Specific Phobia Among Adults - Statistics and Prevalence

Specific phobia involves marked and persistent fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation. This type of phobia includes, but is not limited to, the fear of heights, spiders, and flying.

1. Specific phobias affect 19 million adults, or 8.7% of the U.S. population.
2. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men.
3. Symptoms typically begin in childhood; the average age-of-onset is 7 years old.
4. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are closely related to anxiety disorders, which some may experience at the same time, along with depression.
5. Phobia statistics reveal that only 23% of all people with phobias seek treatment for their anxiety.
6. Social phobias affect people of all ages, though they usually begin in adolescence. If phobia statistics and facts are to be believed, then nearly 40% of them begin before the age of 10, while 95% start before the age of 20.