Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is a Phobia?DiagnosisTypesPreventionTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is a Phobia?
Diagnosis
Types
Prevention
Treatment
A phobia is an excessive, persistent, and irrational fear of something, and is a type of anxiety disorder. It can be directed toward objects, places, activities, situations, animals, or people.We all try to avoid things that make us feel uncomfortable, but people with phobias work hard to avoid what scares them, so much so that it disrupts their daily activities. Symptoms can range from mildly inconvenient (like sweating) to disabling (like avoidance behaviors that make someone miss out on important opportunities).
MarioGuti / Getty Images
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that magnifies perceived threats and trigger exaggerated stress responses.
The American Psychiatric Association identifies three major categories of phobias:
Specific PhobiasAcrophobia:Fear of heightsAmaxophobia: Fear of drivingAndrophobia:Fear of menArachnophobia: Fear of spidersAutomatonophobia: Fear of animatronicsChronophobia:Fear of timeCynophobia:Fear of dogsMysophobia:Fear of germsMegalophobia: Fear of large objectsPedophobia:Fear of childrenPhasmophobia: Fear of ghostsSpectrophobia:Fear of mirrorsThalassophobia:Fear of deep waterTocophobia:Fear of childbirthTrypophobia:Fear of repetitive patterns of holesZoophobia:Fear of animals
Specific Phobias
Acrophobia:Fear of heightsAmaxophobia: Fear of drivingAndrophobia:Fear of menArachnophobia: Fear of spidersAutomatonophobia: Fear of animatronicsChronophobia:Fear of timeCynophobia:Fear of dogsMysophobia:Fear of germsMegalophobia: Fear of large objectsPedophobia:Fear of childrenPhasmophobia: Fear of ghostsSpectrophobia:Fear of mirrorsThalassophobia:Fear of deep waterTocophobia:Fear of childbirthTrypophobia:Fear of repetitive patterns of holesZoophobia:Fear of animals
Symptoms
Symptoms often overlap across different types of phobias. Commonly experienced psychosocial and physical reactions related to phobias include:
The Difference Between Fear and PhobiaEveryone experiences fear, but not everyone has a phobia. The difference exists in the degree of anxiety involved and how long a high level of anxiety persists. For example, it’s normal to feel anxious around your neighbor’s pit bull, but you may have a phobia if you avoid your neighbor for fear of seeing their dog. What people with phobias are afraid of usually poses little to no danger. Also, regular, everyday fears do not require treatment, while phobias can become chronically impairing in the absence of treatment.
The Difference Between Fear and Phobia
Everyone experiences fear, but not everyone has a phobia. The difference exists in the degree of anxiety involved and how long a high level of anxiety persists. For example, it’s normal to feel anxious around your neighbor’s pit bull, but you may have a phobia if you avoid your neighbor for fear of seeing their dog. What people with phobias are afraid of usually poses little to no danger. Also, regular, everyday fears do not require treatment, while phobias can become chronically impairing in the absence of treatment.
Diagnosis of phobias is based on criteria from theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5thEdition(DSM-5) and requires the response to be disproportionate to any actual threat.
Necessary elements of a phobia diagnosis include:
A mental health professional may ask about current symptoms and family history, particularly whether other family members have had phobias.You may also be asked about any experience or trauma that may have set off the phobia, such as a dog attack leading to a fear of dogs.
When to Seek HelpGetting help is an effective way to treat phobias. If you are experiencing new or worsening symptoms of phobias, it is essential that you seek help to reduce its impact on your livelihood and quality of life. If your current treatment plan has stopped working, you should also connect with your healthcare provider.Remember that your practitioner or mental health professional understands the nature of your phobias and can help you recover.For more information on ways to get help, visit:Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)Phobics Anonymous at (760) 322-COPE
When to Seek Help
Getting help is an effective way to treat phobias. If you are experiencing new or worsening symptoms of phobias, it is essential that you seek help to reduce its impact on your livelihood and quality of life. If your current treatment plan has stopped working, you should also connect with your healthcare provider.Remember that your practitioner or mental health professional understands the nature of your phobias and can help you recover.For more information on ways to get help, visit:Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)Phobics Anonymous at (760) 322-COPE
Getting help is an effective way to treat phobias. If you are experiencing new or worsening symptoms of phobias, it is essential that you seek help to reduce its impact on your livelihood and quality of life. If your current treatment plan has stopped working, you should also connect with your healthcare provider.
