Describe specific phobia in the context of an anxiety disorder

Everyone experiences fear from time to time. Whether it be flying through turbulence, anticipating a shot at the doctor’s office, or living through a violent storm, anxiousness is a universal feeling that we all go through at some point in our lives.

However, if you have a specific phobia, you likely experience a sense of dread or panic when faced with a specific situation or object. A specific phobia is a type of anxiety disorder define as an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something. These irrational fears can interfere with personal relationships, work, and school, and prevent you from enjoying life.

Unlike Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), specific phobias come in a variety of forms. They are cued when an individual is confronted with a specific situation or object, or even anticipates being confronted with it. Even though the situation or object poses little or no actual danger to the individual, they often cannot control their fear towards it and will actively avoid it at all costs. Although people with specific phobias recognize the irrationality of their fears. The thought of these fears alone is often enough to cause tremendous, debilitating anxiety.

While ordinary fears cause minor anxiety and can be more easily overcome, specific phobias physically and/or psychologically impair the affected individual to such an overwhelming extent that it is disabling to their daily life.

According to the DSM-5, prevalence rates are approximately 5% in children. 16% in 13- to 17-year-olds, and around 3%-5% in older individuals. Females are more frequently affected than males.