Specific Phobias

For a list of specific phobias, click here

specific phobia list

 

 

A specific phobia is an overwhelming, excessive, or irrational fear of an object or situation. Exposure to the object/situation causes immediate distress, leading to avoidance and withdrawal.  A specific phobia may interfere with daily functioning if the feared object or situation is common.

 

  
     
 
Common Symptoms:
  
 
  • Extreme and irrational fear of a specific object or situation
  • Going to great lengths to avoid the specific feared object or situation
  • Significantly interferes with a person's ability to function
  • The sufferer's fear is unreasonable
 
 

 

Common Causes:

  
 
  • Biological and evolutionary vulnerability
  • Direct conditioning/experience (trapped in elevator, bit by dog)
  • Observational learning (watching something traumatic )
  • Information transmission (e.g., hearing about a frightening event)
  
 

 

Common Phobias:

  
 
  • Flying
  • Heights
  • Animals
  • Storms
  • Arachnophobia: Fear of Spiders
  • Ophidiophobia: Fear of snakes
  • Trypanophobia is the intense fear of needles
  • Blood-Injury Injection Phobia
  • Claustrophobia

For a list of phobias: click here

  
 

 

Further reading:

  
 
  • Agoraphobia (associated with panic disorder): intense anxiety in a place / situation from which escape might be difficult (Read more)
  • Social Phobia: the avoidance is limited to social situations. (Read more)
  • Blood-Injury Injection Phobia (see below)
  
     

 

 

Blood-Injury Injection Phobia

 

 

Blood-Injury Injection Phobia is unique because of its psycho-physiological reaction patterns. There is a drop in heart rate and blood pressure, in response to the feared situation. This can lead to increased risk for fainting or loss of muscle tension.  The phobia most likely has genetic or evolutionary origins. Studies reveal very high rates of familial transmission.

 

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Separation Anxiety Disorder

 

Separation anxiety disorder is characterized by recurrent excessive distress upon separation from major attachment figures or when the separation is anticipated. Excessive worry can also be focused on losing the major attachment figure through harm or other events. The disturbance may cause the person to not want to sleep or move away without being near the attachment figure. A person may also develop stomachaches, headaches, and other symptoms as a somatic response to the separation, resulting in the request to be near the attachment figure for relief. Many children with these symptoms worry that something will happen to a parent if they are not close by.

 

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The Phobia List

Browse the alphabetical phobia list:

A B C D E G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X Z

 

 

A

  • Ablutophobia- Fear of washing or bathing.
  • Achluophobia- Fear of darkness.
  • Acrophobia- Fear of heights.
  • Aeroacrophobia- Fear of open high places.
  • Agliophobia- Fear of pain.
  • Agoraphobia- Fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places like markets.
  • Agraphobia- Fear of sexual abuse
  • Aichmophobia- Fear of needles or pointed objects.
  • Ailurophobia- Fear of cats.
  • Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens
  • Allodoxaphobia- Fear of opinions.
  • Amathophobia- Fear of dust.
  • Amaxophobia- Fear of riding in a car.
  • Ambulophobia- Fear of walking.
  • Amnesiphobia- Fear of amnesia.
  • Androphobia- Fear of men.
  • Anuptaphobia- Fear of staying single.
  • Apeirophobia- Fear of infinity.
  • Aphenphosmphobia- Fear of being touched.
  • Apiphobia- Fear of bees.
  • Apotemnophobia- Fear of persons with amputations.
  • Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
  • Arachnophobia- Fear of spiders.
  • Astraphobia- Fear of thunder and lightning.
  • Ataxophobia- Fear of disorder or untidiness.
  • Atelophobia- Fear of imperfection
  • Atomosophobia - Fear of atomic explosions.
  • Aurophobia- Fear of gold.
  • Autodysomophobia- Fear of one that has a vile odor.
  • Automatonophobia- Fear of ventriloquist's dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues - anything that falsly represents a sentient being.

 

 

B

 

  • Batonophobia- Fear of plants.
  • Belonephobia- Fear of pins and needles.
  • Bibliophobia- Fear of books.
  • Blennophobia- Fear of slime.
  • Bogyphobia- Fear of bogies or the bogeyman.
  • Bromidrosiphobia - Fear of body smells.

