"not just those with respect to light. For example, a rain shadow is a dry area, which with respect to the prevailing wind direction, is beyond a mountain range; the elevated terrain impedes rainclouds from entering the dry zone. An acoustic shadow occurs when direct sound has been blocked or diverted around a given area. An unattended shade was thought by some cultures to be similar to that of a ghost. The name for the fear of shadows is ""sciophobia"" or ""sciaphobia"". Chhaya is the Hindu goddess of shadows. In heraldry, when a charge is supposedly shown ""in shadow"" (the"
"Scopophobia Scopophobia, scoptophobia, or ophthalmophobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by a morbid fear of being seen or stared at by others. The term ""scopophobia"" comes from the Greek σκοπέω ""skopeō"", ""look to, examine"", and φόβος ""phobos"", ""fear"". ""Ophthalmophobia"" comes from the Greek ὀφθαλμός ""ophthalmos"", ""eye"". Phobias have a long history. The concept of social phobias was referred to as long ago as 400 B.C. One of the first references to scopophobia was by Hippocrates who commented on an overly-shy individual, explaining that such a person ""loves darkness as light"" and ""thinks every man observes him.” The term ""social phobia"""
"Ochlophobia Ochlophobia (""Fear of Crowds"") and demophobia (""Fear of Unruly Mobs"") are terms for types of social phobia or social anxiety disorder whose sufferers have a fear of crowds. Sufferers may offer various rationalizations of the phobia, such as the fear being trampled in a crowd, getting a deadly disease from people within the crowd, getting lost in the crowd, or feeling insignificant when surrounded by a crowd. People who are shy and introverted are most likely to experience ochlophobia, but not all introverts have anxiety problems. Ochlophobic people are often unable to handle situations involving parties, going to theaters,"
"Cynophobia Cynophobia (from the ""kýōn"" ""dog"" and ""phóbos"" ""fear"") is the fear of dogs. Cynophobia is classified as a specific phobia, under the subtype ""animal phobias"". According to Dr. Timothy O. Rentz of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas, animal phobias are among the most common of the specific phobias and 36% of patients who seek treatment report being afraid of dogs or cats. Although snakes and spiders are more common animal phobias, cynophobia is especially debilitating because of the high prevalence of dogs (for example, there are an estimated 25 million stray"
"Arachnophobia Arachnophobia is the unreasonable fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions. Treatment is typically by exposure therapy, where the person is presented with pictures of spiders or the spiders themselves. People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they believe could harbor spiders or that has visible signs of their presence, such as webs. If arachnophobics see a spider, they may not enter the general vicinity until they have overcome the panic attack that is often associated with their phobia. Some people scream, cry, have emotional outbursts, experience trouble breathing, sweat, have heart palpitations, or"
"going to sports games, or going to the mall. Ochlophobia Ochlophobia (""Fear of Crowds"") and demophobia (""Fear of Unruly Mobs"") are terms for types of social phobia or social anxiety disorder whose sufferers have a fear of crowds. Sufferers may offer various rationalizations of the phobia, such as the fear being trampled in a crowd, getting a deadly disease from people within the crowd, getting lost in the crowd, or feeling insignificant when surrounded by a crowd. People who are shy and introverted are most likely to experience ochlophobia, but not all introverts have anxiety problems. Ochlophobic people are often"
"anxiety affects over 7% of the population at any given time. Stretched over a lifetime, the percentage increases to 13%. Though scopophobia is a solitary disorder, many individuals with scopophobia also commonly experience other anxiety disorders. Scopophobia has been related to many other irrational fears and phobias. Specific phobias and syndromes that are similar to scopophobia include erythrophobia, the fear of blushing (which is found especially in young people), and an epileptic's fear that being looked which may itself precipitate such an attack. Scopophobia is also commonly associated with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. It is not considered indicative of"
"(from σκότος – ""darkness""), or lygophobia (from λυγή – ""twilight""). Some researchers, beginning with Sigmund Freud, consider the fear of the dark to be a manifestation of separation anxiety disorder. An alternate theory was posited in the 1960s, when scientists conducted experiments in a search for molecules responsible for memory. In one experiment, rats, normally nocturnal animals, were conditioned to fear the dark and a substance called ""scotophobin"" was supposedly extracted from the rats' brains; this substance was claimed to be responsible for remembering this fear. These findings were subsequently debunked. Nyctophobia is a phobia characterized by a severe fear"
"Phagophobia Phagophobia is a psychogenic dysphagia, a fear of swallowing. It is expressed in various swallowing complaints without any apparent physical reason detectable by physical inspection and laboratory analyses. An obsolete term for this condition is choking phobia, but it was suggested that the latter term is confusing and it is necessary to distinguish the fear of swallowing (i.e., of the propulsion of bolus) from fear of choking. Phagophobia is classified as a specific phobia and according to DSM-IV classification it belongs to the category of ""other phobias"". Phagophobia may lead to (and be confused with) fear of eating, and"
