Phobophobia is an extreme fear of being afraid. While this condition may sound redundant, it's a very real and complex disorder that can take a few forms. A person with phobophobia may be scared of the physical sensations that come with fear, such as shortness of breath, sweaty palms or heart palpitations.
Phobophobia is mainly linked with internal predispositions. It is developed by the unconscious mind which is linked to an event in which phobia was experienced with emotional trauma and stress, which are closely linked to anxiety disorders and by forgetting and recalling the initiating trauma.
Pediophobia is a fear of dolls or inanimate objects that look real, and pedophobia is a fear of actual children. People can suffer from both phobias, so someone who fears children (pedophobia) may also fear the childlike features of dolls (pediophobia), and someone with pediophobia may also have pedophobia.
Panophobia or the fear of everything phobia might sound bizarre, but it does exist in the list of non-specific phobias. It is known by other names like Omniphobia or Pantophobia.
How common is phobophobia? It's hard knowing exactly how many people have a specific phobia, like phobophobia, but it's rare. We do know that about 1 in 10 American adults and 1 in 5 teenagers will deal with a specific phobia disorder at some point in their lives, though.
Spectrophobia is the fear of mirrors. As a result of this fear, people may avoid any situation where they might encounter a mirror. This can create significant disruptions in an individual's life, making it difficult to enter different social settings or even leave the house.
Nyctophobia is an extreme fear of the dark. This phobia is very common among children but can affect people of all ages. People with this specific anxiety disorder may have trouble sleeping, have panic attacks and may avoid leaving the house after dark.
Astraphobia is an intense fear of thunder and lightning. The phobia is more common in children, but it can last into adulthood. Astraphobia often also affects animals. People with astraphobia feel extreme anxiety or debilitating fear when preparing for a thunderstorm.
Most people don't like vomiting, but for some, just the thought of it is enough to cause extreme distress. This type of phobia, known as emetophobia, is an intense fear of vomiting. Often, the anticipation of vomiting or seeing someone else vomit — and not knowing when it will happen — can be worse than the act itself.
Sidonglobophobia is a type of specific phobia — a mental health condition that involves an intense , irrational fear of a particular object, place, or sensation. In sidonglobophobia, a person fears cotton wool or other objects that consist of cotton.
Megalophobia is common among many people, but can be felt and experienced differently. For example, someone might just be afraid of large animals like elephants and whales, while others might be afraid of man-made objects specifically.
Many people don't like being touched by strangers. But haphephobia is significant distress over being touched by anyone, even family or friends. For some people, the fear is specific to touch by people of one gender. Haphephobia is a type of anxiety disorder.
Podophobia is an overwhelming fear of feet. People with this condition might be scared of their own feet or other people's feet. They may avoid places where people are barefoot, such as beaches or pools. Psychotherapy can help manage podophobia for most people.
Allodoxaphobia
Allodoxaphobia is the fear of other people's opinions. This is a rare social phobia which is characterised by an overwhelming and irrational fear of other people's opinions, making dinner party arguments or work meetings hellish experiences.
Glossophobia is a very common phobia characterized by a strong fear of public speaking. Individuals with glossophobia may avoid speaking in public, as they typically experience fear and anxiety when speaking in front of a group of people.
Atelophobia is an actual fear of flaws. Someone with atelophobia may avoid a situation in which they think they could make a mistake, seeing it as threatening. The fear can affect every aspect of their lives, from school and work to family life and social situations.
Fear of blood (hemophobia), injections (trypanophobia), needles or other sharp objects (belonephobia), or injury (traumatophobia) occurs to some degree in at least 5% of the population.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest words in the dictionary, and ironically, it means the fear of long words.
Xanthophobia, fear of the color yellow.
Arithmophobia is an extreme fear of numbers. People may feel afraid of all numbers or only specific numbers. Another name for arithmophobia is numerophobia.
Some experts believe as many as 1 in 10 adults have a fear of clowns. One study on hospitalized children found that approximately 10 out of 1,000 children, most of them girls, were afraid of the clowns the hospital brought in to cheer them up.
Hemophobia refers to the intense and irrational fear of blood that interferes with an individual's ability to function in their day-to-day lives for at least 6 months. Currently, it is listed under specific phobias in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) as blood-injection-injury phobias.