Specific Phobia
DEFINITION
- Irrational fear of an object or stimulus out of proportion to the danger the phobic stimulus actually represents, leading to avoidance and distress or impairment
- Common subtypes
- Blood-injection-injury (BII): e.g. fear of needles, violent imagery, giving blood
- Marked by a biphasic physiological response that frequently leads to syncope: initial sympathetic-mediated response of increased heart rate and blood pressure rapidly followed by a vasovagal-mediated response of decreased heart rate and blood pressure
- Animal: e.g. fear of spiders, dogs, snakes
- Natural environment: e.g. fear of the dark, lightning, water
- Situational: e.g. fear of tunnels, flying, bridges
- Other: e.g. fear of vomiting, spiders, "space" (falling), clowns
- Blood-injection-injury (BII): e.g. fear of needles, violent imagery, giving blood
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Last updated: October 3, 2025
Citation
Felder, William, et al. "Specific Phobia." Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2025. Johns Hopkins Guides, www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787054/all/Specific_Phobia.
Felder W, Winter E, Bienvenu O. Specific Phobia. Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787054/all/Specific_Phobia. Accessed October 8, 2025.
Felder, W., Winter, E., & Bienvenu, O. (2025). Specific Phobia. In Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787054/all/Specific_Phobia
Felder W, Winter E, Bienvenu O. Specific Phobia [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. [cited 2025 October 08]. Available from: https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787054/all/Specific_Phobia.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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AU - Winter,Elizabeth,M.D.
AU - Bienvenu,O. Joseph,M.D., Ph.D.
Y1 - 2025/10/03/
BT - Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide
UR - https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787054/all/Specific_Phobia
PB - The Johns Hopkins University
DB - Johns Hopkins Guides
DP - Unbound Medicine
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