"Fear of the dark Fear of the dark is a common fear or phobia among children and, to a varying degree, adults. A fear of the dark does not always concern darkness itself; it can also be a fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darkness. Some degree of fear of the dark is natural, especially as a phase of child development. Most observers report that fear of the dark seldom appears before the age of 2 years. When fear of the dark reaches a degree that is severe enough to be considered pathological, it is sometimes called scotophobia"
"Mysophobia Mysophobia, also known as verminophobia, germophobia, germaphobia, bacillophobia and bacteriophobia, is a pathological fear of contamination and germs. The term was coined by William A. Hammond in 1879 when describing a case of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) exhibited in repeatedly washing one's hands. Mysophobia has long been related to compulsive hand washing. Names pertaining directly to the abnormal fear of dirt and filth include molysmophobia or molysomophobia, rhypophobia, and rupophobia, whereas the terms bacillophobia and bacteriophobia specifically refer to the fear of bacteria and microbes in general. The term ""mysophobia"" comes from the Greek μύσος (""musos""), ""uncleanness"" and φόβος (""phobos""),"
"""fear"". Mysophobia Mysophobia, also known as verminophobia, germophobia, germaphobia, bacillophobia and bacteriophobia, is a pathological fear of contamination and germs. The term was coined by William A. Hammond in 1879 when describing a case of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) exhibited in repeatedly washing one's hands. Mysophobia has long been related to compulsive hand washing. Names pertaining directly to the abnormal fear of dirt and filth include molysmophobia or molysomophobia, rhypophobia, and rupophobia, whereas the terms bacillophobia and bacteriophobia specifically refer to the fear of bacteria and microbes in general. The term ""mysophobia"" comes from the Greek μύσος (""musos""), ""uncleanness"" and φόβος"
"Sexophobia Sexophobia is the fear of sexual organs or sexual activities and, in a larger sense, the fear of sexuality. As such, it can be applied to the attitude of a person based on his or her educational background, personal experience and psyche, or to the general position of collective entities like religious groups, institutions or states. Sexophobia in clinical talk has an effect on the way patients speak to their doctors, as it manifests itself in the communication strategies that are employed to speak about private health problems. In that sense, the use of neutral and veiled vocabulary by"
"Gelotophobia Gelotophobia is a fear of being laughed at, a type of social phobia. While most people do not like being laughed at, there is a sub-group of people that exceedingly fear it, and without obvious reasons, they relate laughter they hear to be directed at themselves. Since 2008, this phenomenon has attracted attention from scholars in psychology, sociology, and psychiatry, and has been studied intensively. In his clinical observations, found that some of his patients seemed to be primarily worried about being laughed at. They tended to scan their environment for signs of laughter and ridicule. Furthermore, they reported"
"same article states that ""the phobia has been known to be extremely disruptive to adult patients and… incapacitating"". The word ""nyctophobia"" comes from the Greek νυκτός, ""nyktos"", genitive of νύξ, ""nyx"", ""night"" and φόβος, ""phobos"", ""fear"". The fear of darkness or night has several non-clinical terminologies—""lygophobia"", ""scotophobia"" and ""achluophobia"". Fear of the dark Fear of the dark is a common fear or phobia among children and, to a varying degree, adults. A fear of the dark does not always concern darkness itself; it can also be a fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darkness. Some degree of fear"
"Tokophobia Tokophobia is a significant fear of childbirth. It is the most common reason why some women request an elective cesarean section. The fear often includes fear of injury to the baby, genital tract, or death. Treatment may occur via counselling. It is a type of specific phobia. In 2000, an article published in the ""British Journal of Psychiatry"" described the fear of childbirth as a psychological disorder that has received little attention and may be overlooked. Phobia of childbirth, as with any phobia, can manifest through a number of symptoms including nightmares, difficulty in concentrating on work or family"
"Zoophobia Zoophobia or animal phobia is a class of specific phobias to particular animals, or an irrational fear or even simply dislike of any non-human animals. Examples of specific zoophobias would be entomophobias, such as that of bees (apiphobia). Fears of spiders (arachnophobia), birds (ornithophobia) and snakes (ophidiophobia) are also common. See the article at -phobia for the list of various phobias. Sigmund Freud mentioned that an animal phobia is one of the most frequent psychoneurotic diseases among children. Zoophobia is not the sensible fear of dangerous or threatening animals, such as wild dogs (example: wolves, dingoes, and coyotes), big"
"Glossophobia Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking. The word ""glossophobia"" derives from the Greek γλῶσσα ""glōssa"", meaning tongue, and φόβος ""phobos"", fear or dread. Some people have this specific phobia, while others may also have broader social phobia or social anxiety disorder. The aspect of speaking publicly whether it be in front of a group of unknown people, or a close group of friends, is what triggers the anxiety for the speaker. The speaker may be comfortable if they speak in front of a group of complete strangers, but when it comes to speaking in front"
"Acrophobia Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort, that share both similar causes and options for treatment. Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, known as the fear of falling. On the other hand, those who have little fear of such exposure are said to have a head for heights. A head for heights is advantageous for those hiking or climbing in mountainous terrain and also in certain jobs e.g."
