Symptoms

Symptoms of having a specific phobia often include uncomfortable and terrifying feelings of anxiety:

• a feeling of imminent danger or doom
• the need to escape
• heart palpitations
• sweating
• trembling
• shortness of breath or a smothering feeling
• a feeling of choking
• chest pain or discomfort
• nausea or abdominal discomfort
• feeling faint, dizzy or lightheaded
• a sense of things being unreal, depersonalization
• a fear of losing control or “going crazy”
• a fear of dying
• tingling sensation
• chills or heat flush

Screen yourself or a family member [1] for a specific phobia.

It’s important to note the difference between everyday anxiety and a phobia:

Everyday Anxiety	Phobia
Feeling queasy while climbing a tall ladder	Refusing to attend your best friend’s wedding because it’s on the 25th floor of a hotel
Worrying about taking off in an airplane during a lightning storm	Turning down a big promotion because it involves air travel
Feeling anxious around your neighbor’s pit bull	Avoiding visiting your neighbors for fear of seeing a dog