Remember that your practitioner or mental health professional understands the nature of your phobias and can help you recover.
For more information on ways to get help, visit:
Childhood phobias typically present between ages 5 and 9, and go way beyond the typical fears of childhood and can be life-disrupting. They are often short-lived, however, and disappear within a few months. While children with phobias can fear the same things as children without phobias, the key difference is that for a phobic child, there is no on-off switch for the fear. It’s ever-present and so extreme that it interferes with their ability to relax, concentrate, and enjoy activities.
In adults, about 80% of new phobias become chronic conditions that do not go away without proper treatment.
How to Address Scopophobia and Anxiety
Social Anxiety Disorder
Men and women are affected equally with this disorder. This condition affects about 7% of Americans.People with social phobia can experience extreme difficulty in social activities, from dating and meeting new people to answering questions in school and interviewing for jobs. People with social phobia can lost out on opportunities as a result of aversion and avoidance.
People with social phobia are at high risk for alcohol or other drug use because they may come to rely on these substances to relax in social situations.
Agoraphobia
The fear and aversion in agoraphobia comes from feeling unable to easily escape or get help. Diagnosis requires a marked fear or anxiety about two (or more) of the following five situations: Using public transportation, being in open spaces, being in enclosed spaces (e.g., shops, theaters, cinemas), standing in line or being in a crowd, and being outside the home alone.
Agoraphobia sometimes occurs when a person has had a panic attack and begins to fear situations that might lead to another panic attack.
Having a specific phobia means responding unfavorably to a specific trigger that is generally not threatening to or distressing for others. It could be an environmental trigger like a lightning or rain storm, an animal trigger like snakes or spiders, or a situational trigger such as entering an airport or flying in a plane. Othercommon specific phobiasinclude extreme fears of and aversions to heights, needles, and seeing blood.
The Fear of Being Touched is an Example of a Specific Phobia
There is no way to prevent a phobia, but early treatment of panic disorders may help prevent agoraphobia.
Phobias in general are highly treatable because people are typically aware of their trigger. Psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of both can be used, but the exact treatment plan depends upon the type of phobia.
Psychotherapy
Healthcare providers will usually recommend talk therapy first, which includes:
Medication
Typically medications work best when combined with psychotherapy. Some drugs used to treat phobias include:
A Word From Verywell
Phobias become less powerful and more manageable with adequate treatment. Even if you have a phobia, through the right interventions, you can prevent it from taking over your life. The most distressing step is probably reaching out and seeking help, but remember that proper treatment with a professional can drastically improve outcomes.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.Phobia.Boston Children’s Hospital.Phobias Symptoms & Causes.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 3.11, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Specific Phobia Comparison - Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).NCBI Bookshelf.Social Phobia.MedlinePlus.Social anxiety disorder.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 3.10, Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Criteria Changes from DSM-IV to DSM-5.Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).MedlinePlus.Phobias - simple/specific.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Support Groups.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.Phobia.Boston Children’s Hospital.Phobias Symptoms & Causes.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 3.11, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Specific Phobia Comparison - Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).NCBI Bookshelf.Social Phobia.MedlinePlus.Social anxiety disorder.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 3.10, Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Criteria Changes from DSM-IV to DSM-5.Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).MedlinePlus.Phobias - simple/specific.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Support Groups.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Harvard Health Publishing.Phobia.Boston Children’s Hospital.Phobias Symptoms & Causes.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 3.11, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Specific Phobia Comparison - Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).NCBI Bookshelf.Social Phobia.MedlinePlus.Social anxiety disorder.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 3.10, Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Criteria Changes from DSM-IV to DSM-5.Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).MedlinePlus.Phobias - simple/specific.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Support Groups.
Harvard Health Publishing.Phobia.
Boston Children’s Hospital.Phobias Symptoms & Causes.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 3.11, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Specific Phobia Comparison - Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).
NCBI Bookshelf.Social Phobia.
MedlinePlus.Social anxiety disorder.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 3.10, Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Criteria Changes from DSM-IV to DSM-5.Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US).
MedlinePlus.Phobias - simple/specific.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Support Groups.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
