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Phobia - simple/specific - Symptom

Symptoms:

  • Exposure to the feared object provokes an anxiety reaction.
  • The anxiety and discomfort is out of proportion to the real threat of the feared object.
  • The person may experience excessive sweating, poor motor control, or rapid heart rate.
  • The person avoids situations in which contact with the feared object or animal may occur -- for example, avoiding driving through tunnels, if tunnels are the subject of the specific phobia. This type of avoidance can interfere with job and social functioning.
  • The person may feel weak or cowardly and lose self-esteem when avoiding the object of the phobia.

Signs and tests:

  • Reviewed last on: 11/15/2006
  • Paul Ballas, D.O., Department of Psychiatry, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.