3. • Phobias are an anxiety disorder
• Males & females are equally likely to
have a phobia
– Males are more likely to get treatment
• 12% of Americans have a Phobia
4. • It is possible to have multiple phobias
• Phobias can be genetic &
environmentally learned
• Phobias are the most common
psychiatric illness among women
• Alcoholics are more likely to develop a
phobia
8. • classified by the object/situation the
patient reacts to or avoids
• There are three main types of Phobias
1. Social Phobia
2. Specific Phobia
3. Agoraphobia
9. Social Phobias
• Fear of being humiliated and
embarrassed
• Anxiety is felt before, during, and after
the outing/ event
• Examples: Public
speaking(glossophobia), meeting
people(Anthropophobia), and using a
public restroom(Paruresis)
10. Specific Phobias
• Feared object is not harmful under
normal conditions
• Examples:
– Astraphobia –fear of thunder and lightening
– Aerophobia –fear of flying
– Cynophobia –fear of dogs
– Acrophobia –fear of heights
11. Specific Phobias cont.
• There is a wide range of feared objects, some
are rare
• Examples:
– Aulophobia – the fear of flutes
– Catoptrophobia – the fear of mirrors
– Cacophobia – the fear of ugliness
– Ereuthphobia – the fear of red
– Nelophobia – the fear of glass
– Pogonophobia – the fear of beards
12. Agoraphobia
• A phobic attack in a place where
escape is difficult or embarrassing
– Crowded areas including elevators, streets,
and churches
• Generally developed over a series of
panic attacks
• Approx. 1.8 million Americans/year
14. • Not all phobias need treatment
• Any drugs which are prescribed are to
help aid the signs & symptoms and do
not actually cure the phobia itself
• Therapy is the most efficient manner of
treating a phobia
