First Name:

Last Name:

Telephone:

Email:

Address:

City:

State:

Zipcode:

Incident Details:

Yes, I would like to receive
the Morgan & Morgan newsletter.

form base
Home » Areas of Practice » Labor Laws » Job Hazards » Anxiety Disorder

Specific Phobia

Specific phobias are profound, illogical fears of almost anything or situation that you can think of. Some of the more common ones include:

  • Dogs
  • Close quarters
  • High places
  • Escalators
  • Tunnels
  • Highway travel
  • Water
  • Airplanes
  • Bloody injuries

Aside from causing intense fright, phobias don't really follow any rationale. For example, you may not have any trouble navigating the ski slopes of the world's tallest mountains, but going above the tenth floor of a building may terrify you. Adults suffering from phobias understand that their fears are irrational, but facing, or even thought of facing these fears is enough to prompt a panic attack or a period of heightened anxiety.

More than ten percent of the population suffers from a specific phobia. Not even medical experts can explain precisely what triggers these feelings, but there is enough evidence that proves they seem to run in families and affect women more than men. Phobias are typically first noticeable in teenage years and early adulthood. They often begin with no warning signs and tend to be longer lasting than childhood phobias. Actually, under a quarter of adult phobias disappear without any treatment. Some childhood phobias will persist into adulthood, and there is no explanation why some vanish and others continue on.

If the object or event that triggers the terror is easily avoidable, a person may feel no need to attend therapy. However, some people will base significant life choices around the odds of encountering their phobias. When someone has to alter their life to accommodate a phobia, treatment is highly recommended. A form of cognitive-behavioral therapy known as desensitization, or exposure therapy, is utilized to slowly expose people to their fears until the uncomfortable feelings associated with them begin to weaken. About 75 percent of patients find this type of treatment to be successful. Relaxation and breathing exercises will also help manage anxiousness. Currently, no medication exists to treat specific phobias, but there are drugs that will get anxiety symptoms under control that arise prior to a phobic encounter.