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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffPhobias are divided into three main categories:
- Specific phobias. These include a fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia); animals, particularly spiders, snakes or mice; heights (acrophobia); flying (pterygophobia); water (hydrophobia); storms; dentists; injections; tunnels; bridges; and not being able to get off public transportation quickly enough. There are many other specific phobias.
- Social phobia. More than just shyness, social phobia involves a combination of excessive self-consciousness, a fear of public scrutiny or humiliation in common social situations, and a fear of negative evaluation by others.
- Fear of open spaces (agoraphobia). Most people who have agoraphobia develop it after having one or more panic attacks. Agoraphobia is a fear of a place, such as a mall, an elevator or a room full of people, with no easy means of escape if a panic attack should occur.
No matter what type of phobia you have, it's likely to produce the following reactions:
- A feeling of uncontrollable anxiety when you're exposed to the source of your fear — sitting on an airplane, for instance, or walking into a large party
- The feeling that you must do everything possible to avoid what you fear
- The inability to function normally because of your anxiety
- Often, the knowledge that your fears are unreasonable or exaggerated but feeling powerless to control them
- Physical as well as psychological reactions, including sweating, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, a feeling of panic and intense anxiety
- In some cases, anxiety just thinking about what you fear
When to see a doctor
An unreasonable fear can be an annoyance — having to take the stairs instead of an elevator, for instance — but it isn't considered a phobia unless it seriously disrupts your life. If anxiety affects your ability to function at work or socially, consider seeking medical or psychological treatment. Most people can be helped with the right therapy.
- Let's talk facts about phobias. American Psychiatric Association. http://healthyminds.org/multimedia/phobias.pdf. Accessed Oct. 31, 2008.
- Kendler KS, et al. A longitudinal twin study of fears from middle childhood to early adulthood: Evidence for a developmentally dynamic genome. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2008;65(4):421-429.
- Ciechanowski P, et al. Overview of phobic disorders in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 31, 2008.
- Social phobia (Social anxiety disorder). National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/social-phobia/index.shtml. Accessed Oct. 31, 2008.
- Anxiety disorders. National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/complete-publication.shtml. Accessed Oct. 31, 2008.
- Fava GA, et al. Long-term outcome of social phobia treated by exposure. Psychological Medicine. 2001;31:899-905.
- Agoraphobia. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 1994. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Oct. 31, 2008.
- Specific phobias. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 1994. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Oct. 31, 2008.
- Social phobia. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 1994. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Oct. 31, 2008.
- Mancini C. Social phobia in children and adolescents. Canadian Psychiatric Association. http://ww1.cpa-apc.org:8080/Publications/Archives/Bulletin/2001/May/Social.asp. Accessed Oct. 31, 2008.
- Bruce TJ, et al. Social anxiety disorder: A common unrecognized social disorder. American Family Physician. 1999;60(8):2311-2322.
