Specific Phobia

Specific phobia, formerly called simple phobia, are intense, persistent fears out of proportion to actual dangers posed by the fear or its context. Individuals experience a unique physiological response compared to other phobias: instead of fight-or-flight increase in heartrate and blood pressure, they often experience a vasovagal response that leads to a sudden drop in heartrate and blood pressure, which can cause fainting, which can get in the way of receiving standard healthcare (vaccinations or dental work). Specific phobia can affect anyone at any age, but are more likely to develop in children and become apparent in teens and young adults, more likely to develop in females than males, and tend to danger, which limit quality of life and range of life experiences. They affect anyone at any age but are more likely to develop in children, become apparent in teens and young adults, and are more prevalent in females. Many with one kind of phobic fear also experience others. Around the world, 3%-15% of individuals are diagnosed with fear of animals and heights being the most prevalent. Specific phobias are classified into five subtypes. Fear of:

• Animals or insects (cats, dogs, birds, mice, ants, snakes, spiders). Also see Arachnophobia
• Natural environmental conditions (heights, storms, water, lightning). See Acrophobia
• Blood/injection/injury: fear of blood, injury or mutilation (losing body parts or sensory organs, especially the eyes, called ommetaphobia), injections, or  invasive medical procedure
• Public transportation, elevators/bridges, flying, enclosures. See Claustrophobia and Aerophobia
• Things not classified (choking, vomiting, contracting illness, children’s fear of clowns, loud noises)