Home n
Specific Phobias
A
specific phobia
is an unreasonable fear of certain
objects or situations so excessive that it disrupts a person’s life or
causes great distress. Typical phobias include driving, flying, blood,
needles, and spiders. Individuals with a specific phobia tend to avoid
direct exposure to their feared stimulus, and may avoid talking or
thinking about it. Adults with specific phobia recognize their fears as
irrational. The center offers fee-for-service short-term individual
cognitive-behavioral therapy for specific phobias.
Symptoms
A specific phobia is an intense, persistent,
irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity, or person.
Usually, the fear is proportionally greater than the actual danger or
threat. People with specific phobias are highly distressed about having
the fear, and often will go to great lengths to avoid the object or
situation in question. According to a study by the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH), it is estimated that between 8.7% - 18.1% of
Americans suffer from phobia.
Some examples of phobias:
·
Flying or Driving
·
Heights
·
Storms, Ocean, or
Environmental Situations
·
Crowds or Public
Places
·
Elevators or
Confined Areas
·
Animals, Insects, or
Reptiles
·
Needles or Blood
work for Lab Tests
TREATMENT FOR SPECIFIC PHOBIAS
Therapy for specific phobia at Tampa Psychology Center
focuses on education about phobias, anxiety management techniques,
exposure to feared sensations and situations, and techniques to
challenge unhelpful thoughts and beliefs
(e.g. Systematic
Desensitization).