Common and Unique

Fears Explained
 Common fears

 Unique fears

 A-Z list of fears

 Treatment

 Takeaway

Overview
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 than 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 endure it within
intense fear or anxiety.

Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are very common. They’re
estimated to affect more than 30 percent of U.S. adults at some time in their lives.
In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5),
the American Psychiatric Association outlines several of the most common phobias.

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.

Specific phobias are a broad category of unique phobias related to specific objects and
situations. Specific phobias affect an estimated 12.5 percent of American adults.

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.

According to the DSM, 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 (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, so clinicians
and researchers make up 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.

Common phobias list

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.

A 1998 survey of more than 8,000 respondents published in the British Journal of
PsychiatryTrusted Source found that some of the most common phobias include:

 acrophobia, fear of heights

 aerophobia, fear of flying
 arachnophobia, fear of spiders
 astraphobia, fear of thunder and lightning
 autophobia, fear of being alone
 claustrophobia, fear of confined or crowded spaces
 hemophobia, fear of blood
 hydrophobia, fear of water
 ophidiophobia, fear of snakes
  zoophobia, fear of animals

Unique phobias
Specific phobias tend to be incredibly specific. Some so much so that they may only
affect a handful of people at a time.

These are difficult to identify because most people don’t report unusual fears to their
doctors.

Examples of some of the more unusual phobias include:

 alektorophobia, fear of chickens

 onomatophobia, fear of names
 pogonophobia, fear of beards
 nephophobia, fear of clouds
 cryophobia, fear of ice or cold

The sum of all fears so far

A

Achluophobia Fear of darkness

Acrophobia Fear of heights

Aerophobia Fear of flying

Algophobia Fear of pain

Alektorophobia Fear of chickens

Agoraphobia Fear of public spaces or crowds

Aichmophobia Fear of needles or pointed objects

Amaxophobia Fear of riding in a car

Androphobia Fear of men

Anginophobia Fear of angina or choking

Anthophobia Fear of flowers

Anthropophobia Fear of people or society

Aphenphosmphobia Fear of being touched

Arachnophobia Fear of spiders

Arithmophobia Fear of numbers

Astraphobia Fear of thunder and lightning

Ataxophobia Fear of disorder or untidiness

Atelophobia Fear of imperfection

Atychiphobia Fear of failure

Autophobia Fear of being alone

Bacteriophobia Fear of bacteria

Barophobia Fear of gravity

Bathmophobia Fear of stairs or steep slopes

Batrachophobia Fear of amphibians

Belonephobia Fear of pins and needles

Bibliophobia Fear of books

Botanophobia Fear of plants

Cacophobia Fear of ugliness

Catagelophobia Fear of being ridiculed

Catoptrophobia Fear of mirrors

Chionophobia Fear of snow

Chromophobia Fear of colors

Chronomentrophobia Fear of clocks

Claustrophobia Fear of confined spaces

Coulrophobia Fear of clowns

Cyberphobia Fear of computers

Cynophobia Fear of dogs

Dendrophobia Fear of trees

Dentophobia Fear of dentists

Domatophobia Fear of houses

Dystychiphobia Fear of accidents

Ecophobia Fear of the home

Elurophobia Fear of cats

Entomophobia Fear of insects

Ephebiphobia Fear of teenagers

Equinophobia Fear of horses

F, G

Gamophobia Fear of marriage

Genuphobia Fear of knees

Glossophobia Fear of speaking in public

Gynophobia Fear of women

Heliophobia Fear of the sun

Hemophobia Fear of blood

Herpetophobia Fear of reptiles

Hydrophobia Fear of water

Hypochondria Fear of illness

I-K

Iatrophobia Fear of doctors

Insectophobia Fear of insects

Koinoniphobia Fear of rooms full of people

Leukophobia Fear of the color white

Lilapsophobia Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes

Lockiophobia Fear of childbirth

Mageirocophobia Fear of cooking

Megalophobia Fear of large things

Melanophobia Fear of the color black

Microphobia Fear of small things

Mysophobia Fear of dirt and germs

Necrophobia Fear of death or dead things

Noctiphobia Fear of the night

Nosocomephobia Fear of hospitals

Nyctophobia Fear of the dark

Obesophobia Fear of gaining weight

Octophobia Fear of the figure 8

Ombrophobia Fear of rain

Ophidiophobia Fear of snakes

Ornithophobia Fear of birds

Papyrophobia Fear of paper

Pathophobia Fear of disease

Pedophobia Fear of children

Philophobia Fear of love

Phobophobia Fear of phobias

Podophobia Fear of feet

Pogonophobia Fear of beards

Porphyrophobia Fear of the color purple

Pteridophobia Fear of ferns

Pteromerhanophobia Fear of flying

Pyrophobia Fear of fire

Q-S

Samhainophobia Fear of Halloween

Scolionophobia Fear of school

Selenophobia Fear of the moon

Sociophobia Fear of social evaluation

Somniphobia Fear of sleep

Tachophobia Fear of speed

Technophobia Fear of technology

Tonitrophobia Fear of thunder

Trypanophobia Fear of needles or injections

U-Z
Venustraphobia Fear of beautiful women

Verminophobia Fear of germs

Wiccaphobia Fear of witches and witchcraft

Xenophobia Fear of strangers or foreigners

Zoophobia Fear of animals

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Treating a phobia
Phobias are treated with a combination of therapy and medications.

If you’re interested in finding treatment for your phobia, you should make an
appointment with a psychologist or qualified mental health professional.

The most effective treatment for specific phobias is a type of psychotherapy called
exposure therapy. During exposure therapy, you work with a psychologist to learn
how to desensitize yourself to the object or situation that you fear.

This treatment helps you change your thoughts and feelings about the object or
situation, so that you can learn to control your reactions.

The goal is to improve your quality of life so that you’re no longer hindered or
distressed by your fear.
Exposure therapy isn’t as scary as it may sound at first. This process is done with the
help of a qualified mental health professional, who knows how to guide you slowly
through increasing levels of exposure coupled with relaxation exercises.

If you fear spiders, you will begin by simply thinking of spiders or situations where
you may encounter one. Then you may progress to pictures or videos. Then perhaps
go to a place where spiders may be, such as a basement or wooded area.

It will take some time before you’ll actually be asked to look at or touch a spider.

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.

Medications that may help reduce uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, fear, and panic
include beta-blockers and benzodiazepines.

The takeaway
Phobias are a persistent, intense, and unrealistic fear 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.

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