What is a specific phobia?

Specific phobia is an intense, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Although adults with phobias may realize that these fears are irrational, even thinking about facing the feared object or situation brings on severe anxiety symptoms.

How does a specific phobia differ from an everyday fear?

Article at a Glance: Fear is a natural emotion that protects people from harm when they face real and imminent danger. A phobia is an excessive fear or anxiety related to specific objects or situations that are out of proportion to the actual danger they present.

What is a specific phobia DSM 5?

Specific phobia is a DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed.) diagnosis assigned to individuals who suffer from intense fear or anxiety when exposed to specific objects or situations.

What is the difference between a specific phobia and a social phobia quizlet?

Specific (simple) phobias, which are the most common and focus on specific objects. Social phobia, which causes extreme anxiety in social or public situations, and. Agoraphobia, which is the fear of being alone in public places from which there is no easy escape.

What are the different types of specific phobias?

There are five different types of specific phobia.

• Animal Type (e.g. dogs, snakes, or spiders)
• Natural Environment Type (e.g., heights, storms, water)
• Blood-Injection-Injury Type (e.g. fear of seeing blood, receiving a blood test or shot, watching television shows that display medical procedures)

What is selective phobia?

Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder, characterized by an extreme, unreasonable, and irrational fear associated with a specific object or situation. Specific phobia can lead to avoidance of the object or situation, persistence of the fear, and significant distress or problems functioning associated with the fear.

What is the difference between an irrational fear and a phobia?

Phobia is a response to something that is not a threat. This is why phobias are sometimes called irrational fears. The response is so intense it may interfere with your ability to function or perform daily tasks.

What do fears and phobias have in common?

A phobia is an intense fear reaction to a particular thing or a situation. With a phobia, the fear is out of proportion to the potential danger. But to the person with the phobia, the danger feels real because the fear is so very strong.

Is Thanatophobia a specific phobia?

Doctors do not classify thanatophobia as a distinct condition, but it can be classified as a specific phobia. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a phobia is an anxiety disorder relating to a specific object or situation.

What aspect of body dysmorphic disorder BDD is most similar to OCD?

In a similar way to OCD, people with BDD will routinely engage in time consuming compulsive rituals and behaviours (e.g., mirror checking, excessive grooming, skin picking, or reassurance seeking) or mental acts (e.g., comparing one’s appearance with that of other people) in response to their appearance concerns.

What is taijin kyofusho?

Background: One specific type of social anxiety, occurring primarily in Japanese culture, is called taijin kyofusho. Taijin kyofusho is characterized by an intense fear that one’s body parts or functions displease, embarrass or are offensive to others.

Is social phobia a specific phobia?

The term “specific social phobia” may also refer to specific forms of non-clinical social anxiety. The most common specific social phobia are glossophobia (the fear of public speaking) and stage fright (the fear of performance).

What are specific phobias?

Specific phobias can involve virtually anything, such as a phobia of envelopes that don’t have a company name on them (episolaphobia), pumpkins (cucurbitophobia) or silence (sedatephobia). Specific phobias are the most common of the three types of phobias and are the most common type of anxiety disorder in the United States.

What is the difference between Fear vs anxiety vs phobia?

Much like the difference between fear and phobia, the difference between fear vs. anxiety is also based on natural and functional versus excessive and dysfunctional. Fear is an emotional reaction to a specific, real danger, while anxiety is an intense fear that may be triggered by a stimulus that is excessive, unpredictable and unfocused.

How do you know if you have a phobia?

No matter what specific phobia you have, it’s likely to produce these types of reactions: An immediate feeling of intense fear, anxiety and panic when exposed to or even thinking about the source of your fear Awareness that your fears are unreasonable or exaggerated but feeling powerless to control

What is the difference between social anxiety disorder and social phobia?

However, the criteria for social anxiety disorder and social phobia are the same. Social phobia symptoms are based on a persistent, irrational fear of embarrassment in social situations, particularly being negatively judged by others due to visible anxiety symptoms.