phobias

Question 1

What is a specific phobia?

Answer 1

Phobia of an object or situation, such as an animal or having an injection.

Examples include fear of spiders (arachnophobia) or fear of flying (aviophobia).

Question 2

What is social anxiety (social phobia)?

Answer 2

Phobia of a social situation, such as public speaking or using a public toilet.

This can lead to avoidance of situations where one might be judged.

Question 3

What is agoraphobia?

Answer 3

Phobia of being outside or in a public place.

It can be disabling to the extent that the person cannot leave their home.

Question 4

What are common behavioural responses to phobias?

Answer 4

• Panic
• Avoidance
• Endurance

Question 5

What is panic in the context of phobias?

Answer 5

A response involving behaviours like crying, screaming, or running away when faced with the phobic stimulus.

Question 6

What does avoidance mean in relation to phobias?

Answer 6

Efforts to prevent coming into contact with the phobic stimulus, making daily life difficult.

Question 7

What is endurance as a behavioural response to phobias?

Answer 7

Choosing to remain in the presence of the phobic stimulus despite fear.

Question 8

What emotional characteristic is common in phobias?

Answer 8

Anxiety, defined as an unpleasant state of high arousal.
Prevents person from relaxing and makes it difficult to experience any positive emotion, can also be long term

Question 9

How is fear different from anxiety?

Answer 9

Fear is an immediate and intense response to a phobic stimulus, while anxiety is a prolonged state.

Question 10

What makes the emotional response in phobias unreasonable?

Answer 10

The anxiety or fear is disproportionate to any actual threat posed by the phobic stimulus.

Question 11

What are cognitive characteristics of phobias?

Answer 11

• Selective attention to the phobic stimulus
• Irrational beliefs
• Cognitive distortions

Question 12

What is selective attention in the context of phobias?

Answer 12

The difficulty in looking away from the phobic stimulus, which can hinder concentration.

Question 13

What are irrational beliefs associated with phobias?

Answer 13

Unfounded thoughts related to phobic stimuli that increase pressure on the person.

Question 14

What are cognitive distortions in phobias?

Answer 14

Inaccurate and unrealistic perceptions of the phobic stimulus.

Question 15

What are phobias characterised by?

Answer 15

• excessive fear or anxiety triggered by an object, place or situation
• extent of fear is out of proportion to any real danger presented by phobic stimulus

Question 16

What are the 3 categories of phobia and related anxiety disorders recognised by DSM-5

Answer 16

• specific phobia
• social anxiety
• agoraphobia