How are phobias different than both generalized and panic anxiety disorders?

2 Responses to “How are phobias different than both generalized and panic anxiety disorders?”

1. celticnightharp says:

   March 14, 2010 at 12:29 pm

   A phobia is a fear of a specific thing or occurrence while a general panic or anxiety disorder is fear caused by a trigger at any time and is usually emotionally involved.

   A phobia (from the Greek: φόβος, phóbos, meaning "fear" or "morbid fear") is an intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, animals, or people. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive and unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one’s control, and if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disorders can be made. These tend to be more specific, and sometimes don’t have a logical reason behind them, while sometimes they do.

   Some phobias:
   Ablutophobia – fear of bathing, washing, or cleaning.
   Algophobia – fear of pain.
   Claustrophobia – fear of confined spaces.
   Agraphobia – fear of sexual abuse.
   Gelotophobia – fear of being laughed at.
   Arachnophobia- Fear of spiders.
   Botanophobia- Fear of plants.
   Harpaxophobia- Fear of being robbed.
   Insectophobia – Fear of insects.
   Koinoniphobia- Fear of rooms.
   Metathesiophobia- Fear of changes.

   Just to name a small few…

   An anxiety disorder is more general. Often these are pathological fears that are chronic, debilitating, and are the product of a trigger or event to cause the original condition. There are various forms of anxiety disorders, and phobias are often a PRODUCT or a symptom of a disorder. That isn’t to say that everyone with a phobia has an anxiety disorder. That is to say that when the phobia causes a change in lifestyle, produces anxiety to the point that it effects daily living, or causes the person to not function on a normal basis in fear of their phobia, then it is an anxiety disorder. Most often, anxiety disorders have an underlying cause. For instance, a person who sees someone they love die in a car wreck, may develop a phobia about being in or around moving vehicles. Once this phobia over stunts normal behavior and causes the person to avoid being in or around vehicles at any cost including their job, social life, and family then it is a chronic anxiety disorder.
2. BeingGreenOnline says:

   March 14, 2010 at 12:29 pm

   A phobia has a known cause or trigger, whereas generalized/panic anxiety disorders have no known cause or triggers.