Questions about a Disorder?
Specific Phobias
A specific phobia is an intense, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Some of the more common specific phobias are fear of closed-in places (claustrophobia), heights, escalators, tunnels, highway driving, flying, dogs, spiders and injuries involving blood. Such phobias aren't just extreme fear; they are irrational fear of a particular thing. A person with a specific phobia may be able to risk danger everyday as a firefighter but be unable to fly in an airplane. Adults with phobias realize that these fears are irrational but facing, or even thinking about facing, the feared object or situation brings on severe anxiety or a panic attack.
Specific phobias affect almost 20 million adult Americans and are twice as common in women as men. They usually appear early in life and tend to persist into adulthood. The causes of specific phobias are not well understood, but there is some evidence that the tendency to develop them may run in families.
If the feared situation or feared object is easy to avoid, people with specific phobias may not seek help; but if avoiding it interferes with their careers or their personal lives, it can become disabling enough for them to seek treatment. Specific phobias respond very well to carefully targeted psychotherapy.
Diagnosis
There is no specific diagnostic test for anxiety disorders. Your doctor or mental health professional will ask you questions about your symptoms and your past history. There are no blood tests that will diagnose anxiety but some tests may be done to rule out physical causes of your symptoms. Imaging studies such as X-Rays, CT scans or MRI tests are rarely needed.
Some types of anxiety tend to run in families so you may be asked about your family history in addition to your own personal symptoms. Psychological testing may be recommended to help determine whether you have other problems such as depression or personality disorder.
Learn more about Anxiety Diagnosis
Questionnaire
This simple questionnaire is designed to help you determine if you have symptoms of anxiety and could benefit from professional help.
Therapy
Developed in collaboration with Dr. Arthur P. Ciaramicoli, Ed.D., Ph.D., SoundMindz Senior Advisor, the Anxiety Therapy Program is specifically designed to take advantage of the latest Internet technologies available to help you manage and control your anxieties effectively. You will access techniques and therapeutic exercises on-demand and be able to record and view your progress.
By integrating an online workbook, with videos, a daily journal, a mobile app and supporting content, you will have access to the best therapeutic practices to manage your anxieties. We strongly recommend using all the available components in order to receive the full benefit of the program.
Anxiety Questionnaire
This simple questionnaire is designed to help you determine if you have symptoms of anxiety and could benefit from professional help.