The word Gerascophobia is derived from Greek ‘tha geraso’ which is a phrase that means ‘I am getting old’ and phobos meaning dread or deep fear. To an extent, most of us are afraid of growing old. No one wants to lose their youthfulness, develop wrinkles and face other health problems that are inevitable with age. Right since the dawn of mankind, humans have been … [Read more...]

The word Cacomorphobia - the fear of fat or obese people is derived from Greek caco meaning ugly, morpho meaning shape and phobos meaning fear or aversion. Thus, Cacomorphobia stands for the irrational fear of fat people. To an extent, the fear of fat people could be related to body image issues which are usually media or culture induced. No one wants or likes a fat … [Read more...]

Bathophobia means the fear of depths. It is fear or anxiety associated with the sea or water bodies of various types, though; many Bathophobic individuals are also known to fear tunnels, mountain valleys or caves. The word Bathophobia originates from Greek word bathios which means “deep or depth” and phobos meaning “aversion, dread or fear”. People living with this … [Read more...]

Patients with Pseudodysphagia complaint about the inability to swallow but they do not have any physical symptoms to account for their condition. The word Pseudodysphagia comes from Greek Phagophobia where “phagein” means eating and “phobos” means deep dread, aversion or fear. Other names for this phobia include sitophobia where sito is Greek for food. Pseudodysphagia … [Read more...]

As far as the rarest and least documented phobias are concerned, Omphalophobia - the fear of belly buttons, perhaps tops the list. The word is derived from Greek Omphalo meaning navel and phobos meaning deep dread or fear. People suffering from Omphalophobia are terrified of belly buttons- their own or, in some cases, those of the others. They do not like touching their … [Read more...]

Pogonophobia is the irrational, persistent and often unwarranted fear of beards. The word is derived from Greek pogon (beard) and phobos (fear). Mothers often warn their daughters to “never trust a man with beard or facial hair unless he is Santa Claus”. In the United States, there has not been a president with a beard since the 1800s. The fear of beard or facial … [Read more...]

It may sound weird, but there are many people around the world who suffer from an intense fear of talking on the phone. Telephonophobia is the self explanatory name given to such severe anxiety. Most ‘Telephonophobes’ prefer sending a text message or emailing their contacts, since, even the mere thought of ordering a pizza on the phone is enough to cause them to have a … [Read more...]

Tokophobia is the fear of pregnancy or childbirth and the word is derived from Greek tokos meaning childbirth and phobos which is intense fear or dread of a situation/object. Other names for this fear are Tocophobia, Enfantaphobia, Maieusiophobia or Parturiphobia. The British Journal of Psychiatry first documented this phobia only a decade ago. Prior to this, there was … [Read more...]

Agliophobia is the persistent, unwarranted and often irrational fear of pain. It is derived from the Greek word algo which means pain and phobos which means fear or dread. Other names for this phobia include: Odynophobia, Odynephobia or Odynesphobia which are all derived from Greek odyn meaning pain. The dictionary defines pain as a “highly unpleasant sensation … [Read more...]

Fear of mirrors is known by several names: Catoptrophobia, spectrophobia, and Eisoptrophobia. The word Catoptrophobia originates from Greek Catropto or katoptron (mirrors) and phobos (fear). Spectrophobia is derived from the Latin word spectrum (ghosts). Likewise, Eisotrophobia originates from Greek ‘eis’ (into) and optikos (vision). Modern society is highly obsessed … [Read more...]

Musophobia is the fear of mice or rats and the word originates from Latin Mus which means mice and Greek phobos which means deep fear or dread. Other terms used for fear of rats and mice include Murophobia, which is derived from the word ‘Murine’ or the ‘Muridae’ family of mice/rats and Suriphobia which is derived from souris, which is French for mouse. Famous … [Read more...]

Equinophobia is an extreme fear of horses. The word is derived from the Latin word ‘equus’ which means horses and phobos which is ‘deep fear or dread’. Nearly 8% of people around the world are known to suffer from various animal phobias (Zoophobias). Sigmund Freud has described Equinophobia in detail in his landmark paper on “Little Hans” (Analysis of a Phobia in a … [Read more...]

Phasmophobia is the fear of ghosts. The word originates from Greek word ‘phasmos’ which means ‘supernatural being/phantom’ and phobos which means ‘deep dread or fear’. Another word sometimes associated with it is Spectrophobia, which originates from ‘specters’ or ‘reflection’. Many people, young and old alike, fear ghosts. This fear is deeply ingrained in us right since … [Read more...]

Many different phobias have been described in literature related to psychopathology, but perhaps none that are as debilitating or having serious health implications as Cibophobia, the excessive and persistent fear of food. Food phobia is also called “food aversion or choking phobia”. The word Cibophobia or Sitophobia is derived from Greek Sitos which means bread and phobos … [Read more...]

Scelerophobia is the fear of burglars, bad men or crime in general. The word Scelerophobia is derived from Latin, ‘scelero’ which means ‘wickedness or crime’ and ‘phobos’ which means ‘deep dread or fear’. Fearing crime is a common and prevalent issue in modern society. The level or extent of the fear of crime depends on various factors like age, gender, past experiences … [Read more...]