnophobia
• Injury, e.g. haematophobia - fear of blood
• Situational, e.g. aerophobia - fear of flying
• Natural environment, e.g. hydrophobia

Question 10

What are social phobias and what are the further divisions of social phobias?

Answer 10

Involve being over-anxious in social situations due to the perception of being judged and feeling inadequate

• Performance
• Interaction
• Generalised

Question 11

What is agoraphobia?

Answer 11

The fear of leaving home or a safe place, often occurring with panic attacks because the fear of being in open spaces generates vulnerability and panic. This phobia can also be brought about by simple phobias such as fear of contamination or social embarrassment

Question 12

Which phobias have the earliest onset?

Answer 12

Animal phobias followed by other simple phobias, social phobias and the agoraphobia