Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Phobias
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. It is a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no real danger.
There are many specific phobias. Acrophobia is a fear of heights. Agoraphobia is a fear of public places, and claustrophobia is a fear of closed-in places. If you become anxious and extremely self-conscious in everyday social situations, you could have a social phobia. Other common phobias involve tunnels, highway driving, water, flying, animals and blood.
People with phobias try to avoid what they are afraid of. If they cannot, they may experience:
- Panic and fear
- Rapid heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Trembling
- A strong desire to get away
Phobias usually start in children or teens, and continue into adulthood. The causes of specific phobias are not known, but they sometimes run in families.
Treatment helps most people with phobias. Options include medicines, therapy or both.
It sits within Mental Health and Behavior.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Mental Health.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Phobias
811 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Comparative Effectiveness of Internet-based Versus Parent-Coached Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy For Children and Adolescents With Anxiety and OCDBaylor College of Medicine
- RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ULTRASONOGRAPHIC QUADRICEPS MUSCLE THICKNESS AND SARCOPENIA MARKERS (HANDGRIP STRENGTH, SARC-F) AND KINESIOPHOBIA IN STROKE PATIENTSIstanbul Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital
- Mindful Self-Compassion for Anxiety Disorders and DepressionGeorgetown University
- Psychological Readiness and Return to Sport After ACL ReconstructionBiruni University
- Very Brief Exposure: Development of a Novel Exposure Modality for Social Anxiety Disorder in Transition-Age YouthChildren's Hospital Los Angeles
- Impact of the Receptive Music Intervention Tool (MUSIC CARE©) on Changes in the Functional Abilities of Patients With Chronic Low Back PainLNA SANTE
Research already completed
- Effectiveness of Intensive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Treating Adolescent Panic Disorder and AgoraphobiaBoston University Charles River Campus
- Attention Bias Modification Training for Social Phobia (ABMSP)University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
- Proactive Thought Control for Social Anxiety ReliefGIFT University
- Efficacy of an Animated Video-Guided Exercise Intervention in Older AdultsMustafa Kemal University
- An Investigation of Kinesiophobia in Volleyball Players, With a Focus on Sex-Based DifferencesIstanbul Medipol University Hospital
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Phobias and Phobia-Related DisordersNational Institute of Mental Health
- Specific PhobiasMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Treatments and Therapies
- Mental Health MedicationsNational Institute of Mental Health
- PsychotherapiesNational Institute of Mental Health
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: AgoraphobiaNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Phobia, SocialNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Phobic DisordersNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Phobic Disorders. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Phobias, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.