Phobias are one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States.

The National Institute of

Mental Health suggests that 8% of U.S. adults have some type of phobia. Women are more likely to
experience phobias than men. Typical symptoms of phobias can include nausea, trembling, rapid
heartbeat, feelings of unreality, and being preoccupied with the fear object.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) identifies three different categories of phobias: social
phobias, agoraphobia, and specific phobias.1 When people talk about having a phobia of a specific
object such as snakes, spiders, or needles, they are referring to a specific phobia.

A
 Achluophobia - Fear of darkness
 Acrophobia - Fear of heights
 Aerophobia - Fear of flying
 Algophobia - Fear of pain
 Agoraphobia - Fear of open spaces or crowds
 Aichmophobia - Fear of needles or pointed objects
 Amaxophobia - Fear of riding in a car
 Androphobia - Fear of men
 Anginophobia - Fear of angina or choking
 Anthrophobia - Fear of flowers
 Anthropophobia - Fear of people or society
 Aphenphosmphobia - Fear of being touched
 Arachibutyrophobia - Fear of peanut butter
 Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders
 Arithmophobia - Fear of numbers
 Astraphobia - Fear of thunder and lightning
 Ataxophobia - Fear of disorder or untidiness
 Atelophobia - Fear of imperfection
 Atychiphobia - Fear of failure
 Automatonophobia - Fear of Human-Like Figures
 Autophobia - Fear of being alone

B
 Bacteriophobia - Fear of bacteria
 Barophobia - Fear of gravity
 Bathmophobia - Fear of stairs or steep slopes
 Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians
 Belonephobia - Fear of pins and needles
 Bibliophobia - Fear of books
 Botanophobia - Fear of plants
C
 Cacophobia - Fear of ugliness
 Catagelophobia - Fear of being ridiculed
 Catoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors
 Chionophobia - Fear of snow
 Chromophobia - Fear of colors
 Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks
 Chronophobia - Fear of Time
 Claustrophobia - Fear of confined spaces
 Coulrophobia - Fear of clowns
 Cyberphobia - Fear of computers
 Cynophobia - Fear of dogs

D
 Dendrophobia - Fear of trees
 Dentophobia - Fear of dentists
 Domatophobia - Fear of houses
 Dystychiphobia - Fear of accidents

E
 Ecophobia - Fear of the home
 Elurophobia - Fear of cats
 Entomophobia - Fear of insects
 Ephebiphobia - Fear of teenagers
 Equinophobia - Fear of horses

G
 Gamophobia - Fear of marriage
 Genuphobia - Fear of knees
 Glossophobia - Fear of speaking in public
 Gynophobia - Fear of women

H
 Haphephobia - Fear of touch
 Heliophobia - Fear of the sun
  Hemophobia - Fear of blood
 Herpetophobia - Fear of reptiles
 Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia - Fear of long words
 Hydrophobia - Fear of water
 Hypochondria - Fear of illness

I
 Iatrophobia - Fear of doctors
 Insectophobia - Fear of insects

K
 Koinoniphobia - Fear of rooms
 Koumpounophobia - Fear of buttons

L
 Leukophobia - Fear of the color white
 Lilapsophobia - Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes
 Lockiophobia - Fear of childbirth

M
 Mageirocophobia - Fear of cooking
 Megalophobia - Fear of large things
 Melanophobia - Fear of the color black
 Microphobia - Fear of small things
 Mysophobia - Fear of dirt and germs

N
 Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things
 Noctiphobia - Fear of the night
 Nosocomephobia - Fear of hospitals
 Nyctophobia - Fear of the dark

O
  Obesophobia - Fear of gaining weight
 Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8
 Ombrophobia - Fear of rain
 Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes
 Ornithophobia - Fear of birds

P
 Papyrophobia - Fear of paper
 Pathophobia - Fear of disease
 Pedophobia - Fear of children
 Philematophobia - Fear of Kissing
 Philophobia - Fear of love
 Phobophobia - Fear of phobias
 Podophobia - Fear of feet
 Porphyrophobia - Fear of the color purple
 Pteridophobia - Fear of ferns
 Pteromerhanophobia - Fear of flying
 Pyrophobia - Fear of fire

S
 Samhainophobia - Fear of Halloween
 Scolionophobia - Fear of school
 Scoptophobia - Fear of being stared at
 Selenophobia - Fear of the moon
 Sociophobia - Fear of social evaluation
 Somniphobia - Fear of sleep

T
 Tachophobia - Fear of speed
 Technophobia - Fear of technology
 Tonitrophobia - Fear of thunder
 Trypanophobia - Fear of needles/injections
 Trypophobia - Fear of Holes

V-Z
 Venustraphobia - Fear of beautiful women
 Verminophobia - Fear of germs
  Wiccaphobia - Fear of witches and witchcraft
 Xenophobia - Fear of strangers or foreigners
 Zoophobia - Fear of animals

A Word From Verywell

Phobias can have a serious impact on well-being, but it is important to remember that you are not
alone. Phobias are common, but also treatable.2 If you believe that you have the symptoms of
some type of phobia, consult your doctor for further evaluation and treatment advice.

