What is Musophobia?

It is estimated that 10 million people across the UK have a phobia, which equates to nearly 1 in 6 of the population. Musophobia, an extreme fear of mice and rats, is a type of specific phobia that is less common than other phobias.

Although many people dislike rodents, accurate statistics of how many people are experiencing a true phobia of mice and rats are not available. However, it is thought that thousands of people across the UK have musophobia.

Today, we are going to look at musophobia in more detail, including common triggers, symptoms and treatments.

What is musophobia?

Musophobia is an irrational and overwhelming fear of mice and rats. If you have musophobia, you may experience extreme fear, panic or anxiety when you encounter mice or rats.

Although many people will have reasonable fears and concerns relating to mice and rats, people with musophobia experience fear, anxiety and panic that is overwhelming and disproportionate to the risks.

To be categorised as a phobia, your fear of mice and rats must:

• Create feelings of intense fear, panic or anxiety that are difficult to manage.
• Be out of proportion to the potential danger.
• Last for at least six months.
• Interfere with your day-to-day life, your overall wellbeing or your sense of safety.

Musophobia can be related to a number of specific fears associated with mice and rats. Although these fears may be based on true risks, the fear will be out of proportion to the actual risks and potential dangers.

Some of the most common fears that make up musophobia are:

A fear of infestation:

Fearing that your home could become infested with mice and rats is common for people with musophobia. Seeing even one mouse or rat can be a sign of a significant infestation, with the accepted theory that for every one mouse you see, there is likely to be another 5-6 mice in your home.

With one female mouse able to produce up to 10 litters per year with 6-8 pups per litter, an infestation can be problematic. However, mouse or rat infestations are rare in the UK and there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of an infestation. Even if you do have an infestation, they are easily dealt with by professionals, making this fear irrational.

A fear of contamination:

Mice and rats are considered to be dirty animals that carry infections, diseases and bacteria. In fact, it is thought that rats helped to spread the plague that killed millions around the world. Mice and rats often also have fleas, ticks, lice or mites that also pose a risk to humans.

Contamination can happen if you come into contact with the faeces, urine or saliva of a rodent, or if you improperly handle a dead rodent. However, diseases are extremely uncommon in rats and mice now, with rodent-based illnesses very rare.

A fear of being bitten or scratched:

Because rodents are thought to be carriers of diseases, some people fear being bitten or scratched by a mouse or a rat. However, this is extremely unlikely as rodents usually flee from humans. They will likely only bite you if they feel threatened or if you are holding them. Even if you are unfortunate enough to be bitten or scratched by a mouse or rat, this is unlikely to be serious and can be treated very easily.

Someone with musophobia will likely go to significant lengths to avoid coming into contact with mice and rats. They may avoid certain places or situations or may alter their behaviour to reduce the likelihood of an encounter. If they do encounter a mouse or rat, they are likely to experience significant fear, panic, anxiety or distress.

Even if they are aware their fear is disproportionate to the danger, they will likely be unable to control their negative patterns of thought, their emotions and their behaviours.

Many people who don’t have musophobia will wonder how you can have a phobia of something so much smaller than humans. However, the fear of rats and mice actually has evolutionary origins. Humans may be predisposed to fearing rodents as a survival mechanism that developed in our ancestors.

Historically, rodents spread diseases, ate up vital food supplies and ruined clothing and other fabrics, all of which were essential to our ancestors’ survival. Although musophobia may have been beneficial to our ancestors, it can be a problematic phobia to have now, when the risks to our health and survival are extremely low.

Musophobia is also associated with other similar phobias. It can exist on its own or in conjunction with one of the phobias below:

• Mysophobia/Germaphobia: An extreme fear of germs.
• Nosophobia: An extreme fear of developing a disease.
• Zoophobia: An extreme fear of animals.
• Daknophobia: An extreme fear of being bitten.

Although musophobia is primarily associated with the fear of rats and mice, some people with the condition also have a phobia of other rodents, such as guinea pigs, hamsters and squirrels.

How common is musophobia?

While musophobia isn’t as well-known as other phobias, it is surprisingly common. Although true figures are not available, it is thought that thousands of people across the UK are affected by musophobia.

