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:

The health care provider will ask about your history of phobia, and will get a description of the behavior from you, your family, and friends.

Signs include:

• Elevated blood pressure
• Rapid heart rate