Phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. It is a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. The individual seeks to avoid the object, activity, or situation. In adults, the individual recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable. There are many specific phobias. Acrophobia is a fear of heights. Arachnophobia is phobia of spiders.

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

2015 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code F40.9