what is a phobia

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes an individual to experience extreme, irrational fear about a situation, living creature, place, or object. It is more pronounced than a fear and develops when a person has an exaggerated or unrealistic sense of danger about a situation or object. A person with a phobia will often shape their lives to avoid what they consider to be dangerous, and the imagined threat is greater than any actual threat posed by the cause of terror. Phobias can be specific and limited, such as a fear of spiders or cats, or they can cause trouble in a wider variety of places or situations, such as a fear of heights. There are three types of phobia recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA): specific phobia, social phobia, and agoraphobia. Symptoms of a phobia can include intense distress, panic attacks, and avoidance of the trigger object, situation, place, or activity. Phobias can be treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination of both.