A specific phobia is a phobic anxiety disorder caused by an unreasonable and unrelenting fear of contact with a specific object or situation. As a result, patients with this disorder go to enormous lengths to avoid direct contact with these objects and situations. In some cases, even the simple mention or representation of them can set off panic. The avoidance of the dreaded situation or the anxiety experienced in encountering the feared object or situation tends to interfere with the individual’s day to day performance at personal, professional and social levels. This produces marked distress for the sufferer and can be extremely debilitating.

There are five subtypes of specific phobias:

• Animal subtype (snakes or spiders)
• Natural Environment subtype (heights or water)
• Blood injection injury subtype
• Situational subtype (airplanes or elevators)
• Atypical subtype (choking or vomiting)

Causes of Specific Phobias:

There are several causes of specific phobias that include:

Phobias as learned behavior:

Direct learning: Specific phobias can develop after a traumatic experience with the dreaded object or situation. For instance, someone who has net with an accident may fear driving.

Observation learning: Specific phobias can develop in individuals after they watch someone else exhibit signs of fear towards the dreaded stimuli. For instance, children with parents who have fear of water might not learn swimming.

Information learning: Specific phobias nay develop in individuals after hearing or reading about the dangers of a specific object or situation. For example, the fear of a plane crash may lead to the development of aerophobia (fear of flying).

Genetic and temperamental factors: Individuals are less likely to acquire phobias depending upon their temperament or personality. According to a study, children identified as behaviorally inhibited at 21 months of age were at higher risk for the development of phobias at 7 to 8 years of age than were uninhibited children.

Research has also shown evidence that biological factor such as genetics play an important role in the development of specific phobias. Also, when a person encounters a feared object or situation changes in the brain activity also occur such as the release of certain hormones and increase in the rate of heart beat, increased sweating, nervousness, panic and high blood pressure.