Utility of fear severity and individual resilience scoring as a surge capacity, triage management tool during large-scale, bio-event disasters.

Threats of bioterrorism and emerging infectious disease pandemics may result in fear-related consequences. If left undetected and untreated, fear-based signs and symptoms may be extremely debilitating and lead to chronic problems with a risk of permanent damage to the brain's locus coeruleus and stress response circuits. The triage management of susceptible, exposed, and infectious victims seeking care must be sensitive and specific enough to identify individuals with excessive levels of fear in order to address the nuances of fear-based symptoms at the initial point of contact.

Posttraumatic dental-care anxiety (PTDA): Is "dental phobia" a misnomer?

In this brief review article, we suggest that the term "dental phobia" may be a misnomer. The problem with using the term "phobia" in a dental-care context is as follows: by definition, phobias involve a fear that is "excessive or unreasonable," which the individual recognizes as such, and in which the anxiety, panic attacks and phobic avoidance are not better accounted for by another disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In our experience, most individuals with dental "phobia" do not recognize their symptoms as "excessive or unreasonable" and in that sense, resemble individuals with PTSD.