Specific Phobias

Adults with specific phobias continually avoid specific situations or objects due to intense fear and anxiety, and the avoidance and distress consequently disrupt their lives in considerable ways. In the United States it is estimated that 7% to 9% of adults suffer from a specific phobia. Women are twice as likely as men to be affected by specific phobias. Key symptoms of specific phobias include:

• Significant fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, seeing blood, etc).
• The phobic object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety
• The phobic object or situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety
• The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the specific object or situation
• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more
• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning

Common triggers for phobias can include:

• Animal (e.g., spiders, dogs, etc)
• Natural environment (e.g., heights, storms, water)
• Blood-injection injury (e.g., needles, invasive medical procedures)
• Situational (e.g., airplanes, elevators, enclosed places)
• Other (e.g., choking, vomiting)

All children have certain items or situations that make them uneasy or fearful, but most are nevertheless able to carry out daily activities without incident. In contrast, children with specific phobias continually avoid specific situations or objects due to intense fear and anxiety, and the avoidance and distress consequently disrupt their lives in considerable ways. Upwards of 7% to 9% of children are estimated to have specific phobias (Schniering, Hudson & Rapee, 2000). The National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement estimated the lifetime prevalence of specific phobias to be 22.1% for adolescent girls and 16.7% in boys. Key symptoms of specific phobias include:

• Significant fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., darkness, animals, costumed characters, vomiting, receiving an injection, etc)
• Crying, tantrums, freezing or clinging in anticipation or response to the object or situation
• The phobic object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety
• The phobic object or situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety
• The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the specific object or situation
• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more
• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning

Common types of phobic anxiety in children include:

• Animal (e.g., spiders, insects, dogs, other small animals)
• Natural environment (e.g., dark, thunderstorms, water)
• Blood-injection injury (e.g., needles, dental work, invasive medical procedures)
• Situational (e.g., riding the school bus, sleeping alone, elevators, crowds)
• Other (e.g., situations that may lead to choking or vomiting; in children e.g., loud sounds or costumed characters)