A specific phobia is a phobic anxiety disorder caused by an unreasonable and importunate 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.

Diagnosis of Specific Phobia:

An individual is diagnosed witha specific phobia if he/she shows a profound and unshakable fear usually set off by the occurrence or expectation of a confrontation with a specific object or situation.

The level of fear is usually extreme in nature or irrelevant in relation to the actual danger posed by the object or situation.

On encountering a phobic impetus, individuals with specific phobias almost always exhibit an immediate fear response resembling a panic attack.

All efforts to avoid the feared situation or object and the distress experienced on encountering the fears interferes significantly with the normal day to day functioning of the phobic individual.

Types of Specific Phobias:

There are five subtypes of specific phobias:

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

Specific phobias involve exaggerated fears of organisms, objects and situations that are feared by a number of individuals such as snakes, lizards, spiders, fire, pain, epidemics and contamination. Environmental fears such as those of water, heights and roads are also common but not so widespread. Almost everyone fears something but in specific phobias the intensity of fears is so high that it interferes with the daily functioning of the individual. For instance, a number of claustrophobic (fear of enclosed places) individuals avoid taking an elevator or entering small rooms. Individuals with acrophobia (fear of heights) might not accept a job which is at a higher story of a building.

Most phobic individuals acknowledge that their fears are irrational but are unable to help themselves from feeling anxious when exposed to the fear inducing stimuli. If they attempt approaching the dreaded situation they are often overcome with feelings of apprehension and acute anxiety and even full blown panic attacks.