Encountering certain obstacles or situations may leave one frightened, such as being afraid of the dark, high heights, or animals. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 10 million adults live with some kind of phobia.
What is a phobia?
Phobias are marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, receiving an injection, seeing blood). An individual who has a specific phobia actively tries to avoid the phobic object or situation or its endured with intense fear or anxiety. The fear, anxiety, and avoidance causes significant impairment across important life domains.
The DSM-5 divides specific phobias into five broad categories:
- Animals, such as a fear of spiders, dogs, or bugs
- The natural environment, such as heights or thunderstorms
- Blood, injury, and injection, such as a fear of needles or medical procedures
- Situational, such as a fear of flying or riding in elevators
- Others, such as a fear of vomiting or choking
People with specific phobias often know there is no real reason to be afraid and that their behavior is not logical. However, they may simply feel powerless when faced with the fear, and even the anticipation of it can cause intense anxiety.
Treatment options
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a leading therapy approach for treating specific phobia disorder. CBT interventions help change the thinking and behaviors that cause distress in specific situations. Exposure treatment is usually included with CBT. In exposure therapy, a psychologist generally guides the patient toward gradual real or virtual exposure to the object or situation feared, sometimes paired with relaxation exercises.
Medications such as beat-blockers are sometimes used to reduce anxiety, primarily in the short-term, such as when a feared situation is necessary or unavoidable.