What are phobias?

A phobia is an excessive and irrational fear reaction. If you have a phobia, you
may experience a deep sense of dread or panic when you encounter the
source of your fear. The fear can be of a certain place, situation, or object.
Unlike general anxiety disorders, a phobia is usually connected to something
specific.

The impact of a phobia can range from annoying to severely disabling. People
with phobias often realize their fear is irrational, but they’re unable to do
anything about it. Such fears can interfere with work, school, and personal
relationships.

An estimated 19 million Americans have a phobia that causes difficulty in

some area of their lives. Seek the help of your doctor if you have a fear that
prevents you from leading your fullest life.

Causes
Genetic and environmental factors can cause phobias. Children who have a
close relative with an anxiety disorder are at risk of developing a phobia.
Distressing events, such as nearly drowning, can bring on a phobia. Exposure
to confined spaces, extreme heights, and animal or insect bites can all be
sources of phobias.

People with ongoing medical conditions or health concerns often have

phobias. There’s a high incidence of people developing phobias
after traumatic brain injuries. Substance abuse and depression are also
connected to phobias.

Phobias have different symptoms from serious mental illnesses such

as schizophrenia. In schizophrenia, people have visual and auditory
hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, negative symptoms such as anhedonia,
and disorganized symptoms. Phobias may be irrational, but people with
phobias do not fail reality testing.

Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a fear of places or situations that you can’t escape from. The
word itself refers to “fear of open spaces.” People with agoraphobia fear being
in large crowds or trapped outside the home. They often avoid social
situations altogether and stay inside their homes.

Many people with agoraphobia fear they may have a panic attack in a place
where they can’t escape. Those with chronic health problems may fear they
will have a medical emergency in a public area or where no help is available.

Social phobia
Social phobia is also referred to as social anxiety disorder. It’s extreme worry
about social situations and it can lead to self-isolation. A social phobia can be
so severe that the simplest interactions, such as ordering at a restaurant or
answering the telephone, can cause panic. People with social phobia often go
out of their way to avoid public situations.

Other types of phobias

Many people dislike certain situations or objects, but to be a true phobia, the
fear must interfere with daily life. Here are a few more of the most common
ones:

Glossophobia: This is known as performance anxiety, or the fear of speaking

in front of an audience. People with this phobia have severe physical
symptoms when they even think about being in front of a group of people.
<Glossophobia treatments can include either therapy or medication.

Acrophobia: This is the fear of heights. People with this phobia avoid
mountains, bridges, or the higher floors of buildings. Symptoms
include vertigo, dizziness, sweating, and feeling as if they’ll pass out or lose
consciousness.

Claustrophobia: This is a fear of enclosed or tight spaces. Severe

claustrophobia can be especially disabling if it prevents you from riding in cars
or elevators. <Learn more about claustrophobia, from additional symptoms to
treatment options.

Aviophobia: This is also known as the fear of flying.

Dentophobia: Dentophobia is a fear of the dentist or dental procedures. This

phobia generally develops after an unpleasant experience at a dentist’s office.
It can be harmful if it prevents you from obtaining needed dental care.
Hemophobia: This is a phobia of blood or injury. A person with hemophobia
may faint when they come in contact with their own blood or another person’s
blood.

Arachnophobia: This means fear of spiders.

Cynophobia: This is a fear of dogs.

Ophidiophobia: People with this phobia fear snakes.

Nyctophobia: This phobia is a fear of the nighttime or darkness. It almost

always begins as a typical childhood fear. When it progresses past
adolescence, it’s considered a phobia.

Risk factors
People with a genetic predisposition to anxiety may be at high risk of
developing a phobia. Age, socioeconomic status, and gender seem to be risk
factors only for certain phobias. For example, women are more likely to have
animal phobias. Children or people with a low socioeconomic status are more
likely to have social phobias. Men make up the majority of those with dentist
and doctor phobias.