Specific Phobia

A phobic disorder characterized by a marked persistent, excessive, and unreasonable fear caused by the presence of a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, injections, blood). Exposure to the phobic stimulus provokes immediate ANXIETY similar to PANIC DISORDER (DSM-IV). VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE may also occur and is common with blood-injection-injury phobia. Simple phobias may have a genetic component, as some may aggregate in families and most are not associated with a previous traumatic event with the phobic stimulus. Evidence suggests a linkage to chromosome 14. OMIM: 608251

Also Known As:

Networked: 100 relevant articles (10 outcomes, 22 trials/studies)

Relationship Network

Disease Context: Research Results

Related Diseases

1.	Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
2.	Social Phobia
3.	Panic Disorder (Panic Attack)
4.	Agoraphobia
5.	Anxiety Disorders (Anxiety Disorder)

Experts

1.	Margraf, Jürgen: 3 articles (01/2020 - 01/2019)
2.	Avenanti, Alessio: 2 articles (11/2021 - 01/2021)
3.	Battaglia, Simone: 2 articles (11/2021 - 01/2021)
4.	Borgomaneri, Sara: 2 articles (11/2021 - 01/2021)
5.	Raeder, Friederike: 2 articles (12/2019 - 01/2019)
6.	Zlomuzica, Armin: 2 articles (12/2019 - 01/2019)
7.	Beesdo-Baum, Katja: 2 articles (01/2019 - 06/2014)
8.	Ajdacic-Gross, Vladeta: 2 articles (11/2017 - 01/2016)
9.	Lieb, Roselind: 2 articles (01/2016 - 01/2016)
10.	Martins, Silvia S: 2 articles (03/2014 - 09/2008)

Drugs and Biologics

Drugs and Important Biological Agents (IBA) related to Specific Phobia:

