Disorder Class: Anxiety Disorders
SAME
A. A marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others. The individual fears that he or she will act in a way (or show anxiety symptoms) that will be humiliating or embarrassing. Show
A.R. Teo, in
Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences (Second Edition), 2014 Although phobia connotes fear in lay language,
in the lexicon of medical disorders it takes on extra meaning. Phobias are characterized by a pronounced fear or anxiety response, compelling desire to avoid the target of the phobia, chronic duration, and significant distress or impairment as a result of the phobia. Patients with true phobias describe the fear response occurring almost every time the situation or object is encountered, worsening with proximity to the source of phobia, and rapidly ceasing once contact ends. A number of
categories of phobias exist, but all phobias fall within the family of anxiety disorders. Anticipated revisions to phobias in the newest edition of the psychiatric diagnostic manual, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), are mostly minor, and thus the basic conceptualization of phobias appears stable for the time being. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123851574010812 Phobias
S.E. Cassin, ... N.A. Rector, in Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (Second Edition), 2012 Phenomenology of Specific PhobiasPrevalencePhobias are very common in the general population but do not always result in sufficient distress or impairment to warrant a diagnosis of specific phobia. Prevalence rates for specific phobias vary depending on the subtype being assessed and the threshold used to determine distress or impairment in epidemiological studies. The lifetime prevalence estimates for specific phobias range from 6% to 23%, making them the most common anxiety disorder and among the most common psychiatric disorders in the community. Phobias of heights, spiders, mice, and insects are most common among individuals in the community, whereas claustrophobia (fear of enclosed places), blood-injection-injury phobias, and small animal phobias are most common among treatment-seeking individuals. GenderThe ratio of women to men with specific phobias is ∼2:1; however, the sex ratio varies across phobia subtypes. Approximately 75–90% of individuals with the animal, natural environment, and situational subtypes are female, and ∼55 – 70% of individuals with the blood-injection-injury subtype are female. Age of OnsetSpecific phobias can develop at any point in the lifespan, but symptoms typically first develop in childhood or early adolescence. The age of onset varies across subtypes. For example, phobias of animals and objects in the natural environment tend to develop in early childhood and blood-injection-injury phobias also tend to develop relatively early. Age of onset for the situational subtype has a bimodal distribution, with a first peak in childhood and a second peak in the mid-twenties. CourseMany fears that develop during childhood (e.g., strangers, darkness, animals, imaginary creatures) are transitory experiences that remit spontaneously. Developmental milestones and life experiences appear to influence the content and course of phobias. For example, the most common childhood fears tend to relate to physical harm and injury, and the fear of heights tends to develop as a child becomes increasingly mobile. The child's cognitive capacities for recognizing potential dangers are also likely to influence the development of phobias. Developing a specific phobia in adolescence increases the likelihood of persistence of symptoms or the development of additional specific phobias. Phobias that persist into adulthood rarely remit spontaneously. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123750006002779 PhobiasMark H. Townsend, in Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences, 2003 Specific PhobiaSpecific phobias affect between 5 and 10% of the population. The object of the phobia can be animate or inanimate objects or specific situations. The essence of specific phobia is that whenever people come into contact with the intensely feared object or situation, or even suspect that they might, they must either flee from it or tolerate it with severe anxiety. Such ongoing monitoring or vigilance, and the concurrent avoidance, cause phobias to be extremely disabling. Everyday life can be a minefield of potential horrors. Fear, on the other hand, is not associated with such an intense reaction. A feared object can be confronted without a high degree of functional impairment. The most common phobia is of illness or injury, such as blood phobia, whereas the most frequent intense fear is of snakes. There are wide gender differences among the specific phobias, with fear of storms, for example, occurring almost entirely among women and agoraphobia occurring approximately equally between men and women. Age of onset varies widely among the phobias. Most phobias typically begin in early childhood; for example, blood phobia usually starts at approximately age 7 years. The age of onset for agoraphobia and claustrophobia ranges from the late teens to the early twenties. Agoraphobia and claustrophobia are linked in other ways. In agoraphobia, there is severe anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape would be difficult or extremely embarrassing or in which help would not be available in the event that the person has a panic attack or symptoms. In claustrophobia there is severe fear of closed spaces, with similar intense worry about lack of help or escape. Panic disorder, agoraphobia, and claustrophobia all have similar ages of onset, with frequent comorbidity. