A specific phobia is an
intense fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Some of
the more common specific phobias are centered around closed-in places,
heights, escalators, tunnels, highway driving, water, flying, dogs, and
injuries involving blood. Such phobias aren't just extreme fear; they are
irrational fear of a particular thing. You may be able to ski the world's
tallest mountains with ease but be unable to go above the 5th floor of an
office building. While adults with phobias realize that these fears are
irrational, they often find that facing, or even thinking about facing,
the feared object or situation brings on a panic attack or severe
anxiety.
Specific phobias affect an estimated 6.3 million adult
Americans and are twice as common in women as in men. The causes of
specific phobias are not well understood, though there is some evidence
that these phobias may run in families. Specific phobias usually first
appear during childhood or adolescence and tend to persist into
adulthood.
If the object of the fear is easy to avoid, people with
specific phobias may not feel the need to seek treatment. Sometimes,
though, they may make important career or personal decisions to avoid a
phobic situation, and if this avoidance is carried to extreme lengths, it
can be disabling. Specific phobias are highly treatable with carefully
targeted psychotherapy.
See Also:
Treatment of Anxiety
Disorders
Source: U.S. National Institute of Mental
Health |
