Specific phobias in older adults: characteristics and differential diagnosis

Abstract

First, age-related sensory impairments are common and interfere both with information processing and communication. Second, medical illnesses create symptoms that might cause, interfere with, or mimic anxiety. Third, cohort effects might result in underreporting, through the inability to communicate or recognize anxiety symptoms, misattributing them to physical conditions. Finally, diagnostic criteria and screening instruments were usually developed using younger samples and are therefore not adapted to the functional and behavioral characteristics of older samples.

Who worries most? Worry prevalence and patterns across the lifespan

“…Contrary to a later‐life stereotype, older adults often report fewer worries than younger adults (Coelho et al ., ). Findings in community‐residing healthy volunteers indicated not only that older adults report worrying about a more limited range of topics (Wisocki, ) but also that the overall frequency of worry is lower than that reported by younger college students (Powers et al ., ; Hunt et al ., ; Crittendon & Hopko, ; Basevitz et al ., ; Gould & Edelstein, ) and younger primary care attendees (Brenes, ).…”

Specific Phobia Disorder Symptoms in People over 65 in Madrid: A Network Analysis

“…Thus, specific fears and phobias are heterogeneous concerning sex and age distribution. The review carried out by Coelho et al (2010) regarding specific phobia in older adults can be added to these findings. These authors extract 4 conclusions from their review.…”

Soğuk korkusu kontrol edilemediğinde: frigofobisi olan iki olgu

“…While, according to the American Psychiatric Association, the incidence rate of specific phobias, defined as the experience of extreme and groundless fears of certain objects or situations, amounts to 12.5 per cent throughout life, studies have found that in Turkey its prevalence in general is 4.2 per cent and that of specific phobias within the entire spectrum was found to be 2.7 per cent. Women seem to be 2.5 times as vulnerable to phobias as men 2,7 . Previous research has demonstrated that specific phobias originally emerge in early childhood and the individuals in question do not generally notice that a phobia is the course of development in them 7 .…”

“…People can feel anxious about certain activities in daily life 1 . Phobia refers to an excessive and persistent fear of objects and situations that do not pose a real threat 1,2 . Several psychological approaches have been developed and used to understand and explain such human emotions and behaviours.…”