Phobias

Types of Phobias

Phobias are divided into several broad categories, and within each are distinct and sometimes unusual fears:

• Specific (Simple) Phobias [~12.5% lifetime risk]

• Animal Phobias: Arachnophobia (spiders), Cynophobia (dogs), Ophidiophobia (snakes), Ailurophobia (cats), Batrachophobia (frogs), Entomophobia (insects).

• Environmental Phobias: Acrophobia (heights), Thalassophobia (sea/ocean), Chionophobia (snow), Ligyrophobia (loud noises), Astraphobia (thunderstorms).

• Blood-Injection-Injury Phobia: Trypanophobia (needles/injections), Hemophobia (blood), Dentophobia (dentists), and medical phobias.

• Situational Phobias: Claustrophobia (enclosed spaces), Aviophobia (flying), Gephyrophobia (bridges), Driving phobia.

• Other Phobias: Coulrophobia (clowns), Coulrophobia (mirrors), Phonophobia (loud sounds), Somniphobia (sleep or nightmares), Phobophobia (fear of having a phobia).

• Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder) [~7.1–13% lifetime risk]
  Intense fear of social scrutiny or embarrassment.

• Agoraphobia [~0.9–1.3% lifetime risk]
  Fear of places or situations where escape may be difficult.

Some less common or unique phobias include:

• Mageirocophobia: Fear of cooking

• Chromophobia: Fear of colors

• Bibliophobia: Fear of books

• Xenophobia: Fear of strangers or foreigners

• Emetophobia: Fear of vomiting

• Tokophobia: Fear of childbirth

• Autophobia: Fear of being alone

• Ergophobia: Fear of work

• Triskaidekaphobia: Fear of the number 13

• Dendrophobia: Fear of trees