If you experience intense fear or avoidance of a specific object or situation, this phobia self-assessment can help determine the severity of your symptoms. The Severity Measure for Specific Phobia—Adult (SMSP-A) is a clinically validated tool designed to assess how significantly a phobia impacts your daily life.

Why Take This Test?
✔ Quick & Effective: Takes only a few minutes to complete.
✔ Clinically Researched: Based on the DSM-5 Severity Measures for specific phobias.
✔ Personalized Results: Tailored to the specific fear category you experience.

A specific phobia is an intense, irrational fear of a particular object or situation—such as heights, flying, or medical procedures—that leads to strong anxiety and avoidance. Unlike everyday fears, a phobia causes significant distress or interference in daily life and is often out of proportion to the actual danger.

Types of Phobias

Common phobia categories include:
✔ Animal Phobias – Fear of spiders (arachnophobia), dogs (cynophobia), or snakes (ophidiophobia).
✔ Situational Phobias – Fear of flying (aviophobia), small spaces (claustrophobia), or driving.
✔ Blood-Injection-Injury Phobias – Fear of needles, injections, or medical procedures.
✔ Natural Environment Phobias – Fear of heights, storms, or deep water.
✔ Other Phobias – Includes fears of choking, loud sounds, or vomiting.

For a full breakdown of phobia types, symptoms, and treatment, visit our Phobia Treatment Service Page.

What is the Severity Measure for Specific Phobia (SMSP-A)

The SMSP-A was developed as part of the DSM-5 clinical assessment tools to provide a standardized measure of phobia severity. Unlike general anxiety tests, this scale focuses on specific phobias and assesses key factors, including:

✔ Fear Intensity: How strong is your fear when facing the phobic stimulus?
✔ Cognitive Reactions: Do you have catastrophic thoughts about the feared situation?
✔ Physical Symptoms: Do you experience panic-like responses (e.g., sweating, dizziness, rapid heartbeat)?
✔ Avoidance Behaviors: How much effort do you take to avoid the feared object or situation?
✔ Coping Strategies: Do you use safety behaviors like relying on others, medication, or excessive preparation?

This self-report measure is used by psychologists and researchers worldwide to assess real-world phobia severity and guide treatment planning.

How the Phobia Self-Assessment Works (Scoring & Interpretation)

10 Questions Covering Key Phobia Symptoms
Each question is rated on a scale from 0 to 4
Total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms

What Your Results Mean:

✔ 0 – No Symptoms: You do not experience significant fear or avoidance of a specific situation.
✔ 1–10 – Mild Phobia: Occasional fear or avoidance, but it does not significantly interfere with life.
✔ 11–20 – Moderate Phobia: Noticeable anxiety and avoidance that affects daily activities.
✔ 21–30 – Severe Phobia: Frequent distress and avoidance; symptoms may significantly impact your routine.
✔ 31–40 – Extreme Phobia: Persistent and debilitating fear, possibly leading to complete avoidance.

💡 If your score suggests moderate to severe phobia, seeking professional support may help reduce distress and improve daily functioning.

Take the Severity Measure for Specific Phobia - Adult (SMSP-A)

The following questions ask about thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that you may have in a variety of situations. When answering the questions only related them to one potential phobia at a time:

Driving, flying, tunnels, bridges, or enclosed spaces
Animals or insects
Heights, storms, or water
Blood, needles, or injections
Chocking or vomiting

How This Test Can Help You

Taking this self-assessment can:
✔ Help you understand the severity of your phobia.
✔ Provide insight into your reactions, including fear intensity, avoidance, and coping strategies.
✔ Serve as a first step toward professional evaluation if symptoms significantly impact daily life.

💡 If your results indicate moderate to severe symptoms, professional treatment options such as exposure therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be highly effective.

Explore More Anxiety Self-Assessments

✔ GAD-7 Anxiety Test – Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screening

✔ PDSS Panic Disorder Test – Panic Disorder Severity Scale

✔ SPIN Social Anxiety Test – Social Phobia Inventory

✔ OCI-R OCD Test – Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory

✔ SMSP-A Phobia Test – Severity Measure for Specific Phobia – Adult

✔ SHAI Health Anxiety Test – Short Health Anxiety Inventory

✔ PSWQ Anxiety Test – Penn State Worry Questionnaire

American Psychiatric Association (2013). Severity Measure for Specific Phobia—Adult. DSM-5 Assessment Measures. APA, Arlington, VA. https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/dsm-5-assessment-measures https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/dsm-5-assessment-measures

Summary: Original DSM-5 publication introducing the SMSP-A as a structured tool for assessing phobia severity.

Lebeau, R. T., Glenn, D. E., Hanover, L. N., Beesdo-Baum, K., Wittchen, H-U., & Craske, M. G. (2012). A dimensional approach to measuring anxiety for DSM-5. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 21(4), 258–272. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1364

Summary: Foundational study describing the development of the DSM-5 anxiety disorder measures, including validation of the SMSP-A.

MacLeod, S., Schneider, L. H., & McCabe, R. E. (2022). Investigating the psychometric properties of the Severity Measure for Specific Phobia. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 44(3), 826–835. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-022-09976-6

Summary: A recent validation study confirming the SMSP-A’s reliability and its ability to distinguish clinical from subclinical phobia cases.

Schmit, M. K., Kramer, T. L., Miller, M. C., & Rotter, J. B. (2014). Evaluating emerging measures in the DSM-5 for counseling practice. The Professional Counselor, 4(5), 216–230. https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/evaluating-emerging-measures-in-the-dsm-5-for-counseling-practice/

Summary: Reviewed the utility of the SMSP-A in clinical settings, highlighting its strengths in tracking phobia severity and treatment progress.

Severity Measure for Specific Phobia - Adult

SMSP-A

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