Phobias are one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Approximately 10% of people in the U.S. have specific phobias, 7.1% experience social phobias, and 0.9% have agoraphobia.Whether you’re terrified ofspiders,heights, or speaking in public, you are not alone.

It’s possible that these numbers are low since mental disorders are often under-reported in the U.S. This can be attributed to many factors, including a stigma associated with mental illness and a lack of adequate funding for treatment.

These disorders can be disabling, which demonstrates the importance of proper diagnosis and treatment. The good news is that these conditions can be treated effectively once you seek help.

What to Know About Phobias

A phobia is an overwhelming, irrational, and persistent fear that leads to avoiding the object or situation. It can be a fear of a specific thing or of a social setting.

Phobias fall into a class of mental disorders known asanxiety disorders. This class includes several different disorders, includinggeneralized anxiety disorder,panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (formerly called social phobia). If you have a phobia and you can’t avoid the object or situation you fear, you can experience extreme anxiety. You may organize your life in ways that help you avoid the thing you fear, yet may still experience anxiety even thinking about it.

Researchers are uncertain exactly what causes phobias. However, genetics, culture, and life events seem to play a role. Whatever the cause, phobias aretreatableand can often be overcome withcognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT).

Symptoms of Phobias

In some instances, these symptoms can escalate into a full-scalepanic attack.

Prevalence of the Most Common Phobias

Prevalence is the measure of the proportion of a population who has a certain condition. Here are the statistics and prevalence rates of somecommon phobias:

Social Phobia

Social phobia is now calledsocial anxiety disorder. It is a fear of social situations where you will be with unfamiliar people or may be scrutinized. Those with this disorder fear being embarrassed or humiliated in these situations. The fear of speaking in public is a specific type of social anxiety disorder.

Specific Phobias

Specific phobias are grouped into five major categories—animal type, natural environment type, situational type, blood-injected-injury type, and “other” type.

Agoraphobia

Takeaway

While feeling anxiety about speaking in public or encountering a snake is common, phobias can be disabling. If you experience panic attacks or you can’t do activities you want to do because of your fears, help is available. Phobias are treatable and often you can get permanent relief.

Specific Phobia DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XNational Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder.National Institute of Mental Health.Agoraphobia.

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XNational Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder.National Institute of Mental Health.Agoraphobia.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XNational Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder.National Institute of Mental Health.Agoraphobia.

National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.

Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-X

National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder.

National Institute of Mental Health.Agoraphobia.

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