Phobia is an intense and irrational fear towards something that is unlikely to cause harm. Specific phobias are a type of anxiety disorder that is characterised by extreme fear towards a specific object or situation. Specific phobias typically fall into the five main categories of animal phobias (dogs, snakes, spiders, etc), natural environment phobias (heights, thunder, darkness, etc), blood, injury or medical phobias (needles, medical procedures, medical equipment, etc), situational phobias (flying, driving, small spaces, etc) and other phobias (choking or vomiting, loud noises, costumed characters, etc).

It is common for individuals to have multiple phobias in several categories and the fear, anxiety or avoidance is persistent, typically lasting six months or more. Individuals with specific phobias tend to actively avoid the phobic objects or situations. When confronted by the phobic stimuli, they may experience nausea, trembling, rapid heart rate, and even panic attacks. These symptoms often lead to significant distress and impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning.