My fear seems ridiculous to me. Is it worth talking about?

Yes. Phobias are common and have nothing to do with courage or intelligence. The specialist has heard many similar fears and will listen with understanding.

Do I have to face the object of my fear directly?

Psychotherapy for phobias involves a form of confronting the stimulus, but gradually and in a controlled way, never suddenly or by force. Exposure happens at a pace you set together with the therapist.

I have had a phobia since I was a child. Does it still make sense to treat it at 40?

Yes. Long-standing phobias also respond to treatment, at any age. Many patients come to us with phobias they have had for decades.

If my phobia doesn’t affect my life, do I need treatment?

Not necessarily. Treatment makes sense when the fear stops you from doing things you want to do or that matter to you.

Specific phobias | Acord Med

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What are specific phobias

Unlike generalised anxiety or panic disorder, a specific phobia has an “object”: you know exactly what you are afraid of.

Specific phobias are very common: about 12.5% of the population develop a specific phobia at some point in their life. Many begin in childhood, but they can appear at any age.

Common types of specific phobias

Specific phobias fall into a few main categories:

Animals: dogs, snakes, spiders, insects, mice.

Natural environment: heights, storms, deep water, the dark.

Blood, injections, injuries: blood, needles, medical procedures, wounds. This category is different: blood pressure first rises, as in any fear reaction, then drops suddenly, and the person may faint.

Situational: flying, lifts, driving, tunnels, enclosed spaces (claustrophobia).

Other types: fear of choking, of vomiting, of certain illnesses, of costumed characters (clowns, for example) or of certain sounds.

Fear of open or crowded spaces is usually part of agoraphobia.

When a phobia becomes a problem

Many people have mild fears: they avoid touching a spider, feel uneasy in a lift and prefer not to fly. These are not clinical phobias and do not need treatment.

A phobia becomes a disorder when:

it restricts activities you would normally do (you turn down trips, visits to the doctor, certain jobs)
you spend a lot of time planning how to avoid the stimulus
you feel intense anxiety just thinking about what frightens you
you have changed your life significantly to avoid phobic situations
you need someone with you or “a pill” for ordinary situations (flying, lifts)

When to see a specialist

An assessment is worthwhile if the phobia is limiting your life, and especially if:

you have several phobias at the same time
the fear appeared suddenly or has got worse recently, with no visible cause
you are afraid of illness, choking or fainting, and the fear can get in the way of your medical care

Specific phobias respond well to treatment, and with a specialist’s help the fear can grow smaller and smaller.

The first step

If you recognise yourself in what you’ve read, book a conversation with one of our specialists. Together, we’ll look at what’s going on and what your options are.

Services: Psychotherapy · Psychiatry
See our team and pricing.

This information is for educational purposes and does not replace a specialist consultation.

Specific phobias