Specific phobia
A disorder characterized by intense, disproportionate fear that occurs in response to a specific object or situation, such as animals, heights, blood, flying, or medical procedures. Contact with the stimulus triggers an immediate anxiety response, and the person actively avoids the feared object or situation.
Symptoms
- Intense, disproportionate fear of a specific object or situation (also: Intense, disproportionate fear of a specific object or situation, intense fear of a specific stimulus, specific phobia, intense fear of stimulus, overwhelming anxiety before object)
- Immediate anxiety response on contact with stimulus (also: Immediate anxiety response on contact with stimulus, immediate anxiety response, immediate fear, rapid anxiety response, instantaneous fright)
- Avoidance behaviors (also: Active avoidance of phobic stimulus, avoidance of object or situation, avoidance of stimulus, avoidance of anxiety-provoking situation, skipping situations)
- Autonomic symptoms (trembling, sweating, rapid heartbeat) (also: Physical symptoms of anxiety (trembling, sweating, rapid heartbeat), Physical symptoms of anxiety: trembling, sweating, rapid heartbeat, physiological anxiety symptoms, somatic anxiety symptoms, physical anxiety reactions)
- Persistent, disproportionate fear of specific stimulus (also: Persistent, disproportionate fear of specific stimulus, phobia, specific phobia, irrational fear, pathological fright)
- Intense discomfort upon exposure to stimulus (also: Intense discomfort or distress upon exposure to stimulus, intense discomfort during exposure, great discomfort upon exposure, intense stress during contact, anxiety during confrontation)
- Animal phobias (dogs, insects, snakes, rodents) (also: fear of dogs, cynophobia, fear of spiders, arachnophobia, fear of snakes)
- Height, storm, darkness phobias (natural environment) (also: acrophobia, fear of heights, fear of storms, astraphobia, fear of lightning)
- Blood, injury, injection phobia (BII type) (also: blood phobia, hemophobia, fear of needles, trypanophobia, fear of dentist)
- Situational phobias (also: Situational phobias (enclosed spaces, flying, tunnels), claustrophobia, fear of enclosed spaces, fear of flying, aerophobia)
ICD-11 diagnostic criteria
- silny lęk wobec określonego obiektu lub sytuacji
- lęk jest nieproporcjonalny do rzeczywistego zagrożenia
- unikanie obiektu lub sytuacji
- objawy utrzymują się przez kilka miesięcy
How to recognise
In the ICD-11 framework, the core symptoms taken into account when recognising Specific phobia are:
- silny lęk wobec konkretnego bodźca
- unikanie obiektu lub sytuacji
- fobia
Differential diagnosis
When diagnosing Specific phobia, the following ICD-11 disorders should be considered in the differential diagnosis:
- Agorafobia (6B02)
- Zaburzenie związane z lękiem społecznym (6B04)
- Zaburzenie lękowe z napadami paniki (6B01)
Synonyms and related terms
intense fear of a specific stimulus, specific phobia, intense fear of stimulus, overwhelming anxiety before object, phobic reaction, intense anxiety response, irrational fear, afraid of specific thing, has panic fear of something, reacts strongly with fear, stimulus triggers panic, enormous fear of something, has phobia, immediate anxiety response, immediate fear, rapid anxiety response, instantaneous fright, immediate panic, automatic anxiety response, sudden fear, immediately panics, immediately becomes afraid, fear response appears instantly, anxiety appears immediately, reacts quickly with fear, immediately terrified, Active avoidance of phobic stimulus, avoidance of object or situation, avoidance of stimulus, avoidance of anxiety-provoking situation
Frequently asked questions
What are the symptoms of Specific phobia?
Symptoms associated with Specific phobia (ICD-11 6B03) include: Intense, disproportionate fear of a specific object or situation, Immediate anxiety response on contact with stimulus, Avoidance behaviors, Autonomic symptoms (trembling, sweating, rapid heartbeat), Persistent, disproportionate fear of specific stimulus, Intense discomfort upon exposure to stimulus, Animal phobias (dogs, insects, snakes, rodents), Height, storm, darkness phobias (natural environment), Blood, injury, injection phobia (BII type), Situational phobias.
How is Specific phobia diagnosed according to ICD-11?
According to ICD-11, the diagnostic criteria for Specific phobia (6B03) include: silny lęk wobec określonego obiektu lub sytuacji; lęk jest nieproporcjonalny do rzeczywistego zagrożenia; unikanie obiektu lub sytuacji; objawy utrzymują się przez kilka miesięcy.
What disorders are in the differential diagnosis of Specific phobia?
The differential diagnosis of Specific phobia (6B03) includes: Agorafobia (6B02), Zaburzenie związane z lękiem społecznym (6B04), Zaburzenie lękowe z napadami paniki (6B01).
WHO ICD-11 source
View this entry in the official WHO ICD-11 browser: 6B03 – WHO ICD-11
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