This phobia list is designed to help you quickly understand certain terms used on the Fear of Stuff website. We will continue to add new terms as needed. We also provide links to more complete discussions of phobias and anxiety medications that anyone interested in knowing more about phobias may find enlightening.
Acrophobia: This term is used to describe someone who has an unnatural and often irrational fear of heights. This can limit the activities these individuals will participate in.
Aerophobia: Those who have this phobia experience profound fear of flying which may even disrupt their ability to work if air travel is involved.
Agoraphobia: A phobia that results in the fear of going outside or public spaces. This phobia routinely causes panic attacks when there is the perception that there is no control over a situation.
Ailurophobia: Individuals who have the fear of cats can experience sever panic attacks at the sight of a cat. Like most phobias the fear is generally a learned response and can be overcome.
Alprazolam: See: Xanax
Apiphoia: The fear of bees is a phobia that can be debilitating. Those who fear may be responding out a perceived idea that the sting of a bee may kill them. Most will seek to avoid bees. Symptoms may include elevated heart rates and crying at the sight of a bee.
Aquaphobia: A profound and personal fear of water. This fear encompasses drowning. Many who express this fear may find water in a lake, river or drinking glass a personal threat to their safety and will avoid at all reasonable cost.
Arachnophobia: A phobia designating an individual who lives with a profound fear of spiders resulting in pronounced feelings of dread and a sense of control loss.
Astraphobia: A fear of lightening that can be debilitating. Those who have this fear routinely consider the power of a lightening bolt to be a potential end of life event.
Atelophobia: A persistent fear of imperfection. This can be imperfection in others or in the one who fears imperfection. This fear may be the result of a a past where imperfection was not allowed and a negative voice was persistent.
Athophobia: An unnatural fear of flowers. This fear may have its root in the symbolism associated with some flowers or it may be associated with a fear of bees that may be hiding within the blossoms.
Ativan: A drug used in the treatment of fear-based anxiety in patients.
Bacteriophobia: The phobic response to bacteria. Only some bacteria are harmful to humans, but the fear of bacteria can cause individuals to go to extraordinary lengths to stay away from bacteria.
Belonephobia: A persistent fear of both needles and injections. Virtually any pointed object is a point of fear for those who suffer from this phobia.
BuSpar: A drug offered for the short-term relief of anxiety and depression.
Buspirone: See: BuSpar
Caligynephobia: An unnatural fear of women considered beautiful by the one who fears them. This fear often stems from low self-esteem and a lack of feeling worthy to be in the presence of beautiful women.
Chaetophobia: An overriding fear of hair. The fear often stems from the belief that the hair is dirty or a negative byproduct produced by their bodies.
Chionophobia: A heightened fear of snow. The panic may be expressed in falling, sinking or a lose of personal control while interacting with snow.
Chiraptophobia: A burdening fear of being touched by another human. This fear can extend to other types of touch coming into contact with inanimate objects.
Chorophobia: A very real and persistent fear of dancing. The fear is not limited to one particular style of dance. In this phobia all dance is avoided and feared.
Chremnophobia: An unnatural fear of wealth and becoming wealthy. This often stems from the fear that wealth might actual serve to ruin an individual’s life.
Claustrophobia: An elevated fear of small small spaces. The fear of confinement causes anxiety and panic among those who express this fear and they will avoid circumstances where they feel trapped.
Clautophobia: A fear of elevators that may actually have an originating fear in confined or small spaces.
Coulrophobia: This phobia is expressed in individuals who fear of clowns. This is a more intense reaction than simply disliking clowns and can result in nightmares and avoidance of any event featuring a clown.
Cynophobia: A fear of dogs that may have its roots in the primal fear of wild animals. Individuals expressing this fear will not own a dog and often will not agree to visit with anyone who has a canine.
Decidophobia: An overpowering fear of making decisions. This may be caused by radical indecision or the fear that the individual needing to make a decision will make one that leaves them in a difficult position. The root of this fear often lies in a lack of personal confidence.
