List of phobias: a dictionary to understand them
Phobias are an incredibly diverse type of psychological disorder. Compared to other anxiety disorders, the causes that trigger the crises (the times when their symptoms are most noticeable) are very diverse and, in some cases, curious or directly strange.
In this article we will see a list of phobias as a small specialized dictionary in this type of clinical phenomenon, to understand which are the stimuli that trigger extreme fear or peaks of anxiety.
Phobic list: dictionary with its meaning
This is a list of phobias summarized and ordered alphabetically.
1. Acrophobia
Acrophobia is the extreme fear of heights , and is one of the most common phobias.
2. Aerophobia
As its name suggests, it is the fear of going on a plane or any kind of aircraft.
3. Agoraphobia
A phobia based on the fear of situations where the sufferer experiences a crisis and has no one around to help.
4. Arrhenophobia
This is the phobia of men , usually because of the characteristics associated with masculinity.
5. Arsonophobia
Arsonophobia is the intense and clinically significant fear of fire.
6. Self-dysomaphobia
This curious phobia is the extreme fear of smelling bad .
7. Basophobia
This is the phobia of falls that can lead to injuries or broken bones.
8. Bathophobia
Batrophobia is the extreme fear of depth, usually in bodies of water.
9. Bovinophobia
Bovinophobia is the fear of cows, bulls, oxen and all similar animals belonging to the bovine family.
10. Brontophobia
Fear of storms, lightning and thunder is relatively common, and it wears down the quality of life of many people who need to go to therapy to overcome it.
11. Carcinophobia
Carcinophobia is the extreme fear of getting cancer.
12. Cardiophobia
This is the phobia of having a heart attack.
13. Cymophobia
Cymophobia is the fear of waves of the sea or oceans.
14. Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the intense fear of being in very small or narrow spaces, such as a cellar or a narrow hallway.
15. Kleptophobia
It’s the phobia of being robbed, either by breaking into our house or by taking what we have with us.
16. Coimetrophobia
This is the phobia of cemeteries, and it has a powerful cultural charge because of the fear of death.
17. Contreltophobia
This anxiety disorder is the fear of being abused or raped, and it affects women in particular.
18. Dentophobia
This is the phobia of the dentist , and can lead to serious health problems in the mouth.
19. Diabetophobia
This is the phobia of the possibility of developing diabetes, so it is a matter of avoiding everything that can trigger its appearance.
20. Electrophobia
We are faced with electricity phobia, that is, the tendency to take excessive care not to have electrical current accidents.
21. Entomophobia
Entomophobia is a general phobia of insects.
22. Phobophobia
Photophobia is the fear of one’s own fear, a snake that bites its own tail.
23. Gymnophobia
This is the phobia of nudity , either one’s own or another’s.
24. Gelotophobia
This type of phobia has to do with social interactions, since it is the fear of being made fun of.
25. Glossophobia
This is one of the most common phobias: intense fear of public speaking.
26. Hamartophobia
This psychological disorder is related to religion, since it is the fear of sinning.
27. Hemophobia
This is the phobia of blood and other elements associated with it, such as wounds or injections. It is one of the most frequent phobias on this list, and the one for which people go to psychotherapy the most.
28. Iophobia
This is one of the most curious elements of this list of phobias, as it is the fear of being poisoned. It is related to delusional thinking, although it does not go beyond this aspect of life.
29. Katsaridaphobia
This is one of the most easily understood anxiety disorders by those who do not experience it: it is the phobia of cockroaches.
30. Lithacaphobia
The name already suggests the meaning of this anxiety disorder: the phobia of litigation and legal proceedings in general. There is a fear that someone will accuse us.
31. Lochiophobia
This anxiety disorder arises in women who develop a fear of giving birth.
32. Mastigofobia
Mastigophobia is the intense fear of punishment . It usually occurs in children, not so much in adults.
33. Myrmecophobia
Myrmecophobia is the phobia of ants, which is problematic, considering how common these insects are.
34. Necrophobia
Necrophobia is the fear of dead bodies, and it is usually more intense if they are human.
35. Nelophobia
In this case we are talking about the phobia of glass, associated with the ease with which it breaks into sharp shapes.
36. Nosocomephobia
This is the phobia of hospitals; it can arise from the unpleasant or traumatic experiences that sometimes occur in them.
37. Chiroptophobia
Chiroptophobia is the phobia of bats.
38. Selacaphobia
This consists of intense fear of the possibility of a shark attack.
39. Tacophobia
By tachophobia we mean speed phobia, in which one can be a victim of accidents oneself.
40. Thalassophobia
Thalassophobia is the extreme fear of the sea or ocean .
41. Testophobia
As the name suggests, it’s test or test phobia.
42. Zoophobia
This is another item on this list of phobias that is understood by its name. It is a concept that refers to animal phobias, although in practice it is given in relation to certain animals and not others.
Bibliographic references:
- Bados, A.(2009). Specific phobias: Nature, evaluation and treatment. Electronic publication.
- LeBeau RT, Glenn D, Liao B, Wittchen HU, Beesdo-Baum K, Ollendick T, Craske MG (2010). “Specific phobia: a review of DSM-IV specific phobia and preliminary recommendations for DSM-V. Depress Anxiety. 27 (2): 148 – 67.