Phobias
Most people will feel some degree of anxiety and discomfort when they anticipate a painful or life-threatening experience, such as getting an injection, or when faced with potential danger, such as being confronted by an angry, barking dog.
People with a specific phobia, however, have developed an extreme fear of a particular object, activity or situation which is out of proportion with the actual level of threat posed. People with specific phobia will actively avoid the feared object or situation and experience a high level of anxiety if it is encountered.
Common phobias include:
- animal related phobias (e.g., snakes, spiders, dogs)
- phobias relating to the natural environment (e.g., storms, water)
- blood, injection, and injury phobias (e.g., needles, medical procedures)
- situational phobias (e.g., elevators, aeroplanes, tunnels).
Specific phobias usually develop during childhood, and they are twice as likely to be diagnosed in women compared to men. Many people with a specific phobia experience multiple phobias over their lifetime.
Specific phobia is characterised by:
- an intense fear or anxiety related to a specific object, activity or situation which is out of proportion with the degree of danger actually posed.
- active efforts to avoid the feared object, activity, or situation (e.g., always taking the stairs to avoid going in an elevator).
A diagnosis of specific phobia is made when these symptoms are present for six months or longer and cause the person significant distress, or interfere with important aspects of the person’s life, such their work or relationships.
Exposure therapy has the most research evidence as an effective treatment for specific phobias. Cognitive therapy involves helping the person to identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts. In the treatment of phobias, cognitive therapy looks to:
- identify the person’s automatic thoughts of the feared object or situation
(for example, “All dogs will bite me”) - determine the difference between the automatic thoughts and the real world, and
- replace the automatic thoughts with alternative thoughts
(such as “most dogs don’t bite, some dogs may bite if provoked, and dangerous dogs will growl and lunge before biting”).
Cognitive therapy might be used alone or together with exposure therapy, such as looking for evidence of automatic and alternative thoughts when observing or interacting with dogs.
If a specific phobia is affecting your day-to-day life, our Psychologists are highly trained and qualified professionals skilled in helping people with a range of mental health and wellbeing concerns, including anxiety and phobias.