1.	BenzodiazepinesIBA 08/01/2004 - "In both the latter disorders, benzodiazepines interfere with exposure and generally are best avoided, although temporary use, with safeguards, can sometimes be helpful for a specific phobia. " 06/01/2011 - "Compared to respondents with no symptoms of anxiety, older adults with a full- or subthreshold-specific phobia reported more chronic physical health problems, more comorbid depressive disorders and a higher use of benzodiazepines. " 11/01/1998 - "Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder that does not respond to benzodiazepines. " 02/01/2004 - "Using an interrupted time series with comparison series design, psychoactive medication use was examined in the New York (intervention) and New Jersey (control) Medicaid programs before and after implementation of the New York benzodiazepine TPP among community-dwelling Medicaid beneficiaries aged >/=19 years continuously enrolled from January 1988 through December 1990 in New York or New Jersey with diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizoid personality disorder, or schizotypal personality disorder; bipolar disorder; epilepsy; and/or panic disorder, agoraphobia without history of panic disorder, social phobia, or specific phobia. " 11/01/1998 - "However, rats that received reversible bilateral lesions of the basolateral amygdala (by lidocaine injection) immediately after trial 1 responded with an anxiolytic response to chlordiazepoxide when tested 48 h later on trial 2. Those that received vehicle injections after trial 1 showed the usual lack of response to chlordiazepoxide on trial 2. Thus, the basolateral amygdala plays a crucial role in the consolidation of information that leads to the formation of a specific phobia and subsequent insensitivity to benzodiazepines."
2.	Hydrocortisone (Cortisol)FDA LinkGeneric 01/01/2019 - "Cortisol administration prior to treatment can promote the efficacy of exposure-based treatments in specific phobia: cortisol has been proposed to reduce fear retrieval at the beginning of exposure and to enhance the acquisition and consolidation of corrective information learned during exposure. " 01/01/2021 - "Furthermore, cortisol seems to augment the effects of exposure therapy in patients with specific phobia. " 01/01/2019 - "Here, we examined whether post-exposure cortisol administration promotes fear reduction and reduces return of fear following contextual change in specific phobia. " 10/01/2011 - "Intensive two-day cognitive-behavioral intervention decreases cortisol secretion in soldiers suffering from specific phobia to wear protective mask." 08/01/2017 - "We recruited 19-45-year-old specific phobia participants (n=32 spider/snake phobia; n=14 claustrophobia) and gradually exposed them to their feared object or situation while measuring hormonal (ACTH and cortisol) and subjective (emotional distress, perceived control) responses. "
3.	Opioid Analgesics (Opioids)IBA 01/01/2007 - "The endogenous opioid system is one mechanism proposed to explain why exposure provides such quick and effective treatment for specific phobia. "
4.	SandIBA 05/10/2015 - "A significant number of patients who suffer with anxiety and related disorders (that is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder (SAnD), panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD), specific phobia (SPh) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)) fail to respond optimally to first-line treatment with medication or cognitive and behavioural therapies. "
5.	Anti-Anxiety Agents (Anxiolytics)IBA 11/01/2013 - "Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the putative acute anxiolytic effects of this compound, choosing the induction of acute anxiety in patients with specific phobia as a model for the evaluation of ad-hoc anxiolytic properties in a proof-of-concept approach. " 11/01/2013 - "Acute anxiolytic effects of quetiapine during virtual reality exposure--a double-blind placebo-controlled trial in patients with specific phobia." 03/30/2000 - "On trial 2 in the elevated plus-maze (a model of specific phobia), nicotine (1 microg) has anxiolytic effects when administered to the dorsal hippocampus, but is ineffective (4 and 8 microg) in the lateral septum." 05/01/2000 - "On trial 2 in the elevated plus-maze, a model of specific phobia, the endogenous cholinergic system, nicotine, and the M(1) receptor agonist, McN-A-343, all mediate an anxiolytic effect, whereas stimulation of 5-HT(1A) receptors mediates an anxiogenic effect. " 11/01/1998 - "However, rats that received reversible bilateral lesions of the basolateral amygdala (by lidocaine injection) immediately after trial 1 responded with an anxiolytic response to chlordiazepoxide when tested 48 h later on trial 2. Those that received vehicle injections after trial 1 showed the usual lack of response to chlordiazepoxide on trial 2. Thus, the basolateral amygdala plays a crucial role in the consolidation of information that leads to the formation of a specific phobia and subsequent insensitivity to benzodiazepines."
6.	NicotineFDA Link 01/01/2018 - "Most common diagnoses in mothers were nicotine abuse (n = 17, 70.8%), specific phobia (n = 8, 33.3%), alcohol abuse (n = 7, 29.2%) and substance abuse (n = 5, 20.8%). " 09/01/2008 - "Among those who are nicotine dependent, cigarette use is associated with most major psychiatric disorders, whereas UST is associated with dysthymia and specific phobia. " 03/30/2000 - "On trial 2 in the elevated plus-maze (a model of specific phobia), nicotine (1 microg) has anxiolytic effects when administered to the dorsal hippocampus, but is ineffective (4 and 8 microg) in the lateral septum." 05/01/2000 - "On trial 2 in the elevated plus-maze, a model of specific phobia, the endogenous cholinergic system, nicotine, and the M(1) receptor agonist, McN-A-343, all mediate an anxiolytic effect, whereas stimulation of 5-HT(1A) receptors mediates an anxiogenic effect. "
7.	GlucocorticoidsIBA 01/01/2017 - "However, it is not clear which of the pathways that activate the amygdala is responsible for the pathophysiology of a specific phobia and how glucocorticoid treatment alleviates fear processing in these neural networks. " 09/13/2006 - "Recent clinical trials suggest that administration of glucocorticoids may have a beneficial effect on established posttraumatic stress disorder (Aerni et al., 2004) and specific phobia (Soravia et al., 2006). " 01/01/2015 - "Cognitive enhancers such as D-cycloserine, glucocorticoids and yohimbine hydrochloride, seem to be more effective than placebo after a short term period of follow-up in treating specific phobia sympotms. "
8.	Indicators and Reagents (Reagents)IBA 07/01/2017 - "Importantly, specific phobia often precedes the onset of other mental disorders, making it a possible early-life indicator of psychopathology vulnerability." 01/01/2017 - "The current study therefore explored whether heightened reactivity to U-threat is a psychophysiological indicator of fear-based psychopathology across 5 groups: current (a) social anxiety disorder (SAD); (b) specific phobia (SP); (c) generalized anxiety disorder (GAD); (d) MDD; and (c) individuals with no history of psychopathology (controls). "
9.	Antidepressive Agents (Antidepressants)IBA 08/01/2012 - "Comorbid PD, OCD, and specific phobia were associated with more antidepressant trials in BP, across both genders, compared to BP patients without these anxiety disorders. " 05/01/2012 - "Search terms included the following, individually and in combination: psychiatry, athletes, elite athletes, professional athletes, sports, sport psychiatry, mental illness, major depressive disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, suicide, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, specific phobia, psychosis, eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance abuse, substance dependence, addiction, alcohol, anabolic steroids, stimulants, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, sedative-hypnotics, psychotropics, medications, and psychiatric medications. "
10.	Quetiapine Fumarate (Seroquel)FDA Link 01/01/2017 - "Quetiapine seems to have no influence on activation in anxiety-related brain areas but appears to reduce acute somatic anxiety symptoms in patients with specific phobia. " 11/01/2013 - "Acute anxiolytic effects of quetiapine during virtual reality exposure--a double-blind placebo-controlled trial in patients with specific phobia."