However, phobias are typically underdiagnosed around the world. This is particularly true of specific phobias, which refer to a lasting, overwhelming and unreasonable fear of a specific object, situation, activity or person. Musophobia is a type of specific phobia as it refers to the phobia of specific animals. Because many people are not aware of the different types of specific phobias, they may not be aware that they are experiencing a phobia.

Furthermore, because rodents elicit a fear response or feelings of disgust in many people, someone with musophobia may not realise that their thoughts, feelings and behaviours surrounding mice and rats are extreme and irrational. This means that many people do not seek a diagnosis, making it difficult to ascertain exactly how many people experience musophobia.

Because rodents are generally considered to be unpleasant, negative thoughts and reactions to them can occur on a spectrum, ranging from low levels of fear, anxiety and dislike to severe fear, panic and anxiety that can impact your ability to function in your day-to-day life or affect your overall wellbeing.

Who is at risk of musophobia?

Although anyone can develop musophobia, there are certain risk factors that can increase the likelihood of you developing a fear of mice and rats.

These can include:

• Having another related phobia, such as germaphobia or nosophobia.
• Having a history of anxiety, depression, panic attacks or another relevant mental health disorder.
• Having a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, with musophobia.
• Having a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, with another phobia.
• Being exposed to the fear of mice and rats during childhood or adolescence.
• Having a negative or traumatic experience involving mice or rats.
• Being a naturally more anxious or fearful person.
• Having little or no real-life contact with mice or rats.

However, even if you have several of the above risk factors, this does not necessarily mean that you will develop musophobia. For example, a person with germaphobia and an anxiety disorder may never experience a fear of rodents. On the contrary, a person with none of the above risk factors may develop musophobia.

Similarly to other phobias, musophobia is more common in females compared to males. However, it is unclear whether statistics represent a true gender difference in the development of phobias, or whether women are more likely to seek a diagnosis than men. Although musophobia can develop at any age, the majority of people develop a phobia during childhood or adolescence.

How to deal with musophobia

You may think that the best way to deal with your musophobia is to avoid rats and mice and any places or situations where you may encounter them. However, this may not be an effective long-term solution. Ignoring your phobia and not addressing your triggers could result in your symptoms becoming more severe in the future.

No matter how hard you try to avoid rodents, there may be times when you encounter them, such as on the street at night time, in a zoo, or even in a movie. If you haven’t learnt any coping strategies, these encounters could result in a more severe phobic reaction.

Coping strategies can help you to reduce and alleviate the symptoms of your phobia and reduce the impact it has on your day-to-day life and overall wellbeing. They can also help you to reduce avoidance behaviours and manage your phobia more successfully.

Some long-term and short-term coping strategies you can implement include:

