Education, study and knowledge

List of phobias: a dictionary to understand them

Phobias are an incredibly diverse type of psychological disturbance. Compared with other anxiety disorders, the causes that trigger the attacks (the moments when those whose symptoms are most noticeable) are very diverse and, in some cases, curious or directly foreign.

In this article We will see a list of phobias as a small specialized dictionary in this type of clinical phenomenon, to understand what are the stimuli that trigger extreme fear or anxiety spikes.

  • Related article: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

List of phobias: dictionary with their meaning

This is a list of phobias summarized and arranged alphabetically.

1. Acrophobia

acrophobia is extreme fear of heights, and it is one of the most common phobias.

2. Aerophobia

As its name indicates, it is the fear of going on a plane or any type of aircraft.

3. Agoraphobia

A phobia based on the fear of situations in which the sufferer experiences a crisis and has no one nearby who can help them.

4. Arrenophobia

This is the phobia of men, normally due to the characteristics associated with masculinity.

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5. arsonphobia

Arsonphobia is the intense and clinically significant fear of fire.

6. autodysomophobia

This curious phobia is extreme fear of smelling bad.

7. Basophobia

This is the phobia of falls that can cause injuries or broken bones.

8. batophobia

Bathophobia is the extreme fear of depth, usually in bodies of water.

9. Bovinephobia

Bovinophobia is the fear of cows, bulls, oxen and all similar animals belonging to the Bovidae family.

10. brontophobia

The fear of storms, lightning and thunder is relatively frequent, 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 contracting cancer.

  • You may be interested in: "Carcinophobia (extreme fear of cancer): symptoms, causes and treatment"

12. cardiophobia

This is the phobia of the possibility 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 warehouse or a narrow hallway.

15. Kleptophobia

It is about the phobia of being robbed, either by entering our house or taking away what we are carrying.

16. coimetrophobia

This is the phobia of cemeteries, and it has a powerful cultural charge due to the fear of death.

17. contreltophobia

This anxiety disorder is the fear of being abused or raped, and it mainly affects women.

18. dentophobia

This is dentist phobia, and can favor the appearance of serious health problems in the mouth.

19. Diabetophobia

This is the phobia of the possibility of developing diabetes, so it is about avoiding everything that can trigger its appearance.

20. electrophobia

We are facing the phobia of electricity, that is, the tendency to take excessive concerns for not having electric current accidents.

21. entomophobia

Entomophobia is the phobia of insects in general.

22. phobophobia

Phobophobia is the fear of fear itself, a whiting that bites its own tail.

23. gymnophobia

It's about nudity phobia, either own or others.

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: it is the intense fear of speaking in public.

  • You may be interested in: "Glossophobia (phobia of public speaking): symptoms, causes and treatment"

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 on this list of phobias, and for which people go to psychotherapy the most.

28. iophobia

This is one of the most curious elements on this list of phobias, since 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 easiest anxiety disorders to understand by those who do not experience it: it is the phobia of cockroaches.

30. lithicaphobia

From the name, the meaning of this anxiety disorder is already intuited: the phobia of litigation and judicial processes in general. The idea of ​​someone accusing us is feared.

31. Locchiophobia

This anxiety disorder arises in women who develop a fear of giving birth.

32. mastigophobia

Mastigophobia is the intense fear of punishment.. It usually occurs in boys and girls, 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 corpses, 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 that it has to break into sharp shapes.

36. nosocomephobia

This is the phobia of hospitals; It can arise from the unpleasant or traumatic experiences that sometimes occur in these.

37. chiroptophobia

chiroptophobia is the phobia of bats, that is, bats.

38. selachophobia

This consists of the intense fear of the possibility of suffering a shark attack.

39. tachophobia

By tachophobia we understand the phobia of speed, in which oneself can be the victim of accidents.

40. thalassophobia

Thalassophobia is extreme fear of the sea or ocean.

41. testophobia

As its name suggests, it is the phobia of tests or exams.

42. zoophobia

This is another of the elements of this list of phobias that is understood by its name. It is a concept that refers to animal phobias, although in practice it occurs 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.

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