"Philophobia (fear) Philophobia (from Greek ""φιλος"" (love) and ""φοβία"" (phobia)), is the fear of falling in love or emotional attachment. The risk is usually when a person has confronted any emotional turmoil relating to love but also can be chronic phobia. This affects the quality of life and pushes a person away from commitment. The worst aspect of fear of being in love and falling in love is that it keeps a person in solitude. It can also evolve out of religious and cultural beliefs that prohibit love. It represents certain guilt and frustration towards the reaction coming from inside."
"Philophobia (fear) Philophobia (from Greek ""φιλος"" (love) and ""φοβία"" (phobia)), is the fear of falling in love or emotional attachment. The risk is usually when a person has confronted any emotional turmoil relating to love but also can be chronic phobia. This affects the quality of life and pushes a person away from commitment. The worst aspect of fear of being in love and falling in love is that it keeps a person in solitude. It can also evolve out of religious and cultural beliefs that prohibit love. It represents certain guilt and frustration towards the reaction coming from inside."
"Oikophobia In psychiatry, oikophobia (synonymous with domatophobia and ecophobia) is an aversion to home surroundings. It can also be used more generally to mean an abnormal fear (a phobia) of the home, or of the contents of a house (""fear of household appliances, equipment, bathtubs, household chemicals, and other common objects in the home""). The term derives from the Greek words ""oikos"", meaning household, house, or family, and ""phobia"", meaning ""fear"". In 1808 the poet and essayist Robert Southey used the word to describe a desire (particularly by the English) to leave home and travel. Southey's usage as a synonym"
"Chromophobia Chromophobia (also known as chromatophobia or chrematophobia) is a persistent, irrational fear of, or aversion to, colors and is usually a conditioned response. While actual clinical phobias to color are rare, colors can elicit hormonal responses and psychological reactions. Chromophobia may also refer to an aversion of use of color in products or design. Within cellular biology, ""chromophobic"" cells are a classification of cells that do not attract hematoxylin, and is related to chromatolysis. Names exist that mean fear of specific colors such as ""erythrophobia"" for the fear of red, ""xanthophobia"" for the fear of yellow and ""leukophobia"" for"
"Spectrophobia Spectrophobia (from Latin: ""spectrum"", n. specio, an appearance, form, image of a thing; an apparition, spectre) or catoptrophobia (from Greek κάτοπτρον ""kátoptron"", ""mirror"") is a kind of specific phobia involving a morbid fear of mirrors, sometimes related to the fear of ghosts or the undead. This phobia is distinct from eisoptrophobia, which is the fear of one's own reflection. Generally, an individual that deals with spectrophobia has been traumatized in an event where they believe they have seen or heard apparitions or ghosts. The individual could also become traumatized by horror films, television shows, or by nightmares. This fear"
"Fear of falling The fear of falling (FOF), also referred to as basophobia (or basiphobia), is a natural fear and is typical of most humans and mammals, in varying degrees of extremity. It differs from acrophobia (the fear of heights), although the two fears are closely related. The fear of falling encompasses the anxieties accompanying the sensation and the possibly dangerous effects of falling, as opposed to the heights themselves. Those who have little fear of falling may be said to have a head for heights. Basophobia is sometimes associated with astasia-abasia, the fear of walking/standing erect. Studies done by"
"Aichmophobia Aichmophobia () is a kind of specific phobia, the morbid fear of sharp things, such as pencils, needles, knives, a pointing finger, or even the sharp end of an umbrella and different sorts of protruding corners or sharp edges in furnitures and building constructions/materials. It is derived from the Greek ""aichmē"" (point) and ""phobos"" (fear). This fear may also be referred to as belonephobia or enetophobia. Sometimes this general term is used to refer to what is more specifically called fear of needles, or needle phobia. Fear of needles is the extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures involving"