Therapies and Procedures

1.	Therapeutics 10/01/2022 - "One-session treatment for specific phobia in UK-based child mental health treatment centres is as clinically effective as multisession cognitive-behavioural therapy and highly likely to be cost-saving. " 12/01/2022 - "The current gold-standard treatment-multi-session cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - is effective at reducing specific phobia severity; however, CBT is time consuming, requires specialist CBT therapists, and is often at great cost and limited availability. " 11/01/2022 - "The gold standard for the treatment of a specific phobia is cognitive behavioural therapy in the form of exposure. " 12/15/2015 - "25 patients with specific phobia underwent individual cognitive behavioural therapy, performed by 25 psychotherapist trainees, applying exposure sessions in graduated form or the flooding technique. " 01/01/2010 - "Internet delivered images for exposure in specific phobia, design considerations for self-directed therapy."
2.	Aftercare (After-Treatment) 05/01/1996 - "The purpose of this study was to investigate possible predictors of treatment outcome in specific phobia at 1 week after treatment, and at I year follow-up. " 01/01/1999 - "Specific phobia 10-16 years after treatment." 01/01/2020 - "Of 69 randomized clinical trials (4118 outpatients) that were mainly of low quality, cognitive behavioral therapy compared with control conditions was associated with improved outcomes after treatment completion and at 1 to 6 months and at 6 to 12 months of follow-up for a generalized anxiety disorder (Hedges g, 0.07-0.40), panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (Hedges g, 0.22-0.35), social anxiety disorder (Hedges g, 0.34-0.60), specific phobia (Hedges g, 0.49-0.72), PTSD (Hedges g, 0.59-0.72), and OCD (Hedges g, 0.70-0.85). "
3.	Intravitreal Injections 01/01/2021 - "This case demonstrates that a specific phobia of intravitreal injections may benefit from combined drug and CBT. " 01/01/2021 - "After a psychiatric consultation, he was diagnosed with a specific phobia of intravitreal injections. " 01/01/2021 - "Here, we report a case of a patient with a specific phobia of intravitreal injections who could resume treatment after undergoing combined drug and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). " 01/01/2021 - "Efficacy of Psychiatric Treatment to Treat a Specific Phobia of Intravitreal Injections in a Patient with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration."
4.	Injections 01/01/2023 - "Two scales (Specific Phobia Scale-blood-injection-injury phobia and Medical Fear Survey-injections and blood subscale) assessed blood-injection-injury fears. " 11/01/2023 - "Needle phobia is a specific phobia classified as an anxiety disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5, and can be a serious problem for patients requiring insulin injections. " 11/01/1998 - "However, rats that received reversible bilateral lesions of the basolateral amygdala (by lidocaine injection) immediately after trial 1 responded with an anxiolytic response to chlordiazepoxide when tested 48 h later on trial 2. Those that received vehicle injections after trial 1 showed the usual lack of response to chlordiazepoxide on trial 2. Thus, the basolateral amygdala plays a crucial role in the consolidation of information that leads to the formation of a specific phobia and subsequent insensitivity to benzodiazepines."
5.	Subcutaneous Infusions 08/01/2015 - "Most studies have focused on anxiety-related syndromes associated with T1D including fear of hypoglycemia, specific phobia of needles (i.e., needle anxiety), and anxiety related to uptake of new and sophisticated diabetes technology (e.g., continuous glucose monitors, continuous subcutaneous infusion therapy), but the extant literature is sparse, and more research is greatly needed. "