The 22-year-old client has an abnormal, excessive fear of being disfigured. The Psychiatric Technician knows that the client has which of these?

The 22-year-old client has an abnormal, excessive fear of being disfigured. The Psychiatric Technician knows that the client has which of these?

• A. Delusion
• B. Hallucination
• C. Phobia
• D. Obsession

Answer: (C)

A phobia is an intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation that leads to avoidance and impairment. The description of a 22-year-old fearing being disfigured fits this pattern because it targets a particular outcome (disfigurement) and is excessive and unwarranted given the real risk, which is characteristic of a phobia. Delusions involve a fixed false belief held despite evidence; hallucinations are sensory experiences without an external stimulus; and obsessions are intrusive, unwanted thoughts that cause distress rather than a specific, avoidant fear. If the fear were a fixed belief about being disfigured regardless of reality, it could suggest a delusion, but the prompt presents fear rather than a belief, so the best fit is phobia.

A phobia is an intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation that leads to avoidance and impairment. The description of a 22-year-old fearing being disfigured fits this pattern because it targets a particular outcome (disfigurement) and is excessive and unwarranted given the real risk, which is characteristic of a phobia.

Delusions involve a fixed false belief held despite evidence; hallucinations are sensory experiences without an external stimulus; and obsessions are intrusive, unwanted thoughts that cause distress rather than a specific, avoidant fear. If the fear were a fixed belief about being disfigured regardless of reality, it could suggest a delusion, but the prompt presents fear rather than a belief, so the best fit is phobia.