List of phobias A to Z (339+)
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OptimistMinds
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
List of phobias A-z
Below are a list of phobias which we cover.
Phobias beginning with A
Phobias beginning with B
| Ballistophobia |
| Barophobia |
| Basophobia |
| Bathmophobia |
| Bathophobia |
| Bibliophobia |
| Blennophobia |
| Bogyphobia |
| Botanophobia |
| Brontophobia |
| Bufonophobia |
Phobias beginning with C
Phobias beginning with D
| Decidophobia |
| Deipnophbia |
| Dementophobia |
| Demonophobia |
| Dendrophobia |
| Dentophobia |
| Dermatophobia |
| Dextrophobia |
| Dinophobia |
| Dipsophobia |
| Dishabiliophobia |
| Disposophobia |
| Doraphobia |
| Dromophobia |
| Dystychiphobia |
Phobias beginning with E
Phobias beginning with F
| Fear |
| Fear of Bald People |
| fear of eating in public |
| Fear of Jumping |
| Fear of life |
| Fear of Mirror |
| Fear of Mushrooms |
| Francophobia |
| Fruit phobia |
Phobias beginning with G
| Gamophobia |
| Gatophobia |
| Geliophobia |
| Geniophobia |
| Genuphobia |
| Gephyrophobia |
| Germanophobia |
| Gerontophobia |
| Glossophobia |
| Graphophobia |
Phobias beginning with H
Phobias beginning with I
Phobias beginning with J
Phobias beginning with K
| Kakorrhaphiophobia |
| Katsaridaphobia |
| Kenophobia |
| Kleptophobia |
| Koinoniphobia |
| Kolpophobia |
| Kopophobia |
| Kosmikophobia |
Phobias beginning with L
| Lachanophobia |
| Leukophobia |
| Levophobia |
| Lilapsophobia |
| Limnophobia |
| Linonophobia |
| Liticaphobia |
| Logizomechanophobia |
| Logophobia |
| Lutraphobia |
Phobias beginning with M
Phobias beginning with N
| Negrophobia |
| Nelophobia |
| Nelophobia |
| Nephophbia |
| Noctiphobia |
| Nosocomephobia |
| Nosophobia |
| Nostophobia |
| Novercaphobia |
| Nucleomituphobia |
| Nudophobia |
| Numerophobia |
| Nyctohylophobia |
Phobias beginning with O
| Obesophobia |
| Ochophobia |
| Octophobia |
| Odontophobia |
| Oenophobia |
| Olfactophobia |
| Ommetaphobia |
| Omphalophobia |
| Oneirogmophobia |
| Oneirophobia |
| Onomatophobia |
| Ophidiophobia |
| Ornithophobia |
| Orthophobia |
| Ostraconophobia |
Phobias beginning with P
Phobias beginning with Q
Phobias beginning with R
Phobias beginning with S
Phobias beginning with T
Phobias beginning with U
Phobias beginning with V
Phobias beginning with W
Phobias beginning with X
Phobias beginning with Z
What is a Phobia?
A phobia is a persistent, unnecessary, fear of an item, person, creature, action or circumstance. Phobias are a type of anxiety.
A person with a phobia either attempts to maintain ample distance from the thing that triggers their fear or faces it with very deep levels of anxiety.
Some phobias are limited in scope. For example, a person may fear spiders (arachnophobia) or cats (ailurophobia).
Right now, this person lives generally free from their anxiety caused by a phobia by maintaining substantial distance from the trigger Some phobias cause inconvenience in multiple circumstances.
For example, side effects of acrophobia (fear of heights) can be activated by glancing out the window of a high rise building or by driving over a high scaffold.
The fear of small spaces (claustrophobia) can be activated by riding in an elevator or by using a small restroom.
Individuals with these phobias significantly alter the course of their lives around these fears.
In extreme cases, the phobia may have an impact on their work environment, commute, recreational and social activities, or home life.
Types of Phobias
There are three main kinds of phobias:
Specific phobia (basic phobia). With this most regular type of phobia, people may fear creatures (such as canines, felines, insects, or snakes), people (such as jokers, dentists, other medical professionals), conditions (such as darkness, storms, and falling) or circumstances (such as flying on an airplane, riding on a train, or being in an enclosed space).
Of note, these conditions are mostly hereditary (acquired) and appear to run in families.
Social anxiety disorder (once called “social phobia”). People with social anxiety disorder fear social circumstances where they may be mortified, humiliated or judged by others.
They become especially on edge when meeting new people.
The fear may be limited to certain situations, such as public speaking and giving any sort of business presentation.
Alternatively, social anxiety disorder can arise in a variety of situations that cause the individual to avoid almost any social situation.
Social anxiety also runs in families.
People who were shy or lonely as kids or who have a past filled with negative social encounters are likely to suffer from social anxiety disorder.
Agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is a fear of being out in public places where you can’t make a discreet exit.
A person with agoraphobia may avoid seeing movies & plays or avoid taking public transportation.
