Specific Phobias
Topic Overview
A specific phobia is an extreme fear of a specific object or situation that is not harmful under usual conditions. People with specific phobias may be afraid of:
- Common objects, such as animals or insects. For example, they may fear dying after being bitten by a spider (arachnophobia).
- Natural events. For example, they may fear thunder and being struck by lightning (astrapophobia), drowning in water (hydrophobia), or falling from high places (acrophobia).
- Common situations. For example, they may fear being closed in (claustrophobia) or they may fear crashing when flying in an airplane.
- Seeing blood (hemophobia). People who have this phobia often faint when they need to give a blood sample, have an operation, or are in pain.
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference July 11, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | Reference E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Reference Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry |
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