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Mental Health

Specific Phobia

What is specific phobia?

Specific phobia is characterized by extreme fear of an object or situation that is not harmful under general conditions.

Examples include a fear of:

What are the characteristics of specific phobia?

People with specific phobias know that their fear is excessive, but are unable to overcome their emotion. The disorder is diagnosed only when the specific fear interferes with daily activities of school, work, or home life.

Specific phobias strike more than 1 in 10 people. There is no known cause, although they seem to run in families and are slightly more prevalent in women. If the object of the fear is easy to avoid, people with phobias may not feel the need to seek treatment. Sometimes, however, they may make important career or personal decisions to avoid a situation that includes the source of the phobia.

Treatment for specific phobia:

There is currently no proven drug treatment for specific phobias, but sometimes certain medications may be prescribed to help reduce anxiety symptoms before someone faces a phobic situation.

When phobias interfere with a person's life, treatment can help, and usually involves a kind of cognitive-behavioral therapy called desensitization or exposure therapy. In this, patients are gradually exposed to what frightens them until the fear begins to fade. Relaxation and breathing exercises also help to reduce anxiety symptoms.


This page was last updated on: February 5, 2008.

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