The Different Types of phobias

Phobias are linked directly to anxiety and can occur as either a result of anxiety or be the cause of it. A phobia can be mild, moderate or severe and its level of severity will determine the effect that it has on someone’s ability to go about their day-to-day activities.

• A fear is defined as: “an unpleasant emotion or feeling that occurs when someone is frightened or worried about something.”
• A phobia, however, is defined as: “an extreme fear or dislike of a particular thing or situation that cannot be reasonably explained.”

It is important to differentiate between the two because, unlike a fear, a phobia is actually classed as a form of mental illness and it is important that when a phobia begins to impinge on someone’s ability to live their life normally that they seek out appropriate support and treatment.

There are hundreds of different types of phobias that people can experience and this article will cover some of the less common phobias.

Ablutophobia

Ablutophobia is an extreme fear of bathing, washing and cleaning oneself.

Signs of ablutophobia include:

• Intense, overwhelming persistent, excessive and unreasonable fear, anxiety, panic or distress if you are bathing or washing or thinking about bathing or washing.
• Avoiding bathing, washing and cleaning.
• Refusing to talk about or think about bathing.

Aerophobia

Aerophobia is an extreme fear of flying.

Signs of aerophobia include:

• Avoiding flying or going on holiday.
• You avoid places or situations where you could encounter aeroplanes.
• Being unable to control your fear, anxiety or panic, even if you are aware that they are out of proportion to the risk.

Ailurophobia

Ailurophobia is an extreme fear of cats.

Signs of ailurophobia include:

• Avoiding cats or any places or situations where you could encounter cats.
• Refusing to watch a TV show or film that features a cat.
• Feeling like you want to run or hide if you see a cat.

Algophobia

Algophobia is an extreme fear of pain.

Signs of algophobia include:

• Becoming hypervigilant to any pain in your body or any changes to your body to the point of obsession.
• Avoiding visiting the doctor or dentist or any other place you associate with pain.
• Excessively taking pain relieving medication, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Amaxophobia

Amaxophobia is an extreme fear of driving or travelling as a passenger in a vehicle.

Signs of amaxophobia include:

• Intense, overwhelming persistent, excessive and unreasonable fear, anxiety, panic or dread when travelling in a vehicle or thinking about travelling in a vehicle.
• Experiencing anticipatory anxiety in the lead-up to travelling in a vehicle.
• Experiencing frequent or distressing nightmares involving vehicles.

Aquaphobia

Aquaphobia is an extreme fear of water.

Signs of aquaphobia include:

• Intense, overwhelming persistent, excessive and unreasonable fear, anxiety or panic when faced with water.
• Avoiding water or any places or situations where you could encounter water.
• Being unable to eat or having a lack of appetite during or in the lead-up to triggering situations.

Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia is an extreme fear of spiders and other arachnids.

Signs of arachnophobia include:

• Overwhelming fear, anxiety or panic when faced with a spider or another trigger.
• Worsening fear and anxiety as a spider gets closer or an encounter impends.
• Overwhelming fear, anxiety or panic when faced with a spider or another trigger.

Acrophobia

Acrophobia is the fear of heights.

Signs of acrophobia include:

• Intense anxiety and fear when somewhere high.
• Intense desire to escape when at height.
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy when looking at height or thinking about it.

Aichmophobia

Aichmophobia is an extreme fear of sharp, pointed objects.

Signs of aichmophobia include:

• Insomnia or difficulty sleeping (particularly in the lead-up to encountering sharp objects or when thinking about sharp objects).
• Avoiding sharp objects or places and situations where you could encounter sharp objects.
• Having a strong desire to run away or escape when encountering sharps.

Botanophobia

Botanophobia is an extreme fear of plants.

Signs of botanophobia include:

• Avoiding plants or any places or situations where you could encounter plants or other triggers.
• Refusing to eat animals in case they have ingested a plant that is toxic or dangerous to humans.
• Having the urge to run away or hide when faced with plants.

Catoptrophobia

Catoptrophobia is an extreme and overwhelming fear of mirrors.

Signs of catoptrophobia include:

• Anxiety, panic or dread if you see a mirror or another reflective object.
• Refusing to drive a car because of the need to use the car’s mirror.
• Refusing to talk about or think about mirrors.

Chiroptophobia

Chiroptophobia is an extreme and overwhelming fear of bats.

Signs of chiroptophobia include:

• Being unable to go to a place that may be associated with bats or where bats might be seen.
• Being unable to go to a place that may be associated with bats or where bats might be seen.
• Being unable to watch nature documentaries or TV programmes where bats might be seen.
• Being unable to take part in Halloween or spooky activities in case pictures of bats are present.

Chrometophobia

Chrometophobia is an extreme and irrational fear of spending money.