Diazepam: See: Valium
Didaskaleinophobia: A chronic fear of going to school. The fear may be rooted in a fear of other people, tests or speaking around large groups.
Doraphobia: A prevalent fear of fur. This may be due to considering the animal that once was covered in the fur. The phobic individual may be responding with a sense of anger to the death of an animal or may even feel that the animal may haunt them.
Effexor XR: A drug primarily used to treat depression, but has also been effective at treating phobic responses in some patients.
Entomophobia: An unnatural fear of bugs or insects. Those who experience this fear are most likely to spend lqrge sums of money eradicating the potential of bugs in their ‘safe’ environment.
Equinophobia: A dominating fear of horses. Sufferers generally have links to a childhood experience that in adulthood does not allow them to be comfortable around horses or stables. Panic is common upon the approach of a horse.
Escalaphobia: A phobia expressed in the fear of escalators. Individuals who have this fear will generally have more fear going down an escalator than going up.
Escitalopram: See: Lexapro
Fear of Alcohol: See: Potophobia
Fear of Bacteria: See: Bacteriophobia
Fear of Beautiful Women: See: Caligynephobia
Fear of Bees: See: Apiphobia
Fear of Being Choked: See: Pnigerophobia
Fear of Being Touched: See: Chiraptophobia
Fear of Birds: See: Ornithophobia
Fear of Blood: See: Hemophobia
Fear of Bridges: See: Gephyrophobia
Fear of Bugs: See: Entomophobia
Fear of Bulls: See: Taurophobia
Fear of Cats: See: Ailurophobia
Fear of Children: See: Pedophoibia
Fear of Clowns: See: Coulrophobia
Fear of Cockroaches: See: Katsaridaphobia
Fear of Dancing: See: Chorophobia
Fear of Darkness: See: Nyctophobia
Fear of Death: See: Thantophobia
Fear of Dentists: See: Odontophobia
Fear of Dogs: See: Cynophobia
Fear of Driving: A fear of driving, a task that those who suffer with this phobia consider a loss of personal control. For many there is the belief that too many things could go wrong and injury or death could be the result.
Fear of Drowning: See: Aquaphobia
Fear of Earthquakes: See: Seismophobia
Fear of Elevators: See: Clautophobia
Fear of Embarrassment: A social phobia that results in the individual experiencing the fear to do everything possible to avoid being embarrassed. Often this means declining involvement in social situations.
Fear of Escalators: See: Escalaphobia
Fear of Flowers: See: Athophobia
Fear of Flying: See: Aerophobia
Fear of Foreign Languages: See: Xenoglossophobia
Fear of Fur: See: Doraphobia
Fear of Gaining Weight: See: Obesophobia
Fear of Germs: See: Mysophobia
Fear of Getting Old/Old People: See: Gerontophobia
Fear of Getting Wrinkles: See: Rhytiphobia
Fear of Going Outside: See: Agoraphobia
Fear of Going to School: See: Didaskaleinophobia
Fear of Going to Sleep: See: Sonophobia
Fear of Hair: See: Chaetophobia
Fear of Halloween: See: Samhainophobia
Fear of Heaven: See: Ouranophobia
Fear of Heights: See: Acrophobia
Fear of Hell: See: Hadephobia
Fear of Horses: See: Equinophobia
Fear of Hospitals: See: Nosocomephobia
Fear of Imperfection: See: Atelophobia
Fear of Job Loss: A fear related to the prospect of unemployment. Those who have this fear may feel as if they must do anything possible to keep their job – even if the job is not actually in jeopardy.
Fear of Ketchup: A fear that may actual have its roots in the fear of blood. The color of ketchup combined with the fear that life is in the blood can find some reacting to this condiment in the same way they might to a medically traumatic event.
Fear of Lightening: See: Astraphobia
Fear of Losing: A fear that urges a win-at-all-costs mentality. It is not simply that the individual wants to win – they feel they risk severe repercussions if they lose.
Fear of Losing Control: A fear that may be linked to the fear of embarrassment. This fear is profound in that panic is generally expressed when we want control of a negative situation. In essence this is a fear of fearful situations and the role panic will play in behavior.
