Diagnosis and treatment of phobia.

A phobia is an excessive fear or dread of a situation or object which is out of keeping with the danger it may actually present. Phobias can be classified into 'simple phobias', 'social phobias' and agoraphobia. A number of psychological theories have been put forward to account for both the onset and maintenance of a phobia. The case of a social phobia is presented together with a cognitive behavioural intervention package.