specific phobia

[spi-sif-ik foh-bee-uh]

noun

Psychiatry.

1. an intense, persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, situation, or person that leads to avoidance behavior so pronounced as to disrupt daily life: the term specific phobia, as opposed to the nontechnical word phobia, is the official diagnostic name for this mental disorder.

Word History and Origins

Origin of specific phobia¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

I’ve recently developed a condition called Amaxophobia — a specific phobia about riding in a vehicle.

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“People with a specific phobia rarely apply for treatment,” he explains.

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“It’s not a specific phobia, such as a fear of flying or fear of driving, although these phobias can contribute to the anxiety felt by someone with pre-trip anxiety.”

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Source: The epidemiology of DSM-IV specific phobia in the USA: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

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While such thoughts and behaviors are sometimes referred to as tokophobia and can be considered a specific phobia – a psychiatric diagnosis – most clinicians and researchers simply refer to it as "fear of childbirth."

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