Signs of chrometophobia include:

• Overwhelming fear, anxiety or panic when faced with spending money.
• Extreme anxiety when close to expensive or valuable objects.
• Avoiding situations when you might need to spend money or may come into contact with money.

Cynophobia

Cynophobia is the fear of dogs.

Signs of cynophobia include:

• Panic attack when seeing a dog.
• Shaking and shortness of breath when seeing a dog on TV.
• Chest pain or palpitations.

Dentophobia

Dentophobia is an overwhelming fear of dentists.

Signs of dentophobia include:

• Chest pain when visiting the dentist.
• Avoiding dentists, dental treatments and places or situations you associate with dentists.
• Feeling like you are going to die.

Equinophobia

Equinophobia, is an extreme and irrational fear of horses.

Signs of equinophobia include:

• Feeling anxiety when being in close proximity to a horse.
• Feeling immobilised by your fear or unable to move.
• Refusing to watch a TV show or film with horses in it or where horses are portrayed negatively.

Galeophobia

Galeophobia is an extreme and overwhelming phobia of sharks.

Signs of galeophobia include:

• Catastrophising the potential risks, for example, if you paddle in the sea a shark will attack you.
• Feeling like you are going to die if you see a shark.
• Being unable to concentrate or function normally when close to sharks or the ocean.

Gamophobia

Gamophobia is an extreme and overwhelming phobia of commitment, specifically the commitment to relationships.

Signs of gamophobia include:

• Catastrophising the possible risks of being in a relationship (eg. your partner could cheat on you).
• Avoiding intimacy or emotional vulnerability.
• Avoiding monogamy.

Globophobia

Globophobia is an extreme and irrational fear of balloons.

Signs of globophobia include:

• Overwhelming fear, anxiety or panic when faced with a balloon or another trigger.
• Avoiding parties, celebrations and other situations where you could encounter balloons.
• Experiencing frequent or distressing nightmares about ballons.

Glossophobia

Glossophobia, is an extreme and overwhelming fear of public speaking.

Signs of glossophobia include:

• Anticipatory anxiety in the lead-up to public speaking.
• Feelings of fear, anxiety or panic.
• Having a sense of impending doom.

Haemophobia

Haemophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of blood.

Signs of haemophobia include:

• Anticipatory anxiety in the lead-up to situations where you may encounter blood.
• Difficulty sleeping in the lead-up to situations where you may encounter blood.
• Avoiding medical procedures, such as blood tests and surgery or avoiding visiting the doctors completely.

Herpetophobia

Herpetophobia is the extreme and overwhelming fear of reptiles.

Signs of herpetophobia include:

• Being unable to concentrate or function normally when close to reptiles.
• Feeling like you are loosing control if you see a reptile.
• Refusing to watch a TV show or film that features reptiles.

Iatrophobia

Iatrophobia is an extreme fear of doctors and medical care.

Signs of iatrophobia include:

• Blood pressure increasing and your blood pressure readings are higher when you are in healthcare settings.
• Experiencing nightmares about going to the doctors or unusual nightmares in the lead-up to going to the doctor.
• Avoiding going to the doctors/ hospital settings.

Ichthyophobia

Ichthyophobia is an extreme, overwhelming and irrational fear of fish that are both alive and dead.

Signs of ichthyophobia include:

• Overwhelming fear, anxiety or panic when faced with a fish or another trigger.
• Engaging in avoidance behaviours, such as avoiding places, situations or social events where you might encounter fish or other triggers.
• Experiencing frequent or distressing nightmares about fish.

Koumpounophobia

Koumpounophobia is the fear of buttons.

Signs of koumpounophobia include:

• An overwhelming desire to escape from button-related situations.
• Avoiding places where buttons may be.
• Nausea when thinking about buttons.

Lupophobia

Lupophobia is the fear of wolves (and sometimes werewolves).

Signs of lupophobia include:

• Intense, overwhelming persistent, excessive and unreasonable fear, anxiety, panic or distress when faced with wolves or another trigger.
• Catastrophising the potential risks, for example, if you go outside during a full moon you could be attacked by a wolf.
• Feeling like you are going to die if you see a wolf.

Mageirophobia

Mageirocophobia is the fear of cooking.

Signs of mageirocophobia include:

• Feeling anxious when anticipating or thinking about cooking.
• Anxiety when seeing someone cooking.
• Looking for ways to avoid cooking.

Masklophobia

Masklophobia is an extreme overwhelming fear of masks and costumes.

Signs of masklophobia include:

• Overwhelming fear, anxiety or panic when faced with masks or costumes.
• Anticipatory anxiety in the lead-up to encountering masks or costumes.
• Finding certain times of the year, such as Halloween or Christmas, to be triggering and experiencing feelings of dread in the lead-up to or during these times of the years.

Merinthophobia

Merinthophobia is an extreme and overwhelming fear of being bound or tied up.

