The initial step of diagnosis of cynophobia begins with contacting an authorised therapist. The therapist may ask a range of questions to the concerned individual in order to evaluate the symptoms, identify the cause and how it has affected a person.
For acquiring detailed information on the patient, the medical professional may go through any family history of fear of dogs and inquire about other details that can relate to the cause of fear on dogs.
Many a time, doctors may refer to symptoms of phobias for proper diagnosis as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, also known as (DSM-5-TR). This offers a specific criterion of diagnosis, which includes the following:
- Fear of a specific element – In this case, it refers to fear of dogs
- Nature of immediate response to the feared object – Individuals with cynophobia will most likely become anxious when in contact with dogs
- Signs of extreme fear – The uncontrollable and unmanageable fear or anxiety when one sees a dog approaching
- Signs of discomfort or avoidance – In this case, a person fearing dogs will avoid confrontation with the animal whenever possible. He or she will even avoid going to a friend’s house that has a pet dog.
- How it affects the daily routine – The effect of phobia and its interference with daily work and activities
- Persistence of the symptoms – By verifying this, the therapist will try to assess the severity of the fear. The therapist will try to identify whether the person has been experiencing the fear for six months or more.
- Symptoms that arise due to other disorders – It is important to assess certain underlying factors before formulating a treatment plan. A therapist thus needs to determine whether an individual is suffering from any underlying disorders before experiencing a fear of dogs.
Some of these disorders are Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), clinical depression or certain other major depressive disorders.
Based on the above criterion of the diagnosis procedure, a doctor or therapist recommends the best set of treatment programs that is customised to suit an individual’s needs.