• Educate yourself
  Learning about mice and rats is a great way to deal with your phobia. It can help you to understand and accept the extremely low risk that these rodents pose to humans. If one of your fears is the diseases carried by rats and mice, education can show you that many of these diseases are now obsolete and any that do still exist are easily treatable by modern medicine. Perceiving rats and mice as being less dangerous can help you to overcome your phobia.
• Reduce the likelihood of finding rodents in your home
  Finding rats or mice in your home can be distressing for anyone, not just those with musophobia. Having a rodent infestation can worsen your phobia and exacerbate your symptoms. Some things you can do to prevent mice and rats from entering your home are:
  – Seal any cracks or holes in your walls.
  – Keep lofts, attics, cellars and basements well ventilated and dry.
  – Dispose of rubbish regularly.
  – Keep your household bins and wheelie bins closed at all times.
  – Keep food covered.
  – Prune bushes and shrubs close to your home.
  – Use essential oils, such as peppermint and clove oils.
  – Get a cat.
• Learn about your phobia
  Understanding what initially caused your phobia and what your triggers are can help you rationalise your thoughts, emotions and behaviours. This can help you to manage your symptoms more effectively and reduce your phobic responses.
• Challenge negative thoughts
  Negative thoughts can aggravate your symptoms and worsen your phobia. Remind yourself that mice and rats don’t pose any risk to you and that you are not in danger. If you begin to experience symptoms of musophobia, remind yourself that the feelings will soon pass and that your fear is irrational.
• Practise yoga, meditation or mindfulness
  Yoga, meditation and mindfulness teach you how to control your breathing and your body’s physiological responses. The skills you learn can help you to feel more in control and calm and help to reduce the physiological and psychological responses you may have when faced with rodents.
• Implement lifestyle changes
  Phobias can be made worse by factors such as lack of sleep and excessive stress. Take steps to reduce stress in your everyday life, eat a healthier, more balanced diet, exercise regularly and ensure you have a good sleep routine. These lifestyle changes can help to reduce the symptoms of your phobia long term. This is because these lifestyle factors can impact your anxiety levels, your stress levels and your feelings of depression. Avoiding caffeine, sugar and other stimulants can also be beneficial, particularly in situations where you could encounter rodents, as these can increase your heart rate and blood pressure and worsen your physiological symptoms.
• Practise deep breathing techniques
  Deep breathing is an effective way of lowering stress and relieving tension in your body. This is because it sends a message to your brain to relax and calm down. It can help to reduce anxiety and can help you to control your nervous system, which is central to your phobic responses.
• Avoid negative stories or frightening videos and pictures
  Hearing negative stories about rodents or watching a film or TV show where they are portrayed negatively is likely to reinforce the negative connotations your brain has already attached to mice and rats.
• Implement visualisation techniques
  Visualisation has been found to be an effective coping strategy for reducing the symptoms of phobias. When faced with your trigger, visualising a place or memory that keeps you calm or elicits positive emotions can help to alleviate your symptoms.
• Talk about your phobia
  Discussing your phobia and the negative thoughts and feelings that are attached to mice and rats can be very beneficial. You can talk to a trusted family member or friend, your doctor or a mental health organisation, such as Mind, which offers face-to-face, phone and email support for people with phobias.

What triggers musophobia?

Musophobia can have different triggers for different people. Your triggers can depend on what initially caused your phobia to develop, the severity of your fear and your current mental health and wellbeing.

Some of the most common triggers for musophobia are:

• Seeing a mouse or rat in real life.
• Going to a place where mice or rats are often found, such as wooded areas, underground and areas with lots of rubbish.
• Hearing a sound you associate with mice or rats, such as squeaking or hearing unusual noises in your home.
• Thinking about mice or rats.
• Watching a film or TV show with a mouse or rat in it or seeing a picture of rodents.
• Hearing negative stories about rodents, such as someone finding them in their home.
• Seeing an object that looks like a mouse or rat, such as string that looks like a tail.

What are the symptoms of musophobia?

The symptoms of musophobia can vary from person to person and situation to situation, depending on the severity of your phobia, your triggers, your current mental health and wellbeing, and your coping strategies.

Some people experience mild symptoms, whereas others experience more severe symptoms. The severity of your symptoms can also vary depending on the perceived threat and the proximity of the rodents. For example, you may experience more severe symptoms if you see a rat in your home, compared to if you see one in a zoo or on the TV. Some people only experience symptoms when directly faced with a real-life rat or mouse, whereas others feel fear and anxiety even if rodents are not present.

The symptoms of musophobia are often similar to the symptoms of anxiety or panic attacks.

The symptoms can be both physiological and psychological and can include:

Physiological Symptoms:

• A rapid heart rate or heart palpitations.
• Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing, such as hyperventilating or shallow breathing.
• Chest pain, tightening in the chest or feeling like something is stuck in your chest.
• Difficulty swallowing, a choking feeling or the feeling that something is stuck in your throat.
• Feeling dizzy or light-headed.
• Elevated blood pressure.
• Confusion or disorientation.
• Sweating, chills or hot flushes.
• A burning or prickling sensation in your hands, feet, arms or legs.
• A dry mouth.
• Shaking or trembling.
• Nausea, vomiting or stomach upset.
• Loss of appetite.
• Insomnia or feeling unable to sleep.
• Unusual headaches.
• Freezing and feeling like you are unable to move.

Psychological Symptoms:

• Immediate and overwhelming feelings of fear or panic.
• Overwhelming anxiety.
• Being unable to control your feelings of fear, panic or anxiety, even if you are aware they are excessive.
• An urge to run away or hide.
• Feeling trapped or unable to escape.
• A sense of impending doom.
• A fear of death or dying.
• Avoiding situations or places where you may encounter mice or rats.
• Difficulty functioning normally when faced with mice or rats.