"Specific phobia A specific phobia is any kind of anxiety disorder that amounts to an unreasonable or irrational fear related to exposure to specific objects or situations. As a result, the affected person tends to avoid contact with the objects or situations and, in severe cases, any mention or depiction of them. The fear can, in fact, be disabling to their daily lives. The fear or anxiety may be triggered both by the presence and the anticipation of the specific object or situation. A person who encounters that of which they are phobic will often show signs of fear or"
"Ophidiophobia Ophidiophobia or ophiophobia is a particular type of specific phobia, the abnormal fear of snakes. It is sometimes called by a more general term, herpetophobia, fear of reptiles. The word comes from the Greek words ""ophis"" (), snake, and ""phobia"" () meaning fear. About a third of adult humans are ophidiophobic, making this the most common reported phobia. A 2001 study at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden suggested that mammals may have an innate negative reaction to snakes (and spiders), which was vital for their survival as it allowed such dangerous threats to be identified immediately. A 2009 report"
"Equinophobia Equinophobia or hippophobia is a psychological fear of horses. ""Equinophobia"" is derived from the Greek word φόβος (""phóbos""), meaning ""fear"" and the Latin word ""equus"", meaning ""horse"". The term ""hippophobia"" is also derived from the Greek word ""phóbos"" with the prefix derived from the Greek word for horse, ἵππος (""híppos""). An example of the phobia can be found in Freud's psychoanalytic study of Little Hans. The following symptoms can be exhibited when a person suffering from equinophobia either thinks of a horse or is physically near one: Sufferers of equinophobia may also fear other hoofed animals such as donkeys,"
"Phobophobia Phobophobia is the fear of phobia(s) and, more specifically, of the internal sensations associated with that phobia and anxiety, which binds it closely to other anxiety disorders, especially with generalized anxiety disorders (free floating fears) and panic attacks. It is a condition in which anxiety disorders are maintained in an extended way, which combined with the psychological fear generated by phobophobia of encountering the feared phobia would ultimately lead to the intensifying of the effects of the feared phobia that the patient might have developed, such as agoraphobia, and specially with it, and making them susceptible to having an"
"the subsequent malnutrition and weight loss. In milder cases a phagophobe eats only soft and liquid foods. Phagophobia Phagophobia is a psychogenic dysphagia, a fear of swallowing. It is expressed in various swallowing complaints without any apparent physical reason detectable by physical inspection and laboratory analyses. An obsolete term for this condition is choking phobia, but it was suggested that the latter term is confusing and it is necessary to distinguish the fear of swallowing (i.e., of the propulsion of bolus) from fear of choking. Phagophobia is classified as a specific phobia and according to DSM-IV classification it belongs to"
"writer Thierry Baudet, which he describes in his book, ""Oikophobia: The fear of home"". Oikophobia In psychiatry, oikophobia (synonymous with domatophobia and ecophobia) is an aversion to home surroundings. It can also be used more generally to mean an abnormal fear (a phobia) of the home, or of the contents of a house (""fear of household appliances, equipment, bathtubs, household chemicals, and other common objects in the home""). The term derives from the Greek words ""oikos"", meaning household, house, or family, and ""phobia"", meaning ""fear"". In 1808 the poet and essayist Robert Southey used the word to describe a desire"
"Fear of fish Fear of fish or ichthyophobia ranges from cultural phenomena such as fear of eating fish, fear of touching raw fish, or fear of dead fish, up to irrational fear (specific phobia). Galeophobia is the fear specifically of sharks. Ichthyophobia is described in ""Psychology: An International Perspective"" as an ""unusual"" specific phobia. Both symptoms and remedies of ichthyophobia are common to most specific phobias. John B. Watson, a renowned name in behaviorism, describes an example, quoted in many books in psychology, of conditioned fear of a goldfish in an infant and a way of unconditioning of the fear"