DSM-IV-TR Criteria for Phobias

Specific Phobia (DSM code 300.29)
Marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable and cued by
presence or anticipation of specific object or situation (flying, heights, animals,
receiving an injection, seeing blood)
Exposure to phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes immediate anxiety
response, which may take the form of situationally bound or situationally predisposed
panic attack; in children, anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums,
freezing, or clinging
Person recognizes fear as excessive or unreasonable; in children, this feature
may be absent
Phobic situation(s) avoided or endured with intense anxiety or distress
Avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in feared situation(s) interferes
significantly with normal routines, occupational (or academic) functioning,
or social activities or relationships, or marked distress about phobia present
In individuals under age eighteen, duration of at least six months
Anxiety, panic attacks, or phobic avoidance associated with specific object or
situation not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder,
Social Phobia, Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia, or Agoraphobia Without
History of Panic Disorder
Specify:
• Animal Type
• Natural Environment Type (such as heights, storms, water)
• Blood-Injection-Injury Type
• Situational Type (such as airplanes, elevators, enclosed places)
• Other Type (such as phobic avoidance of situations that may lead to
choking, vomiting, or contracting an illness; in children, avoidance of
loud sounds or costumed characters)