See Also: Herbal medicine (botanical medicine, herbology, phytomedicine)(health)
phobia(dictionary)
phobia(2)(dictionary)
Phobia(health)
phobia(encyclopedia)
phobia(medicine)
Dental phobia(health)
School phobia(health)
Social phobia(health)
school phobia(medicine)

phobia (medicine)


phobia
<psychology> A persistent, irrational, intense fear of a specific object, activity or situation (the phobic stimulus), fear that is recognised as being excessive or unreasonable by the individual himself.

When a phobia is a significant source of distress or interferes with social functioning, it is considered a mental disorder, phobic disorder (or neurosis). In DSM III phobic disorders are subclassified as agoraphobia, social phobias and simple phobias. Used as a word termination denoting irrational fear of or aversion to the subject indicated by the stem to which it is affixed.

Origin: Gr. Phobos = fear