Phobias in India and the United Kingdom. A trans-cultural study.

Thirty-nine phobic patients from India were compared with 39 similarly diagnosed age and sex matched patients from the United Kingdom. The British sample contained significantly more patients with agoraphobia and social phobia compared to the Indian group. Sudden death and illness phobias were more frequent in the Indian group. The Indian phobic patients also had more somatic and depressive symptoms. The influence of culture on the presentation of different phobias is discussed.