Phobic Disorders
Phobic disorders are a group of anxiety disorders characterized by marked, persistent, and excessive fear of specific objects or situations, leading to avoidant behavior that interferes with daily functioning.
Key Classifications
| Type | Clinical Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Specific Phobia | Fear of a specific object/situation (e.g., spiders, heights, flying, blood-injection-injury). |
| Social Anxiety Disorder | Fear of social or performance situations where scrutiny by others is possible. |
| Agoraphobia | Fear of being in situations from which escape might be difficult if panic-like symptoms occur. |
High-Yield Clinical Notes:
- Treatment of Choice: Exposure Therapy (specifically Systematic Desensitization or Flooding) is the gold standard for specific phobias.
- Social Anxiety: SSRIs/SNRIs are first-line pharmacotherapy. Performance-only social anxiety (e.g., stage fright) may be managed with beta-blockers (e.g., Propranolol) taken as needed.
- Agoraphobia: Often comorbid with Panic Disorder; treatment usually involves a combination of CBT and SSRIs.
- Blood-Injection-Injury Phobia: Unique in that it often causes an initial brief spike in heart rate followed by a vasovagal response (bradycardia/hypotension), making fainting a common clinical feature.