Diagnosing a Phobia
Diagnostic Criteria of Specific Phobias
A specific phobia has the following diagnostic criteria: The fear is persistent and intense. The fear may be experienced even in anticipation of seeing the feared object or being in the feared situation.
When the person actually sees the object or is in the situation, anxiety usually begins immediately. The anxiety may be intense enough to become a panic attack.
Adults who have specific phobias know that their fears are excessive and irrational.
The person may come to avoid the feared object or situation. If the person is exposed to the situation, the anxiety is intense.
The extreme anxiety and/or avoidance of the object or situation significantly may come to interfere with the person’s normal daily functioning: work, school, relationships, social interaction, and/or routine. The person may spend a considerable amount of time worrying about the phobia.
The fear is persistent and intense.
The fear may be experienced even in anticipation of seeing the feared object or being in the feared situation.
When the person actually sees the object or is in the situation, anxiety usually begins immediately.
The anxiety may be intense enough to become a panic attack.
Understanding the Diagnostic Criteria of Specific Phobias
Each of the diagnostic criteria is important to understand in order to differentiate between a normal fear and a specific phobia. As mentioned above, the fear is intense and unreasonable. The person knows the fear is unreasonable and may even laugh about it when not in the feared situation. The person may come to avoid the situation or go into the situation with a great amount of distress. The fear and avoidance may come to interfere with normal routines. Finally, the symptoms do not result from another disorder.
The last of the diagnostic criteria is important. With panic disorder, a person may have fears of driving, flying, elevators, and other fears that resemble specific phobias. However, with panic disorder, the person fears having panic attacks and being trapped in these situations. On the other hand, a person with a specific phobia of driving or flying is afraid of the situation itself: getting in an accident, being in a plane crash, etc.
A person with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may avoid situations, but these are situations that relate to the cause of the PTSD. People who fear social situations may have social anxiety disorder rather than a specific phobia. For example, a person with social anxiety may fear doctor’s appointments, but it is because of the social interaction rather than the procedures. A person may have more than one of these disorders at the same time
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