A patient describes a fear response. Before revealing the answer, decide what distinguishes a phobia from generalised anxiety.

Ask whether the fear has a specific, consistent, identifiable trigger that can, in principle, be avoided, or whether it is free-floating and not attached to any particular object or situation. A phobia is defined by having exactly such a specific trigger, and the fear is consistently and reliably provoked by that trigger and can be reduced by avoiding it. Anxiety, as a mood state, may be free-floating, not attached to any particular object, or may sometimes focus on a specific worry, but it lacks the same reliable, situation-specific triggering and the driven avoidance behaviour that defines a phobia. The presence of a clear, consistent, avoidable trigger is the key distinguishing feature.