Sidonglobophobia is the fear of cotton balls. It is also called Bambakophobia where Bambaki stands for cotton in Greek while phobos means deep dread or fear. ‘Normal’ people might laugh at those who are afraid of cotton balls. However for a Sidonglobophobic individual, this phobia can actually ruin one’s life. People afraid of cotton balls simply cannot open their own … [Read more...]

It is very rare and uncommon, but the fear of bananas or bananaphobia does exist. A very famous case about such a phobia has been reported in the Daily Mail. According to this news report, a woman had been scared of bananas all her life, so much so that she could not stand being in the same room as them without feeling nauseated each time. Thankfully, her story ends on a … [Read more...]

Phobias are anxiety disorders. Man is known to develop a fear of anything and everything and Zoophobia is one of the most common specific phobias. Research conducted on this phobia has shown that humans have a genetic predisposition to fear certain types of animals. Often animals like snakes, spiders, insects etc stimulate a disgust/fear response in us. To an extent, this … [Read more...]

Mottephobia is similar to the fear of butterflies or Lepidopterophobia. The word Mottephobia originates from German ‘Motte’ meaning moths and Greek ‘phobos’ which means fear. Mottephobia falls in the category of specific animal phobias. It is an anxiety disorder which is not as common as Arachnophobia - the fear of spiders, but is relatively widespread. The disorder … [Read more...]

Achondroplasiaphobia is the fear of little people or midgets, although this term is not used anymore, as it is considered offensive to people with dwarfism. It is also called Nanosophobia or Lollypopguildophobia. The word Achondroplasiaphobia is derived from the medical term ‘Achondroplasia’ which is a skeletal disorder of the cartilage that forms during the fetal stage. … [Read more...]

It is quite common to be afraid of sharks (Galeophobia), but many times, individuals are even afraid of small and seemingly harmless fish. Such an irrational or persistent fear of fish is called Ichthyophobia. The word originates from Greek “ichthys” which means fish and phobos which means fear. Many cultures, especially the Navajo tribes, are known to fear all kinds of … [Read more...]

Pediophobia is the unwarranted, irrational and persistent fear or worry of dolls. It is a specific phobia belonging to the category of ‘automatonphobia’. This is a type of phobia where the individual is afraid of all humanoid or “human-like-but-not-quite” objects including mannequins, marionettes, ventriloquist’s dummies, wax figures, animatrix or robotic figures etc. The … [Read more...]

Iatrophobia or the fear of doctors is a blood-needle-injury type phobia. It is quite common in young children, though many adults are also known to suffer from it. The word Iatrophobia is derived from “Iatros” which is Greek for ‘healer’ and Phobos which means ‘deep dread or fear’. Another term given to this anxiety disorder (though in its relatively less serious form) is … [Read more...]

It is a fact that cockroaches will outlive humans as they can withstand 2000 times the radiation levels than us and can also go for days without food. Such facts will not be encouraging to people who suffer from extreme cockroach phobia. The name given to such a fear of cockroaches is Katsaridaphobia. The phobia or fear of cockroaches can be a debilitating one. A … [Read more...]

Athazagoraphobia is a rarely discussed phobia. It means the fear of forgetting or the fear of being forgotten or ignored. Thus, Athazagoraphobia is of two types or has dual components: it might be seen in dementia patients in their early stages (or patients suffering from other medical conditions where memory loss occurs) where they fear forgetting their own identity and … [Read more...]

Galeophobia or the extreme fear of sharks probably conjures up images of the Great White shark as depicted in Jaws, the popular blockbuster movie known for its dramatic music and superb visual effects that exacerbated the fear of sharks in the minds of its viewers. While a majority of the viewers tend to forget this fear of sharks; a Galeophobic individual continues to … [Read more...]

Across the world there are varied opinions about frogs and toads: some people find them cute, others find them ugly and disgusting. Then there are others who have developed an outright fear or phobia of frogs. The term used to describe this phobia/fear of frogs is called Ranidaphobia. This word originates from Latin source ‘Rani/ranidae’ meaning the family of amphibians … [Read more...]

Pyrophobia is quite a common phobia and many people around the globe are known to be deeply afraid of fire. The word Pyrophobia originates from Greek ‘pur/pyr’ meaning fire and ‘phobos’ meaning fear or deep dread. To an extent, the fear of fire is healthy, evolutionary and normal. However, in case of a phobic, the fear turns debilitating, often affecting his/her daily life … [Read more...]

There are many kinds of seemingly irrational fears and phobias prevalent in the world. What might be laughing matter to people, is not so to a phobic. Anatidaephobia is one such phobia. A person suffering from this condition feels that somewhere in the world, a duck or a goose is watching him/her (not attacking or touching, simply watching the individual). The word … [Read more...]

Koumpounophobia is a relatively rare phobia, but one that does exist. It is, simply explained, an irrational and persistent fear of buttons (standalone ones or those on clothing). People suffering from Koumpounophobia tend to avoid clothes with buttons. Just the thought, discussion or sight of buttons can trigger a full blown anxiety attack. Nearly 1 in 75,000 people are … [Read more...]