Specific Phobias - Chapter 5 Content

Question 1

Define what a specific phobia is.

Answer 1

An unreasonable fear of a specific object or situation that markedly interfere with daily life functioning

Question 2

DSM criteria for specific phobia.

Answer 2

A. marked fear or anxiety of specific object of situation
B. provokes immediate fear
C. actively avoided
D. fear is out of proportion
E. fear, anxiety and avoidance is persistent, lasting for 6 months or longer

Specifiers: animal, natural environment, blood-injection-injurt, situational, other

Question 3

Define Social anxiety disorder.

Answer 3

Extreme, enduring, irrational fear and avoidance of social or performance situations.

Specifier: performance only

Question 4

What are some of the symptoms of specific phobias?

Answer 4

Physical: sweating, racing heart, shaking
Cognitive: catastrophic thinking (the plane is gonna crash), discounting thinking (i can’t handle this)
Behavioural: avoidance, escaping, safety behaviours

Question 5

Define Blood injection Injury phobia

Answer 5

vasovagal syncope, the only phobia that has a history of fainting, disease avoidance model (explaining that this phobia might have developed from disgust with blood)

Question 6

How do specific phobias develop?

Answer 6

-negative personal experience
-observation of negative experiences in others
-observation of fear or avoidance in others
-taught to be afraid
-no memory

*usually begins in childhood

Question 7

Treatments for specific phobias

Answer 7

Exposure treatment, applied tension (teaching how to tense muscle for blood injection), virtual reality

Question 8

Difference between being shy and having SAD

Answer 8

Shy: personality trait, feeling awkward, common, worried about what others think

SAD: mental illness, extreme fear, social situations are avoided, chronic and pervasive

Question 9

Causes of SAD

Answer 9

Environment, genetics, stressful/embarrassing situation, gradula onset, life change with new social role

*usually starts in childhood

Question 10

treatment for SAD

Answer 10

CBT: challenge negative thinking, gradual exposure

Medications: SSRI and SNRI (everyday, long term use), Benzodiazepines (short term, fast acting), beta blockers (interferes with adrenaline to produce no physical symptoms)