Fear of flying in agoraphobia and simple phobia: Distinguishing features

Abstract

We conducted structured interviews with 17 agoraphobics and 17 simple phobics, all of whom were seeking behavioral treatment for fear of flying. Although all subjects had a flying phobia, the groups differed in their motivation for flight avoidance. In general, agoraphobics avoided flying because they feared having panic attacks while in flight, whereas simple phobics avoided flying because they feared crashing. Conversely, agoraphobics worried little about plane crashes, and simple phobics worried little about panic per se. These data support the retention of apprehension about panic as a diagnostic criterion for panic disorder in DSM-IV, and underscore the nosological significance of the fear of anxiety concept.