Phobias
Introduction
Phobias are an intense fear of something, like heights or certain animals, that causes significant distress. They’re typically treated with therapy, medication, or a combination of both.
A phobia is an irrational fear of something that’s unlikely to cause harm. The word itself comes from the Greek word“phobos,” which means “fear” or “horror.”
Hydrophobia, for example, literally translates to fear of water.
When someone has a phobia, they experience intense fear of a certain object or situation. Phobias are different from regular fears because they cause significant distress, possibly interfering with life at home, work, or school.
People with phobias actively avoid the phobic object or situation, or they endure it with intense fear or anxiety.
Agoraphobia, a fear of places or situations that trigger fear or helplessness, is singled out as a particularly common fear with its own unique diagnosis. Social phobias, which are fears related to social situations, are also singled out with a unique diagnosis.
Phobias come in all shapes and sizes. Because there are an infinite number of objects and situations, the list of specific phobias is quite long.
Types of phobias
According to the DSM-5, specific phobias typically fall within five general categories:
*Fears related to animals (spiders, dogs, insects)
*Fears related to the natural environment (heights, thunder, darkness)
*Fears related to blood, injury, or medical issues (injections, broken bones, falls)
*Fears related to specific situations (flying, riding an elevator, driving)
*Other (fear of choking, loud noises, drowning)
These categories encompass an infinite number of specific objects and situations.
There’s no official list of phobias beyond what’s outlined in the DSM-5, so clinicians and researchers create names for them as the need arises. This is typically done by combining a Greek (or sometimes Latin) prefix that describes the phobia with the –phobia suffix.
For example, a fear of water would be named by combining “hydro” (water) and “phobia” (fear).
There’s also such a thing as a fear of fears (phobophobia). This is actually more common than you might imagine.
People with anxiety disorders sometimes experience panic attacks when they’re in certain situations. These panic attacks can be so uncomfortable that people do everything they can to avoid them in the future.
For example, if you have a panic attack while sailing, you may fear sailing in the future, but you may also fear panic attacks or fear developing hydrophobia.
List of phobias
Studying specific phobias is a complicated process. Most people don’t seek treatment for these conditions, so cases largely go unreported.
These phobias also vary based on cultural experiences, gender, and age.
Here’s a look at some phobias that have been identified.
1.Achluophobia - Fear of darkness
2.Acrophobia - Fear of heights
3.Aerophobia - Fear of flying
4.Agoraphobia - Fear of public spaces or crowds
5.Aichmophobia - Fear of needles or pointed objects
6.Ailurophobia - Fear of cats
7.Alektorophobia - Fear of chickens
8.Algophobia - Fear of pain
9.Amaxophobia - Fear of riding in a car
10.Androphobia - Fear of men
11.Anginophobia - Fear of angina or choking
12.Anthophobia - Fear of flowers
13.Anthropophobia - Fear of people or society
14.Aphenphosmphobia - Fear of being touched
15.Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders
16.Arithmophobia - Fear of numbers
17.Astraphobia - Fear of thunder and lightning
18.Ataxophobia - Fear of disorder or untidiness
19.Atelophobia - Fear of imperfection
20.Atychiphobia - Fear of failure
21.Autophobia - Fear of being alone
22.Bacteriophobia - Fear of bacteria
23.Barophobia - Fear of gravity
24.Bathmophobia - Fear of stairs or steep slopes
25.Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians
26.Belonephobia - Fear of pins and needles
27.Bibliophobia - Fear of books
28.Botanophobia - Fear of plants
29.Cacophobia - Fear of ugliness
30.Catagelophobia - Fear of being ridiculed
31.Catoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors
