When does my child's fear become a phobia?

When does my child's fear become a phobia?

Charles Sophy (Private Practice in Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) gives expert video advice on: How prevalent are anxieties and phobias in children?; What is the professional treatment for a child with phobias and anxieties?; What can I do to prevent my child from developing an anxiety? and more...

A fear and a phobia differ in the fact that a fear starts off with, “I'm afraid of walking through the door.” Whereas it spills into the phobic range when it becomes “I'm afraid to walk by the door, and I can't wear this shirt when I go to touch the door, and I've got to step back, and I can only walk on this block, I can't walk on that”. As it adds up, and the things and the elements that prevent the ability to go through the fear build up, that's when you're in the phobic range.