Numerous people with agoraphobia additionally have physical manifestations of their fear or frenzy disorder (physical side effects can include trembling, heart palpitations and perspiring).
Phobias start in childhood between the ages of 5 and 9, and will not last a very long time.
Most longer-enduring phobias start at a later age, usually when someone is in their 20s. Adult phobias will, in general, persist for quite some time and many people are reluctant to address them head on.
Phobia can increase the risk of different kinds of anxiety disorders, existential dread or substance abuse.
Causes
Genetic and environmental factors can cause phobias. Young people who have relatives with anxiety disorders are at risk of developing phobias.
Traumatic events, such as almost suffocating, can also cause phobias. Introduction to enclosed spaces, heights, and insects could also bring on phobias at any age.
People who have long-standing illnesses are also likely to have phobias.
People who suffer traumatic brain injuries are also likely to develop phobias.
Phobias can also stem from substance abuse of either drugs or alcohol.
Phobias can also stem from psychological instabilities such as schizophrenia.
Schizophrenic patients often experience visual and auditory hallucinations, suspicions, anhedonia and other delusions.
Symptoms of Phobias
The symptoms of phobia are:
- Excessive, unreasonable, & persistent feelings of fear or anxiety that are triggered by a particular object, activity or situation.
- Feelings stem without regard to any real risk. For example, many people may fear aggressive dogs but most people don’t feel scared by a well trained dog on a leash.
- Evasion of the object, action or circumstance that triggers the phobia. Since people who have phobias perceive that their fears are overstated, they are regularly embarrassed or feel humiliated by their symptoms. To forestall anxiety symptoms or humiliation, they stay away from the triggers of the phobia.
- Anxiety-related physical symptoms. These can incorporate tremors, palpitations, sweating, shortness of breath, discombobulation, sickness or different symptoms that mirror the body’s “battle or flight” reaction to peril. (Symptoms such as these may prompt a conclusion of frenzy disorder.)
Diagnosis
A mental health professional would likely gather information about current symptoms and family history regarding phobias.
In most cases, you would share the event that set off the phobia to get some information about current symptoms and family ancestry, especially whether other relatives have had phobias.
You may need to report any understanding or injury that may have set off the phobia – for example, being attacked by a dog causing a fear of dogs.
Your doctor will ask about depression and substance use because many people with phobias have these problems as well.
It may be useful to examine how you respond – your thoughts, feelings and physical reactions – when you face your fears.
Likewise, it might be helpful to examine what you do to stay away from phobia-inducing circumstances, and how the phobia influences your daily life, including your activities and social engagements.
Treatment
Phobias are almost always treatable, and people who have them are very mindful of their disorder.
This helps move people through the treatment process.
Speaking to a psychologist or mental health professional is a valuable first step in treating a phobia.
On the off chance that the phobia doesn’t cause extreme issues in your life, most people find that just keeping away from the trigger of their fear helps them feel like they’re in control.
Numerous people with phobias won’t look for treatment as these fears are often manageable.
It is nearly impossible to keep away from triggers of some phobias, which is common for many complex phobias.
In these situations, speaking to a mental health professional can be the start of the recovery process.
Most phobias can be cured with the appropriate treatment.
There is no single treatment that works for each person with a phobia.
WIth the right treatment, most people will be well on the road to recovery.
FAQs on Phobias:
Do social phobias run in families?
Based on current research, it’s likely that if someone else in your family has a social phobia, then you are at a higher risk of developing one as well.
However, this does not mean that you are guaranteed to develop a social phobia.
Even if you have a genetic predisposition to social phobia, there’s no guarantee that you will develop one yourself.
Does social phobia disappear on its own?
Social phobia doesn’t disappear on its own.
However, there are several things you can do to help lessen the effects that social phobia has on your daily life.
A lot of treatment methods require working closely with a professional to understand the origins of your phobia and what stimuli you are most sensitive to when confronted with the phobia.
Others are able to do work themselves without professional help in order to master the fear associated with the phobia.
How do I prevent phobias from developing?
More research is needed on this topic-at the moment, there is no clear answer on what you can do to prevent social phobia.
However, starting treatment for phobias as soon as you see them develop can be helpful in mitigating the severity of the phobia.
As discussed above, treatment can involve anything from CBT to medication.
Being aware of your phobias is also a key way to ensure that you treat the symptoms and the cause of the phobia as soon as possible.
Interested to learn more? Check out these books on phobias:
- The A-Z of Phobias, Fears, and Anxieties (Facts on File Library of Health & Living)
- Face Your Fears: A Proven Plan to Beat Anxiety, Panic, Phobias, and Obsessions
- Treating Affect Phobia: A Manual for Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy
References
- Facts and statistics. (n.d.).
adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics - Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016). Specific phobias: Symptoms and causes.
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/specific-phobias/symptoms-causes/dxc-20253341 - Specific phobias. (n.d.).
adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/specific-phobias
Hauser, J. (2020). Frequently Asked Questions about Social Phobia. Psych Central. Retrieved on April 22, 2020, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/frequently-asked-questions-about-social-phobia/
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