Fear of Making Decisions: See: Decidophobia
Fear of Moths: See: Mottephobia
Fear of Needles (Injections): See: Belonophobia
Fear of Public Speaking: See: Glossophobia
Fear of Puppets: See: Pupaphobia
Fear of Rejection: This fear often means the individual living with the fear will go to unnatural lengths to find acceptance.
Fear of Sharks: See: Galeophobia
Fear of Small Spaces: See: Claustrophobia
Fear of Snakes: See: Ophidiophobia
Fear of Snow: See: Chionophobia
Fear of Speed: See: Tachophobia
Fear of Spiders: See: Arachnophobia
Fear of the Figure Eight: See: Octophobia
Fear of the Number 13: See: Triskaidekaphobia
Fear of Taking Tests: See: Testophobia
Fear of Technology: See: Technophobia
Fear of Tornadoes and Hurricanes: See: Lilapsophobia
Fear of Trains: See: Siderodromophobia
Fear of the Color Black: See: Melanophobia
Fear of Wealth: See: Chremnophobia
Fear of Windows: A persistent fear of windows. This might be expressed in a fear of falling through a window, being watched through a window or a lack of privacy issue.
Fear of Witches: See: Wiccaphobia
Fear of Worms: See: Scoleciphobia
Fluoxetine: See: Prozac
Fluvoxamine: See: Luvox
Galeophobia: The real and persistent fear of sharks. This fear is often a learned response and may have its base in news reports and movies as the primary fear stimulis.
Gephyrophobia: An abnormal fear of crossing bridges. This phobia draws on both a fear of heights and a fear of small spaces. Crossing a bridge always beings about feeling of control loss and intimidation.
Gerontophobia: An unnatural fear of getting old. Secondarily this fear may express itself in a fear of individuals who are advanced in years. Feelings of control loss and acute anxiety are common with this fear.
Glossophobia: This term is used to describe someone who has a fear of public speaking. This can be punctuated with anxiety strong enough to induce fainting or even the perception of a heart attack when forced to address a group in a public setting.
Hadephobia: A pronounced fear of hell and the possibility of going there. This may be the result of spiritual education or watching movies. This fear often coexists with numerous other fears – especially the fear of death.
Hemophobia: A profound fear of the sight of blood or blood loss. The anxiety effects of this fear can be seen in individuals who simply see a photo of blood or who fixate on blood loss in their thinking.
Katsaridaphobia: A reactionary fear of cockroaches. This phobia is present even in individuals who intellectually understand the insect cannot hurt them and is much smaller than they are.
Lexapro: A serotonin inspired drug that improves the sense of well being in those who struggle with depression and anxiety.
Lilapsophobia: A persistent fear of tornadoes and hurricanes. The predominant feeling is a loss of personal control over a weather related scenario.
Lorazepam: See: Ativan
Luvox: A prescribed drug that manages symptoms of anxiety along with obsessive/compulsive disorders.
Melanophobia: A morbid fear of the color black. This can be an extension of the fear of the dark or even small spaces. For those who fear black there is often an association with all things evil.
Mottephobia: A heightened fear of moths. For many the fear began following a close encounter with a moth in which the noise of the wings signaled an unwanted attack.
Mysophobia: An individual who gives more power to the strength of germs than most others will. They believe that the fear of germs is a way to extend their life. Those who suffer from this are often generically referred to as germophobes.
Nosocomephobia: A fear of hospitals in which the sufferer often lives with debilitating physical injuries rather than seeking help from a physician within a hospital.
Nyctophobia: A prevalent fear of darkness. Some respond to this fear by staying indoors at night and leaving their lights on. Panic attacks are common among those who must endure darkness.
Obesophobia: An ingrained fear of gaining weight. This may be a fear based in seeking to avoid weight gain experienced by other family members or a perception issue even when weight is not a problem for the one who fears. It often leads to eating disorders.
Octophobia: A fear of the figure eight. This represents an intertwining loop in which escape is not possible. It is also one of several numerical fears.
