Phobias and Agoraphobia

phobia

persistent, unreasonable fear of an object, activity, or situation

checklist for diagnosis - phobias

• marked, persistent, and disproportionate fear of a particular object/ situation (lasting ~6 months)

• exposure to the object produces immediate fear

• avoidance of the feared situation

• significant distress or impairment

checklist for diagnosis - agoraphobia

• pronounced, disproportionate or repeated fear about being in at least 2 of these:

  i. public transportation

  ii. parking lots, bridges

  iii. confined places

  iv. lines, crowds

  vi. away from home alone

• fear of such agoraphobic situations derives from a concern that it would be hard to escape/get help if panic, embarrassment, etc

• avoidance of ^

• lasting ~6 months

• significant distress or impairment

agoraphobia is common with:

panic disorder

cognitive behavioral causes

conditioning and modeling

treatment of phobias

• exposure treatment

• systematic desensitization

• flooding

• modeling

behavioral-evolutionary explanation

phobias are common due to humanity’s predisposition to them

treatment for agoraphobia

• not always as beneficial as phobia treatment, but provides relief

• support groups

• home based self help programs