Home > Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders > Specific phobias

Definition

Specific phobia is a type of disorder in which the affected individual displays a marked and enduring fear of specific situations or objects. Individuals with specific phobias experience extreme fear as soon as they encounter a defined situation or object, a phobic stimulus. For example, an individual with a specific phobia of dogs will become anxious when coerced to confront a dog. The specific phobia triggers a lot of distress or significantly impairs an affected individual.

Mental health professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(the DSM) to diagnose mental disorders. The 2000 edition of this manual (the Fourth Edition Text Revision, also called the DSM-IV-TR) classifies specific phobia as a type of anxiety disorder. Formerly, specific phobia was known as simple phobia. In the last few...