Phobias

Question 1

What type of disorder is a phobia?

Answer 1

They are anxiety disorders

Question 2

Is a fear, a phobia?

Answer 2

No, a fear of something is not a phobia

Question 3

What are all phobias characterised by?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What is a specific phobia?

Answer 4

A phobia of an object (such as an animal or body part) or a situation (such as flying or having an injection)

Question 5

What is a social phobia?

Answer 5

A phobia of a social situation such as public speaking or using a public toliet

Question 6

What is Agoraphobia?

Answer 6

A phobia of being outside or in a public place

Question 7

What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?

Answer 7

Avoidance behaviours
Fight or flight
Panic (screaming, crying, running away or freezing)
Endurance

Question 8

What are the emotional characteristics of a phobia?

Answer 8

Anxiety (long term, can’t relax, no positive emotions)
Fear (immediate, intense)
Distressed (crying)

Question 9

What are the cognitive characteristics of a phobia?

Answer 9

Irrational beliefs
Selective attention to the phobic stimulus
Cognitive distortions