Specific Phobias

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A 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.

Common types of specific phobias are fears of:

  • Fears of situations such as airplanes, driving, enclosed spaces, or going to school are common types of specific phobias
  • Thunderstorms, heights, and the dark are examples of natural phenomena
  • Dogs, snakes, and spiders are examples of animals or insects
  • Blood, injections, or injuries from needles, accidents, or medical procedures
  • Others include choking, vomiting, loud noises, and clowns

Phobias can elicit powerful physical, mental, and emotional reactions. They can also influence how you behave at work, school, or in social situations.

Causes

Much remains unknown about the causes of specific phobias. Bad experiences could be one of the causes:

  • Bad experiences.Many phobias develop as a result of a negative experience or panic attack associated with a specific object or situation. A phobia can be triggered simply by seeing or hearing about a bad experience.
  • Genetics or learned behavior. There could be a link between your specific phobia and your parents' phobias or anxiety. This could be the result of a combination of genetics and learned behaviours.
  • Brain function and structure. Specific phobias activate specific parts of the brain, whereas those who do not have these phobias do not have the same response in the brain. A person with a specific phobia may also have a different brain structure than someone who does not have that specific phobia.

Risk Factors

These factors may increase your chances of developing specific phobias:

  • Age.Specific phobias can appear as a child, usually by the age of ten. They can, however, occur later in life.
  • Your family members. You are more likely to develop a specific phobia or anxiety if a family member has it. This could be something you inherited from a blood relative. Alternatively, children may develop specific phobias by observing how a family member reacts to an object or a situation.
  • Your personality. Your risk may increase if you are more prone to anxiety, or if you are more reserved or negative than usual.
  • Bad experience.A specific phobia can develop when you experience something distressing, such as being trapped in a lift or being attacked by an animal.
  • Learning from negative experiences. Hearing about a bad experience, such as a plane crash, can set off a specific phobia.
  • Changing your habits. The most common way people deal with phobias is to avoid them. Their anxiety usually worsens as a result.

vectors by Freepick; graphic design by Vadot

The prevalence of specific phobia among U.S. adults aged 18 and older is based on diagnostic interview data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). In the previous year, an estimated 9.1% of adults in the United States experienced a specific phobia. Females (12.2%) had a higher prevalence of specific phobia in the previous year than males (5.8%). An estimated 12.5% of adults in the United States have a specific phobia at some point in their lives.

Reference:

Specific Phobia. (2017). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/specific-phobia#:~:text=Specific%20Phobia-,Definition,brings%20on%20severe%20anxiety%20symptoms. ‌

‌Specific phobias - Symptoms and causes. (2023). Mayo Clinic; https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/specific-phobias/symptoms-causes/syc-20355156

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