Phobia

PRESENTED BY
MR KALYANKUMAR MSC(N)
Introduction
▪ Anxiety is a vague feeling of dread or
apprehension; it is a response to external or
internal stimuli that can have behavioural,
emotional, cognitive and physical symptoms.
Anxiety is distinguished from fear, which is
feeling afraid or threatened by a clearly
identifiable, external stimulus that represents
danger to the person.
Definition
▪ Phobia is an unreasonable fear of specific
object, activity or situation.
(OR)
▪ Phobia is defined as a persistent avoidance
behaviour secondary to irrational fear of a
specific object, activity or situation.
Incidence
▪ An estimated 19 million Americans have a
phobia that causes difficulty in some area of
their lives.
▪ Social phobia is the most common of all
phobias
▪ Specific phobia occurs in 2.4 to 9.2 % of
children and adolescents, with usual onset
between 5 and 13 years of age.
Causes
▪ Genetic and environmental factors can cause
phobias.
▪ Children who have a close relative with anxiety
disorder are at risk of developing phobias.
▪ People with ongoing medical conditions or
health concerns often have phobias.
▪ There’s a high incidence of people developing
phobias after traumatic brain injuries ,
substance abuse and depression.
Types of Phobia
Specific phobia

▪ It is an irrational fear of specific object or

stimulus. Specific phobias are common in
childhood. By early teenage most of these
fears are lost, but a few persist till adult life.
Examples of some specific phobias

▪ Acrophobia -Fear of heights

▪ Hematophobia- Fear of sight of blood
▪ Claustrophobia- Fear of closed spaces
▪ Gamophobia- Fear of marriage
▪ Insectophobia- Fear of insects
▪ AIDS phobia- Fear of AIDS
▪ Zoophobia- Fear of animals
▪ Micro phobia- Fear of germs
▪ Brontophobia- Fear of thunder
▪ Algophobia- Fear of pain
Signs and symptoms of Specific phobia
▪ Loss of control
▪ Fainting
▪ Avoidance of activities involving feared
stimulus.
▪ Anxiety when thinking about stimulus
▪ Worry with anticipatory anxiety
▪ Impaired work function
Social phobia

▪ It is an irrational fear of performing activities

in the presence of other people or interacting
with others.
Signs and Symptoms of Social phobia

▪ Hyperventilation
▪ Sweating, cold and clammy hands
▪ Blushing
▪ Palpitations
▪ Confusion
▪ Gastrointestinal symptoms
▪ Urinary urgency
▪ Muscle tension
▪ Anticipatory anxiety
▪ Fear
▪ Anticipatory anxiety occurs well in advance of
a particular situation such as Public speech or
Social event. The added anxiety results in
actual or Perceived failure in the situation,
leading to embarrassment and further anxiety.
AgoraPhobia
▪ It is characterized by an irrational fear of being in
places away from the familiar setting of home, in
crowds or in situations that patient can’t leave
easily.
▪ As Agoraphobia increases in severity, there is a
gradual restriction in normal day to day
activities. Severe cases Person becomes self
imprisoned at home.
Signs and Symptoms
▪ Overriding fear of open or public space
▪ Avoidance of public places
▪ Fear
▪ Dry mouth
▪ Shortness of breath
▪ Rapid speech or inability to speak
Diagnosis

▪ History collection
▪ Diagnosis confirmed if ICD 10 criteria met.
Treatment
Pharmacotherapy
▪ Benzodiazepines (Alprazolam, Clonazepam,
Lorazepam, Diazepam).
▪ Antidepressants ( Imipramine, Sertraline)

❖ Cognitive Behaviour therapy

❖ Psychotherapy
Nursing management
▪ Focus on Physical symptoms, precipitating
factors and avoidance behaviour associated with
phobia
▪ During the assessment of patients with high
levels of anxiety the nurse should make
observations of thought process, affect,
communication, psychomotor and physiological
responses.
▪ The Nurse should use directive questions to
elicit subjective information about how the
patient is currently feeling and what happened
before the onset of symptoms
▪ Ask the patient about other somatic symptoms
such as fatigue, muscle aches, eating patterns,
Bowel habits and sleeping patterns
▪ Assess for communication pattern
▪ Assess for social support system.
▪ Summary
▪ Conclusion