Psychologist Paul Salkovskis, professor of clinical psychology and applied science at King's College London tells us what he'd want to know if he had a phobia.

When does a fear become a phobia?

A fear becomes a phobia when you have to accommodate your fear and build your life around avoiding the thing you’re afraid of. You know you have a phobia if you’re starting to change your life to prevent coming in to contact with the thing you're scared of.

What types of phobia are there?

Phobias can either be specific (particular objects or situations) or generalised. A phobia to cats, dogs or heights, for example, is specific. Generalised phobias tend to be either ‘social phobia’, a fear of interacting with other people in social situations, or ‘agoraphobia’, a fear of public places that are difficult to escape from.

Social phobia may start off as shyness, which then becomes exaggerated to the point of interfering with your life. Agoraphobia is often caused by the occurrence of panic attacks. You’re afraid of experiencing panic attacks in particular places so don’t go to those places.

When do phobias develop?

Specific phobias often start in childhood, from the ages of about four to eight. Social phobia and agoraphobia usually start much later. Social phobia often starts at puberty, and agoraphobia usually starts towards the late-teens and 20s.

Can you prevent a phobia from developing?

It’s a really good idea to familiarise children with the things they’re afraid of, in a controlled way, early on. That way you can reduce a fear of, say, spiders before it becomes a problem in later life.

How serious are phobias?

Agoraphobia and social phobia are usually much more disabling than specific phobias, although you’ll occasionally see someone with a specific phobia who is completely handicapped by it. But specific phobias are much easier to live with than generalised phobias, because you can’t really avoid people and going to crowded places.

Can my phobia be treated?

The good news about phobias is that they’re all treatable. For specific phobias, the treatment always involves some type of exposure, confronting the thing you’re afraid of. For phobias of small animals, like snakes and spiders, for example, this treatment can be done in the space of three hours. It’s a highly successful technique and almost all of the people who go through it are cured.

Social phobia and agoraphobia tend to get progressively worse if you don’t get help. In these cases it’s really important to get treatment, usually cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This treatment takes weeks rather than hours, but is highly effective.