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0122268709012533 Mental healthProfessorCrispian Scully CBE, MD, PhD, MDS, MRCS, FDSRCS, FDSRCPS, FFDRCSI, FDSRCSE, FRCPath, FMedSci, FHEA, FUCL, FBS, DSc, DChD, DMed (HC), Dr (hc), in Scully's Medical Problems in Dentistry (Seventh Edition), 2014 Clinical featuresPhobic neuroses differ from anxiety neuroses in that the phobic anxiety arises only in specific circumstances, whereas patients with anxiety neuroses are generally anxious. Claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces) is probably the most common phobic disorder. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is sometimes impossible to carry out because of claustrophobia. Some of the other more common specific phobias are centred around heights, tunnels, driving, water, flying, insects, dogs and injuries involving blood. When phobias are centred on threats such as flying, anaesthetics or dental treatment, normal life is possible if such threats are avoided. Phobias may also be a minor part of a more severe disorder, such as depression, obsessive neurosis, anxiety state, personality disorder or schizophrenia. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780702054013000102 SCHIZOPHRENIA, PHOBIAS, AND OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDERAntonio Y. Hardan, Andrew R. Gilbert, in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics (Fourth Edition), 2009 Specific PhobiaPhobic disorders are related to avoidance precipitated by certain triggers, such as animals, situations, or places. Fears are common among children. Among children aged 7 and 11 years, the prevalence of specific phobias is approximately 2.4% and 0.9%, respectively (Anderson et al, 1987; Silverman and Moreno, 2005), with a marked female preponderance. It is thought that parental history of anxiety disorder (particularly phobias), anxious temperament, and traumatic occurrences (e.g., a dog bite, leading to dog phobia) all play a role in the genesis of phobic disorders. Many phobic disorders never come to medical attention because those suffering from the disorder can simply alter their life to avoid contact with the precipitant for their phobic reactions. However, children with simple phobia that leads to school avoidance often are referred for treatment of “school refusal.” The differentiation between a fear and phobia is in the degree of anxiety in response to exposure, the extent of the avoidant behavior, and the concomitant functional impairment. School phobia may result in the avoidance of school, but the fear is not related to separation, as in the case of separation anxiety disorder. Behavioral interventions have a well-documented efficacy in the treatment of phobias. Such interventions include desensitization through graduated imagined or real exposure. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781416033707000481 Anxiety Disorders, OverviewRobert B. DaroffJr., in Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences, 2003 AgoraphobiaPhobias are characterized by excessive fear of a specific object or circumstance. The DSM-IV distinguishes three classes of phobia: agoraphobia, specific phobia, and social phobia. Agoraphobia is defined as fear of being in situations from which escape might be difficult or in which help may not be available in the event of a full or partial panic attack. The fear may result in phobic avoidance of crowds or travel outside the home while alone. In moderate cases, exposure to the feared situations may be endured. In more severe cases of agoraphobia, the person may become completely housebound in order to avoid all feared situations. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0122268709009564 Functional Psychiatric Illness in Old AgeCornelius Katona, ... Claudia Cooper, in Brocklehurst's Textbook of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology (Seventh Edition), 2008 Phobic disordersPhobic disorders consist of persistent or recurrent irrational fear of an object, activity, or situation that results in the compelling desire to avoid the phobic stimulus.137 In old age they are associated with higher rates of medical and of other psychiatric morbidity but are frequently found in the absence of other psychiatric disorder.133 Agoraphobia is often triggered by the traumatic experience or acute physical ill health.137 The longitudinal course of phobic disorders in old age is unclear. Individuals with one phobia may develop another. Fear of crime is particularly common in old age, leading to fear of going out and to nighttime fearfulness. Social phobias in old age have usually developed earlier in life and persisted; they tend to be chronic and unremitting.138 Comorbidity with agoraphobia, specific phobia, depression, and alcohol abuse is common.139 Older people rarely seek treatment but change their life to accommodate their avoidance. Anxiolytics provide only symptomatic relief and are best avoided because of their dependency potential.137 Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781416062318100571 Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disordersMichael Sharpe, ... Jane Walker, in Companion to Psychiatric Studies (Eighth Edition), 2010 Specific phobiaDefinitionSpecific phobias are characterised by a marked and persistent fear that is excessive and is associated with the presence or anticipation of the feared specific object or situation. Clinical featuresThe most commonly feared objects and situations are animals, aspects of nature, and blood (blood injury phobia). For phobia to be considered an illness, the associated distress and avoidance must interfere with the person's life. Panic attacks may be precipitated by exposure to the feared stimulus. EpidemiologyThe National Comorbidity Study (NCS) (Kessler et al 1994b) reported a 12-month prevalence rate of 8.8% for simple phobia. Simple phobia tends to begin early in life and is more common in women. AetiologyThere is evidence for a familial pattern of phobias with a probable genetic contribution. Freud's classic case of ‘little Hans’ provides a model for the psychoanalytic approach. Freud's hypothesis was that phobias reflected internal psychological conflict, and was illustrated by the case of a boy called Hans, who developed a fear of horses. Classic conditioning theory offers the alternative hypothesis that phobias arise more directly as a result of a negative experience with the objective situation – in this case being frightened by horses. The two-factor learning theory that purports to explain the perpetuation of the phobia is described above. It has also been argued that phobias do not occur randomly, but that humans have an inherited tendency to fear specific and potentially life-threatening stimuli, such as snakes. TreatmentExposure is at the core of most successful psychological treatments. This may be combined with a cognitive approach to rationally questioning the fear. Pharmacological treatments alone have not been studied extensively, but use of psychotropic drugs is usually not required, as response rates to exposure therapy are high. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780702031373000176 Anxiety and Anxiety DisordersK. Wiedemann, in International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001 2.2 PhobiasPhobias are usually differentiated into three specific subtypes: agoraphobia, as frequent sequels of panic disorder, social phobias, and simple phobias. Agoraphobia is the fear of being in situations from which escape is not immediately possible. The symptoms regularly include depersonalization, derealization, dizziness, and cardiac symptoms. Agoraphobia may occur without preceding a panic attack, but remain consolidated between attacks. Social phobias are characterized by the fear that someone may be exposed to a situation where this person is inappropriately scrutinized by others or where this person may behave inadequately. Exposure leads to prominent symptoms of anxiety including bodily alterations, and anticipatory anxiety leads to the avoidance of these situations. Simple phobias are characterized by a persistent fear of a defined object or situation such as fear of spiders or fear of height. The anticipatory anxiety is common and these stimuli are largely avoided, which can impair daily life routines. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0080430767037608 Psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescencePeter Hoare, Andrew Stanfield, in Companion to Psychiatric Studies (Eighth Edition), 2010 Clinical featuresPhobias are common and normal among children. For instance, toddlers are fearful of strangers, whereas adolescents are anxious about their appearance or weight. Pathological fears often arise from ordinary fears that are exacerbated by parental and/or social reinforcement. A phobia is defined as a fear of specific object or situation, for instance dogs or heights. Its characteristics are that it is out of proportion to the situation, is irrational, is beyond voluntary control, and leads to avoidance of the feared situation. This avoidance behaviour is the main reason the fear is maladaptive, as it leads to increasing restriction and limitation of the child's activities. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780702031373000218 What do we call an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent irrational fear and avoidance?phobia. An anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation.
Is an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent?Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by feelings of persistent worry. The worries are excessive, uncontrollable, and last for an extended period of time. People with GAD often realize that their worries are out of proportion to the situation but are unable to contain their anxiety.
Which disorder involves an irrational fear of a specific object or situation such as heights?People with acrophobia have an intense fear of situations that involve heights such as being in a tall building or using a ladder. Like other specific phobias, acrophobia is treatable with a psychological therapy called exposure therapy.
What are the 2 types of anxiety?The five major types of anxiety disorders are:. Generalized Anxiety Disorder. ... . Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) ... . Panic Disorder. ... . Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) ... . Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder). |