Choices include SSRIs, TCAs, benzodiazepines, or MAOIs. See section on panic disorder above. Medications in combination with behavioral therapy most beneficial. Consult a psychologist. Specific and Social Phobias Overview.
Specific phobias are more common in females, and impairment is usually minimal.
Exposure to the particular stimulus provokes anxiety, which may include a situationally bound panic attack. The person usually realizes that the fear is excessive. The fear results in avoidance of the stimulus that interferes with patient's social environment or produces significant distress. The fear or avoidance is not attributable to substance use, a general medical condition, or another mental disorder. Onset usually in adolescence or early adulthood.