Odontophobia: An unnatural fear of teeth and by extension, dentists. This fear may center on perceived pain associated with dental work or the fear of teeth with respect to their use in injuring humans by animals.
Ophidiophobia: The fear of snakes is a fear that draws on a the sense of a loss of control. Individuals may stumble across snakes almost anywhere and at any time. This fear often means that those who live with it often refrain from outdoor activity during times when a snake may be present.
Ornithophobia: A profound fear of birds generally centering on the conviction that birds will attack the one who fears. This phobia is generally addressed by avoidance of outdoor activity where birds would be present.
Ouranophobia: The unreasoning fear of heaven. This fear is generally associated with the fear of death and what may lie beyond that moment.
Paroxetine: See Paxil CR
Paxil CR: An antidepressant used to reduce anxiety in those who express strong phobias.
Pedophobia: A profound fear of children. While children do not generally pose a risk to adults their presence can trigger a phobic response in some.
Pnigerophobia: This phobia is the fear of being choked and is marked by the resistance of being placed in situations where there may be a loss of personal control over circumstances.
Potophobia: A fear of alcoholic drink that is noticed by others. The fear may have its roots in a traumatic circumstance from the past, but the fear often leads to panic and irrational behavior.
Prozac: An anxiety medication that works to balance chemicals in the brain to achieve relief from symptoms of anxiety.
Pupaphobia: Anxiety based on the fear of puppets. This may stem from the belief that this inanimate object may come to life expressing evil intentions. While rationally the phobic understands this is impossible they still fear.
Rhytiphobia: An anxiety based phobia stemming from the fear of wrinkles. This may have a fear origin in getting old or a fear of blemishes, but those who live with this fear will often undergo multiple procedures to avoid wrinkles.
Samhainophobia: The intense fear of Halloween. The costumes and atmosphere of this holiday cause many to consider an evil has been unleashed and they experience a strong sense of panic and anxiety on October 31stand the days leading up to this date.
Scoleciphobia: An anxiety response when an individual is in the presence of worms. This fear of worms can lead to a fear of being overtaken by parasitic worms.
Seismophobia: A profound fear of earthquakes. This fear stems from the magnitude of a seismic event and the inability to prepare for an event that usually has no warning.
Siderodromophobia: A persistent fear of railroads and riding a train.
Sonophobia: A fear of going to sleep that is often tied to the fear of death or a fear of the dark. Like many phobias this one can be linked to other preexisting phobic conditions.
Tachophobia: An unnatural fear of speed. This fear is directly linked to the general fear of losing control and quite probably the fear of death.
Taurophobia: The active and persistent fear of bulls. The fear often stems from the menacing nature of bulls along with images seen of the animals hurting other humans in either bullfights or rodeos.
Technophobia: This is a profound fear of technology. This fear often originates from a lack of understanding about technology, but it can also result from a feeling that technology may become more powerful and invasive than humanity in general.
Testophobia: A fear of tests that often results in panic attacks. Those who live with this fear feel powerless to confront their fear when tests inevitably come whether those tests are part of a school curriculum or as part of job training.
Thantophobia: An often debilitating fear of death. This fear has a major influence on the development of other fears when the one suffering from this phobia comes to believe other objects they encounter could lead to death.
Triskaidekaphobia: A number phobia expressed in a fear of the number 13. The number has long been thought of as unlucky or even evil. This phobia may be debilitating to individuals who will not schedule anything on the 13th of any month and may be even more fearful if the 13th falls on a Friday.
Valium: An anxiety reduction medication that routinely provides a calming influence while managing to reduce phobic reactions.
Venlafaxine Hydrochloride: See: Effexor XR
Wiccaphobia: The fear of witches. This fear is often developed because witches tend to be associated with evil intent, desire and answer to satan.
Xanax: A pharmaceutical drug that manages symptoms of anxiety panic and depression.
Xenoglossophobia: The pronounced fear of foreign languages. This fear may be tied to racism or it could be linked to a pronounced fear that an individual speaking another language may be saying something negative about the one expressing the fear. Many who have this fear avoid situations where there may be others who do not speak their native language.