 

C

 

  • Cacophobia- Fear of ugliness.
  • Caligynephobia- Fear of beautiful women.
  • Carcinophobia- Fear of cancer.
  • Cardiophobia- Fear of the heart.
  • Carnophobia- Fear of meat.
  • Catoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors.
  • Chaetophobia- Fear of hair.
  • Chemophobia- Fear of chemicals or working with chemicals
  • Chionophobia- Fear of snow.
  • Chorophobia- Fear of dancing.
  • Chrometophobia- Fear of money.
  • Chromophobia- Fear of colors.
  • Chronophobia- Fear of time.
  • Cibophobia - Fear of food.
  • Claustrophobia- Fear of confined spaces.
  • Cleptophobia- Fear of stealing.
  • Cnidophobia- Fear of strings.
  • Coimetrophobia- Fear of cemeteries.
  • Coitophobia- Fear of coitus.
  • Coprastasophobia- Fear of constipation.
  • Coprophobia- Fear of feces.
  • Coulrophobia- Fear of clowns.
  • Crystallophobia- Fear of crystals or glass.
  • Cypridophobia - Fear of prostitutes or venereal disease.
  • Defecaloesiophobia- Fear of painful bowels movements.

 

 

D

 

  • Dementophobia- Fear of insanity.
  • Demonophobia- Fear of demons.
  • Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body.
  • Dipsophobia- Fear of drinking.
  • Dysmorphophobia- Fear of deformity.
  • Dystychiphobia- Fear of accidents.

 

 

E

 

  • Ecclesiophobia- Fear of church.
  • Emetophobia- Fear of throwing up.
  • Epistaxiophobia- Fear of nosebleeds.
  • Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge.
  • Equinophobia- Fear of horses.
  • Erotophobia- Fear of sexual love or sexual questions.
  • Eurotophobia- Fear of female genitalia.

 

 

G

  • Gamophobia- Fear of marriage.
  • Geliophobia- Fear of laughter.
  • Geniophobia- Fear of chins.
  • Genophobia- Fear of sex.
  • Genuphobia- Fear of knees.
  • Gerascophobia- Fear of growing old.
  • Gerontophobia- Fear of old people or of growing old.
  • Glossophobia- Fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak.
  • Gymnophobia- Fear of nudity.

 

 

H

  • Hadephobia- Fear of hell.
  • Hagiophobia- Fear of saints or holy things.
  • Hamartophobia- Fear of sinning.
  • Harpaxophobia- Fear of being robbed.
  • Hedonophobia- Fear of feeling pleasure.
  • Helminthophobia- Fear of being infested with worms.
  • Hemophobia- Fear of blood.
  • Heterophobia- Fear of the opposite sex.
  • Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words.
  • Homophobia- of homosexuality or of becoming homosexual.
  • Hoplophobia- Fear of firearms.
  • Hylephobia-  fear of epilepsy.
  • Hypnophobia- Fear of sleep

 

 

I

  • Iatrophobia- Fear of going to the doctor
  • Ichthyophobia- Fear of fish.
  • Ithyphallophobia- Fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect penis.

 

 

K

  • Kolpophobia- Fear of genitals
  • Kyphophobia- Fear of stooping.

 

 

L

  • Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables.
  • Leprophobia - Fear of leprosy.
  • Leukophobia- Fear of the color white.
  • Levophobia- Fear of things to the left side of the body.
  • Limnophobia- Fear of lakes.
  • Liticaphobia- Fear of lawsuits.
  • Lockiophobia- Fear of childbirth.
  • Logophobia- Fear of words.
  • Lutraphobia- Fear of otters.

 

 

M

  • Mageirocophobia- Fear of cooking.
  • Maniaphobia- Fear of insanity.
  • Mastigophobia- Fear of punishment.
  • Mechanophobia- Fear of machines.
  • Medomalacuphobia- Fear of losing an erection.
  • Megalophobia- Fear of large things.
  • Melanophobia- Fear of the color black.
  • Melophobia- Fear or hatred of music.
  • Meningitophobia- Fear of brain disease.
  • Menophobia- Fear of menstruation.
  • Merinthophobia- Fear of being bound or tied up.
  • Metallophobia- Fear of metal.
  • Methyphobia- Fear of alcohol.
  • Metrophobia- Fear of poetry.
  • Microphobia- Fear of small things.
  • Mnemophobia- Fear of memories.
  • Mottephobia- Fear of moths.
  • Musophobia -Fear of mice.
  • Mycophobia- Fear or aversion to mushrooms.
  • Myrmecophobia- Fear of ants.
  • Mythophobia- Fear of myths or stories or false statements.

