Phobias: A List of Common Fears
The Human Cage of Fears
We all have our fears; some mild, some not so mild but when fear begins to get out of proportion and we actually feel physical symptoms such as rapid hearbeat, tremors, difficulty breathing and anxiety, we might be heading into phobia territory.
What is a Phobia?
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder and can range from a specific fear, such as a fear of spiders, to a broader fear of social situations or the outside world. A certain amount of stress and anxiety is normal and programmed into us. It is the body's response to danger but when our fears become irrational and way out of proportion to the actual threat, then it becomes a cause for concern. In some cases, phobias can stop us from functioning normally and living life to the full.
However, the good news is, with good therapy and acquired strategies to deal with the fears, phobias an in many cases be overcome completely or at least controlled. There are over two hundred recognized phobias, many of which are rare and obscure and in theory there are probably many more unrecognized ones, since it's possible to have a phobia about anything - the following list is by no means exhaustive, rather it is just a general guide to some of the most common fears and anxieties that manifest as phobias.
Acrophobia - fear of heights
Achluphobia - fear of darkness
Acousticophobia - fear of noise
Agoraphobia - fear of wide open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions
Agraphobia - fear of sexual abuse
Aphenphobia - fear of being touched
Apiphobia - fear of bees
Arachnophobia - fear of spiders
Automonophobia - fear of dummies, animatronics, etc.
Autophobia - fear of being alone
Bacteriophobia - fear of bacteria
Bibliophobia - fear of books
Batrachophobia - fear of frogs
Bogyphobia - fear of the bogeymen
Brontophobia - fear of thunder
Cacomorphobia - fear of fat
Cacophobia - fear of ugliness
Carnophobia - fear of meat//animal flesh
Catagelophobia - fear of being laughed at
Catoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors.
Chorophobia - fear of dancing.
Chrometophobia or Chrematophobia - fear of money.
Chromophobia or Chromatophobia - fear of colours.
Chronophobia - fear of time.
Claustrophobia - fear of confined spaces
Coulraphobia - fear of clowns and masks
Dementophobia - fear of insanity.
Demonophobia or Daemonophobia - fear of demons.
Dentophobia - fear of dentists.
Didaskaleinophobia - fear of going to school
Dromophobia - fear of crossing streets.
Dysmorphophobia - fear of deformity
Ecclesiophobia - fear of church
Ecophobia - fear of home
Eleutherophobia - fear of freedom.
Elurophobia- -fear of cats
Friggatriskaidekaphopbia - fear of Friday the 13th.
Gamophobia - fear of marriage.
Glossophobia - fear of speaking in public
Gynophobia - fear of women.
Genophobia - fear of sex.
Gymnophobia - fear of nudity.
Heliophobia - fear of the sun
Hemophobia - fear of blood
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - fear of long words
Hobophobia - fear of beggars
Hodophobia - fear of road travel
Hominophobia - fear of men
Hydrophobia - fear of water
Iatrophobia - fear of doctors
Insectophobia - fear of insects
Ichthyophobia - fear of fish
Ideophobia - fear of ideas
Koinoniphobia - fear of rooms.
Kopophobia - fear of fatigue.
Koniophobia - fear of dust
Lockiophobia - fear of childbirth
Ligyrophobia - fear of loud noises
Mageirocophobia - fear of cooking
Melanophobia - fear of the color black
Microphobia - fear of small things.
Mysophobia - fear of dirt and germs.
Mnemophobia - fear of memories.
Motorphobia - fear of automobiles
Musophobia -fear of mice
Necrophobia - fear of death or dead things
Noctiphobia - fear of the night
Nudophobia - fear of nudity
Numerophobia - fear of numbers
Nosocomephobia - fear of hospitals
Obesophobia - fear of gaining weight
Ombrophobia - fear of rain
Oneirophobia- fear of dreams
Ophidiophobia - fear of snakes
Pathophobia - fear of disease
Pedophobia - fear of children
Philophobia - fear of love
Phobophobia - fear of phobias
Podophobia - fear of feet
Pteromerhanophobia - fear of flying
Pyrophobia - fear of fire
Rhypophobia- fear of defecation
Rhytiphobia- fear of getting wrinkles
Scolionophobia - fear of school
Tachophobia - Fear of speed
Technophobia - fear of technology
Telephonophobia - fear of telephones
Theophobia - fear of gods or religion
Trypanophobia - fear of injections
Venustraphobia - fear of beautiful women.
Verbophobia - fear of words
Vestiphobia - fear of clothing
Xanthophobia - fear of the color yellow or the word yellow
Xenoglossophobia - fear of foreign languages
Xenophobia - fear of strangers or foreigners
Zoophobia - fear of animals