32.Chionophobia - Fear of snow
33.Chromophobia - Fear of colors
34.Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks
35.Cibophobia - Fear of food
36.Claustrophobia - Fear of confined spaces
37.Coulrophobia - Fear of clowns
38.Cyberphobia - Fear of computers
39.Cynophobia - Fear of dogs
40.Dendrophobia - Fear of trees
41.Dentophobia - Fear of dentists
42.Domatophobia - Fear of houses
43.Dystychiphobia - Fear of accidents
44.Emetophobia - Fear of vomiting
45.Entomophobia - Fear of insects
46.Ephebiphobia - Fear of teenagers
47.Equinophobia - Fear of horses
48.Gamophobia - Fear of marriage or commitment
49.Genuphobia - Fear of knees
50.Glossophobia - Fear of speaking in public
51.Gynophobia - Fear of women
52.Heliophobia - Fear of the sun
53.Hemophobia - Fear of blood
54.Herpetophobia - Fear of reptiles
55.Hydrophobia - Fear of water
56.Hypochondria - Fear of illness
57.Iatrophobia - Fear of doctors
58.Insectophobia - Fear of insects
59.Koinoniphobia - Fear of rooms full of people
60.Leukophobia - Fear of the color white
61.Lilapsophobia - Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes
62.Lockiophobia - Fear of childbirth
63.Mageirocophobia - Fear of cooking
64.Megalophobia - Fear of large things
65.Melanophobia - Fear of the color black
66.Microphobia - Fear of small things
67.Mysophobia - Fear of dirt and germs
68.Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things
69.Noctiphobia - Fear of the night
70.Nosocomephobia - Fear of hospitals
71.Nyctophobia - Fear of the dark
72.Obesophobia - Fear of gaining weight
73.Octophobia - Fear of the number 8
74.Ombrophobia - Fear of rain
75.Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes
76.Ornithophobia - Fear of birds
77.Papyrophobia - Fear of paper
78.Paruresis - Fear of urinating in public places or in the presence of others
79.Pathophobia - Fear of disease
80.Pedophobia - Fear of children
81.Philophobia - Fear of love
82.Phobophobia - Fear of phobias
83.Podophobia - Fear of feet
84.Pogonophobia - Fear of beards
85.Porphyrophobia - Fear of the color purple
86.Pteridophobia - Fear of ferns
87.Pteromerhanophobia - Fear of flying
88.Pyrophobia - Fear of fire
89.Samhainophobia - Fear of Halloween
90.Scolionophobia - Fear of school
91.Selenophobia - Fear of the moon
92.Sociophobia - Fear of social evaluation
93.Somniphobia - Fear of sleep
94.Tachophobia - Fear of speed
95.Technophobia - Fear of technology
96.Thalassophobia - Fear of deep water
97.Tonitrophobia - Fear of thunder
98.Trypanophobia - Fear of needles or injections
99.Trypophobia - Fear of clustered patterns of holes
100.Venustraphobia - Fear of beautiful women
101.Verminophobia - Fear of germs
102.Wiccaphobia - Fear of witches and witchcraft
103.Xenophobia - Fear of strangers or foreigners
104.Zoophobia - Fear of animals
Treating a phobia
Phobias are typically treated with therapy, medication, or a combination of both:
Exposure therapy. During exposure therapy, which is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy, you work with a psychologist to learn how to desensitize yourself to the object or situation that you fear. The goal is to improve your quality of life so that you’re no longer hindered or distressed by your fear.
Antianxiety medication. Your doctor may recommend certain anxiety-reducing medications that can help you through exposure therapy. While these medications aren’t exactly a treatment for phobias, they can help make exposure therapy less distressing.
Other medications. Your clinician might also prescribe beta-blockers and benzodiazepines to manage feelings of anxiety or panic.
The Takeaway
Phobias are persistent, intense, and unrealistic fears of a certain object or situation. Specific phobias are related to certain objects and situations. They typically involve fears related to animals, natural environments, medical issues, or specific situations.
While phobias can be extremely uncomfortable and challenging, therapy and medication can help. If you think you may have a phobia that’s causing a disruption in your life, speak with your doctor for an evaluation and treatment options.
