Nikki Vallor and Courtney Brucker
An anxiety disorder in which a person has
a persistent , irrational fear and
avoidance of a specific object of
situation.
 Phobias are directly related to anxiety
disorders.
 Phobias are stimulated by irrational fears
due to a situation where anxiety is a
mental disorder.
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Symptoms of phobias are both emotional
and physical.
 The closer a person is to their fear the
greater the anxiety will be.
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Common symptoms are:
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Shortness of breath
Accelerated heart rate
Chest pain
Trembling or shaking
Feeling of chocking
Sweating
Nausea or stomach pain
Feeling lightheaded or faint
Hot or cold flashes
Feelings of detachment from yourself
The actual cause of phobias is undecided
 Some purists believe there is an organic
base for phobias and this is supported by
the fact that phobias occur more
commonly in the first generation of
siblings.
 Others believe that people learn phobias
by observing others or their parents.

Phobias cannot be diagnosed in children
under the age of 18 unless they have
been consistent in symptoms for longer
then six months.
 There are no laboratory tests for phobias
 The diagnosis of phobias is based off of
the patients experiences.
 Phobias are hard to diagnose because
they very for each individual.

Behavior modification and desensitization
are the most effective treatments for
phobias.
 Medicine can be used to decrease the
effects of anxiety but does cure the
phobia.
 Therapy is used to pinpoint the reasons
for the phobia can help to elevate
anxiety but therapy is not beneficial in
all cases.

The goal of treatments is to make the
individual feel as if they are in control of
the situation that causes their anxiety.
 The multi-treatment approach to
overcoming phobias is always beneficial.
 Desensitization has the highest cure rate
and is the quickest treatment for
phobias.
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A well respected anxiety and phobia
center is the Anxiety and Phobia
Treatment Center in White Plains, New
York.
 This center was established in 1971 and
was the first hospital-based clinic in the
country.
 The goal of this center is to increase
functioning and reduce symptoms of
those dealing with phobias.
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One branch of phobias is social phobias.
› Social phobias are fears of situations in which
embarrassment may occur.
› They provoke an immediate anxiety response.
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Another branch of phobias are
commitment Phobias
› Commitment phobias are people who have
fears of committing in any type of
relationships.
There are approximately 530 phobias in
today’s society
 Top ten common phobias are:
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› Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders
› Social phobia: Fear of social situations
› Aerophobia: Fear of flying
› Agoraphobia: Fear of not being able to escape
a situation or event
› Claustrophobia: Fear of small spaces
› Acrophobia: Fear of heights
› Emetophobia: Fear of vomit
› Carcinophobia: Fear of cancer
› Brontophobia: Fear of thunderstorms
› Necrophobia: Fear of death or dead things
George Washington: He had a fear of
being buried alive.
 Richard Nixon: He had a fear of
hospitals.
 Alfred Hitchcock: He had a fear of eggs.
 Sigmund Freud: He had a fear of
weapons and ferns.


Heering, J. (2010, November 8). Top ten most common phobias.
Retrieved from http://www.phobia-fear-release.com/top-
ten-
most-common-phobias.html

LastCulbertson , F. (2000). The phobia list faq's. Retrieved from
http://www.phobialist.com/phobia_faqs.html
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The anxiety & phobia treatment center. (2009). Retrieved from
http://www.phobia-anxiety.org/index.htm

Myers, David. (2007). Psychological Disorders. Musick, Andrea &
Moscatelli, Bianca (Eds.), Psychology Eighth Edition (pp. 639-683).
Michigan: Worth Publishers.

Phobias. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.peaceandhealing.com/psychology/phobias

Phobias and fears. (2010). Retrieved from
http://helpguide.org/mental/phobia_symptoms_types_treatment

Phobia diagnosis. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.mentalhealthchannel.net/phobias/diagnosis.shtml

Vidican, S. (2010, November 4). Famous people and their phobias.
Retrieved from http://www.metrolic.com/famous-people-andtheir-phobias-143713/