Phobias: The Daily PANCE Blueprint

Phobias: The Daily PANCE Blueprint

A 50-year-old male presents to your clinic complaining of intense fear of snakes for 2 years. Whenever he sees a picture of snakes or hears someone talking about snakes, he gets diaphoretic, nervous, and has an intense sense of doom. Which of the following is the first line treatment for his most likely diagnosis?

A. Benzodiazepines
B. Atypical antipsychotics
C. Exposure therapy
D. SSRIs
E. Reassurance

Answer and topic summary

The answer is C. Exposure therapy

Specific phobia is the most common psychiatric disorder in the United States. It is defined as persistent (>6 months) intense fear of a specific situation, object, or place that provokes a reaction, causes fear out of proportion to normal, and makes the person avoid the stimuli. Types of phobias include animals, natural environment, situational, or injury. For most patients newly diagnosed with specific phobia, first-line treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) which includes exposure therapy. Benzodiazepines or beta-blockers may be used for short term, but they are not supposed to be used long term.

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Smarty PANCE Content Blueprint Review:

Covered under ⇒ PANCE Blueprint Psychiatry ⇒ Anxiety Disorders (Pearls)Phobias

Also covered in Family Medicine PAEA EOR topic lists