Phobias - Age and Gender Divide
Specific phobias, like the fear of animals, commonly begin in childhood. Some children grow out of their fears when they become adults without any treatment. In others, it may linger into adulthood, and then continue for life. Phobias are quite common in the general population. In community samples, lifetime rates (once in life incidence) range from 10 to 11.3 per cent, with 75-90 per cent sufferers being women.
Agoraphobia typically strikes in late adolescence or early adulthood. It is also more commonly diagnosed in women than in men.
Social phobia can begin at any age, but it generally begins in the early to late teens. It may wax and wane in severity and runs a chronic course. In community studies, the lifetime prevalence figures of social phobia range between 3-13 per cent. Men and women are represented almost equally.
Phobias may run in families. First-degree biological relatives of a sufferer are more likely to develop the disorder.
Tagged under:adolescence agoraphobia biological relatives chronic course fears lifetime prevalence lifetime rates men and women Phobias social phobia specific phobias strikes