 

 

N

  • Necrophobia- Fear of death or dead things.
  • Nelophobia- Fear of glass.
  • Neopharmaphobia- Fear of new drugs.
  • Noctiphobia- Fear of the night.
  • Nosocomephobia- Fear of hospitals.
  • Nosophobia- Fear of becoming ill.
  • Novercaphobia- Fear of your mother-in-law.

 

 

O

  • Obesophobia- Fear of gaining weight.
  • Oenophobia- Fear of wines.
  • Ommetaphobia- Fear of eyes.
  • Oneirophobia- Fear of dreams.
  • Oneirogmophobia- Fear of wet dreams.
  • Ophidiophobia- Fear of snakes
  • Ophthalmophobia- Fear of being stared at.
  • Ouranophobia- Fear of heaven.

 

 

P

  • Papyrophobia- Fear of paper.
  • Paraphobia- Fear of sexual perversion.
  • Paraskavedekatriaphobia: Fear of Friday the 13th.
  • Parthenophobia- Fear of virgins or young girls.
  • Patroiophobia- Fear of heredity.
  • Pediophobia- Fear of dolls.
  • Pedophobia- Fear of children.
  • Peladophobia- Fear of bald people.
  • Phagophobia- Fear of swallowing or of eating or of being eaten.
  • Phalacrophobia- Fear of becoming bald.
  • Phasmophobia- Fear of ghosts.
  • Phengophobia- Fear of daylight or sunshine.
  • Philemaphobia - Fear of kissing.
  • Philophobia- Fear of falling in love or being in love.
  • Photoaugliaphobia- Fear of glaring lights.
  • Phonophobia- Fear of noises or voices or one's own voice
  • Phronemophobia- Fear of thinking.
  • Placophobia- Fear of tombstones.
  • Plutophobia- Fear of wealth.
  • Pneumatiphobia- Fear of spirits.
  • Pogonophobia- Fear of beards.
  • Politicophobia- Fear of politicians.
  • Pharmacophobia- Fear of drugs.
  • Psellismophobia- Fear of stuttering.
  • Pteronophobia- Fear of being tickled by feathers.

 

 

R

  • Rhabdophobia- Fear of being severely punished or beaten by a rod
  • Rhytiphobia- Fear of getting wrinkles.

 

 

S

  • Sciophobia- Fear of shadows.
  • Scoleciphobia- Fear of worms.
  • Scriptophobia- Fear of writing in public.
  • Selenophobia- Fear of the moon.
  • Seplophobia- Fear of decaying matter.
  • Siderophobia- Fear of stars.
  • Somniphobia- Fear of sleep.
  • Soteriophobia - Fear of dependence on others.
  • Spheksophobia- Fear of wasps.
  • Staurophobia- Fear of crosses or the crucifix.
  • Stygiophobia or Stigiophobia- Fear of hell.

 

 

T

  • Tachophobia- Fear of speed.
  • Taphephobia- Fear of being buried alive
  • Tapinophobia- Fear of being contagious.
  • Teratophobia- Fear of bearing a deformed child
  • Thalassophobia- Fear of the sea.
  • Theatrophobia- Fear of theatres.
  • Theophobia- Fear of gods or religion.
  • Tremophobia- Fear of trembling.
  • Triskadekaphobia- Fear of the number 13.
  • Tyrannophobia- Fear of tyrants.

 

 

U

  • Uranophobia- Fear of heaven.
  • Urophobia- Fear of urine or urinating.

 

 

V

  • Vaccinophobia- Fear of vaccination.
  • Venustraphobia- Fear of beautiful women.
  • Vestiphobia- Fear of clothing.
  • Virginitiphobia- Fear of rape.
  • Vitricophobia- Fear of step-father.

 

 

W

  • Wicaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft.

 

 

X

  • Xenophobia- Fear of strangers or foreigners.
  • Xerophobia- Fear of dryness.

 

 

Z

  • Zelophobia- Fear of jealousy.
  • Zoophobia- Fear of animals.

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Page Disclaimer

The information on this site has not been evaluated nor has it been written by a physician or medical doctor. The information contained on this site is for entertainment purposes only and should not be used to diagnose, treat or prevent a medical or psychological disorder.

 

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