Ornithophobia (fear of birds): symptoms and causes
One of the most frequent types of phobia is the one that consists of an irrational fear of animals. Although technically one can develop fear of any animal -and in fact of any stimulus in general-, in this article we will analyze one of the most common phobias: ornithophobia or fear of birds.
We will focus on defining the main characteristics of ornithophobia: its definition, its relationship with other disorders, its characteristic symptoms and its most common causes. We will also briefly review other animal phobias (or zoophobias).
- Related article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"
What is ornithophobia?
Ornithophobia is defined as a intense and irrational fear of birds. In the presence of a bird, the phobic person reacts with a physiological and/or cognitive response of anxiety; In some cases, panic attacks (popularly known as “panic attacks”) may occur.
In the DSM manuals the fear of birds is classified inside of diagnostic category of specific phobia. To meet the criteria for this disorder, the fear must be excessive or irrational, lasting for more than 6 months and interfere significantly in the life of the person or cause a high degree of discomfort.
According to the DSM-IV, there are several types of specific phobia depending on the phobic stimulus: situational (driving, claustrophobia...), natural environment (heights, darkness...), the type "blood/injections/wounds" (which frequently causes voltage drops) and the animal, among which is the ornithophobia. There is also the residual subcategory “Other type”.
Meaning of the term
The word “ornithophobia” comes from ancient Greek: the root “ornithos” means “bird” and “phobos” translates as “panic”, so it literally translates as “panic birds”.
Sometimes the term is used more broadly to designate a intense dislike for some types of birds, like those that abound in cities. In these cases the meaning of the word moves away from the connotation of fear, having a use more similar to concepts such as "homophobia" or "xenophobia", in which "phobia" comes to mean "rejection".
- You may be interested in: "Arachnophobia: causes and symptoms of extreme fear of spiders"
Common symptoms and manifestations
In addition to intense fear in the presence or anticipation of the phobic stimulus, the other basic criteria for the diagnosis of Specific phobia according to DSM-IV is the appearance of intense anxiety symptoms that can lead to attacks of panic.
Panic attacks are brief periods of fear and discomfort. They usually start abruptly. They are characterized by physiological and cognitive symptoms; Among the latter, the fear of dying and losing control stand out, while the physical signs include the appearance of palpitations, sweating, dizziness, nausea, tremors and difficulties in breathe.
What is feared?
The fear may be related to a single species of bird, to birds of the same family, or be only a partial manifestation of a broader phobia of animals; in such a case we would speak of zoophobia. It is possible that the anguish appears only before predatory birds, such as eagles, or with much smaller and more harmless species.
People with animal-type phobias tend to be afraid of movements, especially when they are sudden; Thus, in the case of ornithophobia, feelings of intense anxiety can arise if suddenly a fluttering pigeon appears, for example - or worse still, a whole flock.
Although in some cases the person fears harm, in other cases they are simply afraid of embarrassing themselves or suffering physical problems due to the anxiety itself. Feelings of disgust may appear in addition to anxiety, but this is more common in other animal phobias, especially those that are small, such as insects.
- You may be interested in: "Phobia of dogs (cynophobia): causes, symptoms and treatment"
Causes of ornithophobia
According to a study by Lipsitz et al., around 90% of animal-type phobias begin in childhood, specifically before the age of 12. It affects females to a greater extent, which is common in cases of specific phobia.
Most phobias develop as a result of experiencing one or more traumatic situations. In the case of ornithophobia, events such as being pecked by a duck or a goose are typical examples of the contexts in which these fears tend to appear.
However, not all phobias are acquired directly: sometimes the fears appear by observing or listening to the experiences of others. For example, a little girl might develop ornithophobia after watching the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds," in which birds begin to exterminate people.
On the other hand, Seligman's theory of biological preparation affirms that humans are phylogenetically predisposed to associate certain types of stimuli with phobic responses. At an evolutionary level, many animals have been a threat to survival, either due to the possibility of attacking or transmitting diseases.
Other zoophobias (animal phobias)
The extreme fear of animals is known as "zoophobia". This term can be used to describe both a specific phobia of animals in general and in its meaning as a category of disorders, equivalent to the animal type described in the DSM.
Below we will mention the most frequent phobic stimuli within this set of fears of animals, as well as the name used to designate them.
- To dogs (cynophobia)
- To cats (ailurophobia)
- To rats, mice and other rodents (musophobia)
- To insects (entomophobia); includes fear of bees (apiphobia), cockroaches (catsaridaphobia) and moths (motephobia)
- To spiders (arachnophobia)
- To snakes (ophidiophobia)
- To frogs, toads and other amphibians (bufonophobia)
- To worms (vermiphobia)