Signs of merinthophobia include:

• Avoiding being tied up or bound.
• Nightmares about being restrained.
• Avoiding places or situations where you could be restrained.

Musophobia

Musophobia is an irrational and overwhelming fear of mice and rats.

Signs of musophobia include:

• A rapid heart rate when you see a rat or mouse on the TV.
• Avoiding situations where you may encounter rats or mice.
• Difficulty functioning normally when faced with mice and rats.

Noctiphobia

Noctiphobia is the extreme and overwhelming fear of the night and is often connected to a fear of the dark.

Signs of noctiphobia include:

• Overwhelming fear when faced with the dark, when it is night time .
• Avoiding any social or professional events that take place at night time or close to night time.
• Being unable to stop thinking about night time or what could happen at night.

Nomophobia

Nomophobia, is an irrational and overwhelming fear of being without a mobile phone.

Signs of nomophobia include:

• Repeatedly checking your pockets or bag to make sure you have your phone with you.
• Checking that a place has Wi-Fi or good cellular network before going there.
• Using your phone, even in inappropriate places and situations, such as places of worship, theatres and hospitals.

Nosocomephobia

Nosocomephobia, is an extreme fear of hospitals.

Signs of nosocomephobia include:

• Insomnia or sleeping difficulties, particularly in the lead-up to going to the hospital.
• A loss of appetite, particularly in the lead-up to going to the hospital.
• Being unable to function normally when faced with going into hospital.

Nyctophobia

Nyctophobia is an extreme and overwhelming fear of the dark.

Signs of nyctophobia include:

• Sleep impairments as a result of being afraid of the dark, such as poor sleep or insomnia.
• Refusing to watch videos, TV shows or film set in the dark or at night.
• Refusing to think about or talk about the dark or night-time.

Obesophobia

Obesophobia is an extreme fear of gaining weight or getting fat.

Signs of obesophobia include:

• Fear, anxiety or panic when faced with high-calorie foods or being unable to exercise.
• Experiencing frequent or distressing nightmares about getting fat.
• Fear and anxiety if you put weight on.

Ombrophobia

Ombrophobia is an extreme fear of rain.

Signs of ombrophobia include:

• Feeling like you are frozen or immobilised by your fear of rain.
• Experiencing frequent or distressing nightmares about rain.
• Catastrophising the risks and potential dangers of rain.

Ornithophobia

Ornithophobia is an extreme and overwhelming fear of birds.

Signs of ornithophobia include:

• Difficulties concentrating or functioning normally around birds or in triggering situations.
• Experiencing frequent or distressing nightmares about birds.
• Refusing to watch a TV show or film that contains birds.

Podophobia

Podophobia is an extreme and overwhelming fear of feet that can include a fear of your own feet and a fear of other people’s feet.

Signs of podophobia include:

• Mood swings, irritation or anger, for example, if someone puts their feet close to you.
• Avoiding beaches, swimming pools and other places where people are usually barefoot.
• Covering your feet with socks, shoes or slippers all the time.

Pyrophobia

Pyrophobia is an extreme fear of fire.

Signs of pyrophobia include:

• Avoiding situations where you might come across fire.
• Not wanting to go near fire or talk about fire.
• Have anxiety or symptoms of panic when fire is seen or mentioned.

Thanatophobia

Thanatophobia is an extreme fear of death or the dying process.

Signs of thanatophobia include:

• Obsessively checking for signs of illness, such as checking your heart rate and blood pressure, checking abnormal moles or looking for lumps.
• Experiencing frequent or distressing nightmares about death or dying.
• Feeling like you are going to die.

Samhainophobia

Samhainophobia is an extreme fear of Halloween.

Signs of samhainophobia include:

• Anxiety when watching a TV show where Halloween is featured.
• Avoiding social gatherings around Halloween.
• Avoiding leaving the house around Halloween.

Scolionophobia

Scolionophobia is the extreme fear of school.

Signs of scolionophobia include:

• Not sleeping well, particularly on a school night.
• Grades dropping at school.
• Being emotionally volatile such as having outbursts of anger, acting out of character, or crying a lot.

Somniphobia

Somniphobia is the extreme and overwhelming fear of sleep.

Signs of somniphobia include:

• Feeling anxious and scared when thoughts about bedtime or sleep occur.
• Feeling distressed closer to night-time.
• Avoiding sleep and staying up late.

Zuigerphobia

Zuigerphobia is the extreme and overwhelming fear of vacuum cleaners and the action of hoovering.

Signs of zuigerphobia include:

• Catastrophising what will happen if someone uses a vacuum cleaner close to you.
• Difficulties concentrating or functioning normally around vacuum cleaners or other triggers.
• Avoiding visiting other people’s homes in case they have a vacuum cleaner.