Epidemiology
Phobias are a common form of anxiety disorders. An American study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that between 8.7% and 18.1% of Americans suffer from phobias. Broken down by age and gender, the study found that phobias were the most common mental illness among women in all age groups and the second most common illness among men older than 25. Between 4% and 10% of all children experience specific phobias during their lives, and social phobias occur in 1% to 3% of children and adolescents. However, social phobias are more common in girls than in boys .
Read more about this topic: Phobia