What causes musophobia?

There is no one specific cause of musophobia. People can develop the condition for different reasons. In some cases, there is no clear cause of musophobia. Other people can associate their phobia with a specific origin, whereas in others, multiple factors contributed to the onset of the phobia.

Some of the main causes of musophobia are:

• A traumatic or negative experience involving a mouse or rat
  Any traumatic, frightening or negative experience involving rodents can become a direct learning experience that develops into a phobia. A traumatic experience could include being bitten or scratched or finding rats or mice in your home or in an enclosed space where you feel trapped.
• The startle response
  This is a mainly unconscious defensive response to a sudden stimulus. A sudden noise or movement can create a startle response and can result in a reflex reaction and a negative association. Someone who was previously startled by a mouse or rat can develop a phobia as a result of this response.
• A learned phobia
  If you have a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, who has musophobia or displays a fear of rats and mice, you are more likely to develop musophobia yourself. This is particularly true if you were exposed to the fear during childhood.
• Fear rumination
  Fear rumination is when you (often subconsciously) engage in repetitive negative thought processes. This could include repeatedly recalling a negative experience involving mice or rats or thinking and talking about them in a negative way. Over time, your memories and thoughts can become increasingly upsetting and intrusive, reinforcing your fear response and resulting in you developing a phobia.
• Exposure to information that scares you
  This is known as an informational learning experience and can happen if you discover facts or information about rodents that scare you. For example, if you hear about mice infestations, people being bitten in their sleep, or diseases spread by rodents, this can cause you to consider them as dangerous and dirty and can develop into a phobia.
• Significant stress
  Significant, long-term stress can result in disproportionate fear responses or an inability to manage intense situations. This can make it more likely that you will develop a phobia. A stressful and distressing event, such as a death, can also trigger a phobia, as people may be less able to manage their emotions and thought processes when experiencing grief.
• Negative association
  Learning to associate rats and mice with disease, infestations and dirtiness can create a disgust response. You may also learn to negatively associate them with danger. These associations can exist as a result of socially induced responses or the influence of the media.

How is musophobia diagnosed?

One of the factors that make musophobia so difficult to diagnose is a lack of awareness. Many people have never heard of musophobia and are unaware of the characteristics and triggers of this phobia. Even if they are experiencing symptoms of musophobia, they may not be aware that it is a defined condition and may never seek a diagnosis.

Additionally, because mice, rats and other rodents are often viewed negatively, with many people disliking them or feeling some amount of fear or disgust when they see them (particularly if rodents are seen in the home), a person with musophobia may not realise that their symptoms are more severe and overwhelming, so may not know they are experiencing a phobia.

If you are unsure if you are experiencing musophobia, consider whether your fear of mice and rats:

• Impedes your ability to function in your everyday life.
• Has a negative impact on your quality of life.
• Causes you to avoid certain situations or places.
• Has a negative impact on your mental health or wellbeing.

If you suspect you have musophobia, or you are still unsure, your first step will be to visit your GP. To establish some background, your GP will ask whether you have ever experienced an anxiety disorder, panic disorder or another phobia or extreme fear.

They will also look at any other mental health conditions you have been diagnosed with and ask about your family history (e.g. whether you have a close family member with musophobia or another phobia). Your GP may also ask about any medication or supplements you take, to make sure your symptoms cannot be explained by anything else.

Your GP may then refer you to a psychologist or another mental health professional.

To establish whether you are experiencing a phobia, the psychologist will likely ask about:

• Your triggers.
• The type of symptoms you experience.
• The frequency and severity of your symptoms.
• How much your phobia interferes with your everyday life.
• When your phobia began and what caused the onset of symptoms (if you know).

The psychologist will likely use a phobia questionnaire and will compare your symptoms to the diagnostic criteria for phobias. Musophobia, similarly to other phobias such as claustrophobia and acrophobia, is considered to be a specific phobia. This means your symptoms will be compared to the diagnostic criteria for specific phobias.

To receive a formal diagnosis of musophobia, your symptoms must correlate with the seven criteria listed below.

