Psychiatry and Fear

Psychiatry remains important and is progressing as brain science links mental illnesses to brain regions. PTSD is presented as a real condition involving heightened susceptibility to less threatening stimuli after intense fear. Fear sensitivity can be adaptive, but it becomes problematic when excessive or triggered in safe situations. Habituation can be used to reduce pathological fear by presenting a danger-associated sound in a harmless context. Psychotherapy depends on empathic engagement with patients rather than passive presence.