HOW SPECIFIC ARE SPECIFIC PHOBIAS

To study the generality of fears among specific phobic individuals and controls, 31 individuals with a DSM-IV diagnosis of specific phobia ( natural environmental type: n=13; blood-injection-injury type: n=10; a nd situational type: n=8) and 33 never mentally ill control subjects p articipated in an interview and questionnaire study. Based on subjects ' fear ratings on the Fear Survey Schedule, subjects were classified a s either positive or negative with regard to fear categories that corr espond to the five diagnostic subtypes of specific phobia. Phobics sho wed overall a more generalized form of fear than controls. Furthermore , situational fears were more common among specific phobics who did no t meet criteria for specific phobia, situational type, than among cont rols. These results add to the literature on the functional relationsh ip among different fears and suggest that specific phobias are not as ''specific'' as is implied by the current diagnostic system. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.