1. The fear must be persistent, excessive and unreasonable. It can occur either when mice and rats are present or when they are not present, e.g. if you see a picture or video of rodents.

2. Exposure to mice and rats leads to an immediate anxiety response in the majority of situations.

3. The fear is excessive and disproportionate to the threat, and this is recognised by the individual.

4. The individual avoids places or situations where they could encounter mice or rats. If they encounter mice and rats, the individual will experience extreme fear, anxiety or distress.

5. The anticipation of encountering mice and rats and the avoidance behaviours they may implement can have a significant impact on the individual’s day-to-day life.

6. The fear has lasted for a minimum of six months.

7. The phobia is not associated with another disorder or mental health condition.

If your symptoms fit the diagnostic criteria, you will receive a diagnosis of musophobia. Depending on the severity of your phobia, you may be offered treatment.

How is musophobia treated?

There are several different treatment options available for musophobia. To receive treatment, you will likely need a referral from your GP or a psychologist. Some people with musophobia don’t require treatment. This could be because their phobia doesn’t have a significant impact on their day-to-day life or their wellbeing. It could also be that they have learnt and implemented effective coping strategies which reduce the need for formal treatment.

However, if your symptoms are frequent or severe, or your phobia is impacting your life in any way, treatment may be a good option.

The type of treatment you will be recommended will depend on several factors, including:

• The frequency and severity of your symptoms.
• The root cause of your phobia.
• How significantly your phobia impacts your life.
• Your overall health and wellbeing, including your mental health.

Your doctor or psychologist will create a treatment plan that is personalised to you.

The most common treatment options for musophobia are:

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT):

Cognitive behaviour therapy is one of the most popular types of treatment for a variety of phobias. CBT is a type of talking therapy that can help you to identify and change your negative perceptions and harmful, flawed or negative thoughts surrounding mice and rats. It can also address the associated emotions and behaviours you experience.

CBT also helps you to identify and address the root cause of your phobia, which can help you to overcome your negative thought patterns. CBT sessions can be done individually or as part of a group.

During the sessions, you will:

• Discuss your triggers and symptoms.
• Explore what caused your musophobia.
• Explore your fears in more detail.
• Learn how to recognise your negative thoughts and change the way you are thinking.
• Learn coping strategies and calming strategies, such as deep breathing exercises, distraction techniques and coping statements.

Exposure Therapy:

Exposure therapy is another popular treatment choice for people with phobias. It is also commonly known as systematic desensitisation, and it involves you being exposed to rodents in a safe and controlled environment. The exposure will be systematic and gradual to ensure you feel safe and in control.

The psychologist will assess your phobia and may create a fear ladder of scenarios and situations involving mice and rats that are ordered from the least to the most frightening. They will then create a series of mice and rat-related exposures for you to face.

The exposure will be gradual; for example, it may begin with looking at a picture of a mouse. Once you are comfortable with this level of exposure, you will then move on to the next level, which could be talking about rodents or watching a video of mice and rats.

You may then progress to using Virtual Reality (VR), before eventually being exposed to a live rat or mouse. Exposure therapy can address the negative thoughts and emotions you experience in relation to rodents and can help you to change your physiological and psychological responses.

Clinical Hypnotherapy:

Clinical hypnotherapy is another popular treatment option for people with phobias. Hypnotherapy uses guided relaxation techniques and focused attention to help you to identify the root cause of your fear and help you change your thought patterns and any negative feelings you have about mice and rats.

Although different hypnotherapists will run their sessions differently, you will likely be put into a relaxed, hypnotic state and then a combination of techniques will be used to re-pattern your thoughts and memories related to mice and rats. Hypnotherapy can also teach you calming strategies, such as deep breathing and relaxation techniques which can help you to reduce your symptoms in the future.

Medication:

Medication is not a common treatment option for people with musophobia. However, you may be prescribed medication if other treatment options fail, or if your phobia is particularly severe. You may also be prescribed medication if you experience anxiety or depression alongside your phobia.

If you are offered medication, it will likely be in conjunction with other treatments, such as CBT.

Some possible medications that you may be offered include:

• Anti-anxiety medication.
• Beta-blockers.
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).