Specific phobia is a type of disorder in which the affected individual displays a

marked and enduring fear of specific situations. Specific phobia is classified as a

type of anxiety disorder. Formerly specific phobia was known as simple phobia.
Unlike individuals with other anxiety disorders the fear is limited to defined
situations or objects. Adults and adolescent with specific phobia recognize that their
fear is unreasonable. Children may not recognize. The development of a specific
phobia may be determinate by a variety of factors: learning and conditioning
causes; traumatic causes; psychodynamic causes; physiological causes, genetic and
family causes; sociocultural causes. Symptoms: avoidance, impairment and
distress, anxiety recognition. Individual with specific phobia display avoidance,
distress and anxiety anticipation when they encounter the phobic stimulus. The
diagnosis is complicated by factors such as degree of impairment and differential
diagnosis. Measure used to diagnose specific phobia include behavioral observation,
clinical interviews, psychological evaluation and self-report measures. Specific
phobias are highly treatable. They are most effectively treated by psychological
rather than biological treatments.