Is Specific Phobia A Type of Anxiety Disorder?

Yes! Individuals with specific phobia experience intense and irrational fear when faced with a triggering object or situation. You’re probably not surprised that phobias can come from any of these categories:

Ψ Animals: Spiders, Snakes, Dogs, mice etc.
Ψ Natural Environment: heights, water, darkness
Ψ Blood-injection-injury: Blood, injuries, needles/injections, invasive medical procedures
Ψ Situational: Enclosed spaces, flying, public speaking
Ψ Others: unclassified fears, costumed characters, technology, numbers, mirrors

We will, of course, experience some degree of fear when faced with one or more of these objects or situations: a grizzly bear attack, free falling from an aircraft at 15,000 feet, or spiders the size of your head (click at your own risk...)

But people with specific phobia will exhibit significantly more distress and anxiety.

Some may even suffer panic attacks. These fears are out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the object or situation. They will often cope by avoiding these objects or situations in their daily life altogether (it is prudent though, to avoid grizzly bear attacks when going about your daily life).

The situation becomes more problematic when the objects or situations take on a more benign spin: public speaking, needles, or perhaps a general fear of heights. Although not always, persons suffering from specific phobia may have endured a traumatic experience with the object or situation.

Specific phobia responds well to Exposure Therapy.

Your clinical psychologist will work with you and develop an exposure hierarchy chart with a customised list of experiences that begins with the most tolerable (e.g. a picture of a dog) to the most fearful (e.g. patting a real dog). Through a combination of repeating exposure experiences, learning skills to regulate emotions, and learning new information about the fearful object or situation (e.g. like how not all dogs are vicious), individuals will eventually learn to manage their anxiety and fears.

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