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Specific Phobias

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademic

Abstract

A specific phobia is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive, unreasonable fear related to a clearly discernible, circumscribed stimulus or situation. The fear response observed in a phobic individual consists of subjective distress, physiological arousal, and avoidance behavior, although its precise expression may vary from one phobia to another. Specific phobias have an early age of onset and hence are quite prevalent among children and adolescents. Its origin involves multiple factors, including genetics, aberrant brain functioning, direct (conditioning) and indirect (modeling, negative information transmission) learning experiences, avoidance, and cognitive biases. The effective treatment of this disorder always requires some kind of exposure, preferably in vivo, as this appears to yield the most optimal effects.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook of Childhood Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Treatment
EditorsJL Matson
PublisherSpringer
Pages207-219
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-319-71210-9
ISBN (Print)978-3-319-71209-3, 978-3-030-10027-8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Publication series

SeriesAutism and Child Psychopathology Series
ISSN2192-922X

Keywords

  • ONE-SESSION TREATMENT
  • ANXIETY DISORDERS
  • MENTAL-DISORDERS
  • EMOTIVE IMAGERY
  • CHILDREN
  • CHILDHOOD
  • FEAR
  • PREVALENCE
  • HERITABILITY
  • ETIOLOGY

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