Phobia – From the Greek: Phóbos, meaning “fear” or “morbid fear”
Phobias: a persistent (and often irrational) fear of an object or situation. Greek physician Hippocrates (470-410 B.C.E.) first described phobias 500 years after Hippocrates, Roman doctor, Celsus used the word hydrophobia for a patient who feared water. Now there are 400 phobias recognized by the medical profession.
Top 10 Phobias
- Fear of public speaking – Glossophobia 74 %
- Fear of death – Necrophobia 68 %
- Fear of spiders – Arachnophobia 30.5 %
- Fear of darkness – Achluophobia,
- Scotophobia or Myctophobia 11 %
- Fear of heights – Acrophobia 10 %
- Fear of people or social situations
- Sociophobia 7.9 %
- Fear of flying – Aerophobia 6.5 %
- Fear of confined spaces – Claustrophobia 2.5 %
- Fear of open spaces – Agoraphobia 2.2 %
- Fear of thunder and lightning – Brontophobia 2 %
Celebrity Phobias
- Scarlett Johansson: Ornithophobia – The fear of birds.
- Orlando Bloom: Swinophobia – The fear of pigs.
- Megan Fox: Bacteriaphobia – The fear of germs and bacteria.
- Billy Bob Thornton: Chromophobia – The Fear of bright colors.
- Madonna: Astraphobia – The fear of thunder and lightning.
- Oprah Winfrey: Chiclephobia – The fear of chewing-gum.
- Nicole Kidman: Lepidopterophobia – The fear of butterflies.
Phobias You May Not Have Heard Of
- Anablephobia- Fear of looking up
- Anuptaphobia- Fear of staying single.
- Bibliophobia- Fear of books.
- Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting
- Ephebiphobia- Fear of teenagers.
- Genuphobia- Fear of knees
- Hellenologophobia- Fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology.
- Helminthophobia- Fear of being infested with worms
- Logizomechanophobia- Fear of computers.
- Meningitophobia- Fear of brain disease.
- Omphalophobia- Fear of belly buttons.
- Phobophobia- Fear of phobias or fear.
Source and many thanks to www.bestmastersincounseling.com/fear-phobias
Check out our TikTok channel, specifically the videos in our playlist on ‘Overcoming Your Phobia’ for more helpful hints and tips! Also – take a listen to our podcast ‘Making The Change’.