Specific Phobias

Information transmission

________- learning about a situation /object being dangerous.

Relaxation

________- used to be practiced more, now often not a part of empirically supported treatment.

Vicarious experience

________- seeing someone else encounter a feared object.

Vicarious experience

seeing someone else encounter a feared object

Information transmission

learning about a situation/object being dangerous

Relaxation

used to be practiced more, now often not a part of empirically supported treatment

Causes of phobias:

Direct experience

Vicarious experience

Information transmission

“Preparedness”

The onset for specific phobia is most often during

childhood

Situational phobia:

fear of specific situations

With situational phobia, the fear centers around

risks of the situation (e.g. Plane crashing), not having a panic attack

The onset of situational phobia is

early to mid 20s

Blood-injection-injury phobia

Decreased heart rate and blood pressure when seeing blood, injections, or injury

With blood injection injury phobia, there’s an inherited

vasovagal response

Diagnostic Criteria: Marked Fear or anxiety about

a specific object or situation

Diagnostic Criteria: Phobic object or situation almost always

provokes immediate fear or anxiety

Diagnostic Criteria: Phobic object/situation is

actively avoided

Diagnostic Criteria: Phobic object/situation out of proportion to

actual danger

Diagnostic Criteria: Lasts more than

6 months

Diagnostic Criteria: Clinically significant

distress

Diagnostic Criteria: Not better explained by

symptoms of another mental disorder

Clinical description: Extreme and irrational

fear of a specific object or situation

Clinical description: Feared situation almost always provokes

anxiety

Clinical description: Significant

impairment or distress

Natural environment phobia:

Heights, storms, water

May cluster together

Animal phobia

Dogs, snakes, mice, insects

May be associated with real dangers

What is the female : male ratio for specific phobia?

4:1