Phobias List

There are over 500 phobias that can be documented and they are listed on the phobia list, a website that is concerned with listing the names of the various phobias. Rather than an exhaustive alphabetical list, such as that list, I have organized the current phobia list into three sections: common phobias, interesting or weird phobias, and specific phobias.

The first part will discuss the most common phobias, and will include all the phobias that can be found listed or discussed in the most current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association.

The second section includes some interesting, entertaining, funny or weird phobias. While not as common as this first list, a phobia on this list is selected because the name or fear is entertaining, but typically it is not rare.

The final list includes a more thorough list of some of the remaining specific phobias, but it is by no means as exhaustive as the above link, while (hopefully) organized more meaningfully.

Agoraphobia

One of the most troubling phobias commonly noted is Agoraphobia. This disorder, noted in the psychiatric manual DSM-IV as one type of Panic Disorder, it typically manifests with panic attacks or hyperventilation. In the new DSM-V this phobia has been recognized as a disorder in its own right, and can be noted as occurring with or without panic attacks.

Agoraphobia is a fear of being out in the open, or in a situation in which exit or escape might be difficult or very embarrassing. This phobia is one of the most common phobias, and more than 2% of adults are likely to experience it during their lifetime. It is especially debilitating when the patient often becomes home-bound and is unable to leave to work or do basic chores.

Social Phobia

The second most prevalent phobia, Social Phobia has a diagnosis in the diagnostic system. It is characterized by fear of being rejected or scrutinized socially, involving situations like parties, social events, public speaking, or social eating.

More debilitating than mere shyness or self-consciousness, social phobia often emerges during early adolescence or even in childhood, and can be a frequent cause of school avoidance. In children it can manifest as a refusal to speak. Over 50 million Americans are reported to have Social Phobia.

Specific Phobias

The Diagnoses of Specific Phobias are lumped together in the DSM-5, and they will be discussed below in the list of specific phobias. When they become intensely distressing and "out of proportion" to the target of the fear or anxiety, they may be diagnosed.

In the DSM the specific phobias relate to animals ( cats, snakes), situations (flying, tunnels), natural environment (heights, tornadoes), blood-injection-injury (needles, operations, and a looser category of "other" phobias.

Phobias by their very nature are weird, but some weird phobias stand out as being funny, unusual, or interesting so several are listed here.

Phobias of Weird Things to Cause Fear or Anxiety

If you are afraid of clocks you have Chronomentrophobia. Don't try to use this to skip your homework, but fear of books is Bibliophobia. Pogonophobia is a fear of beards, and if bald people scare you inordinately, then you have Peladophobia. Belly button phobia is known as Omphalophobia.

Fear of clowns is Coulrophobia, while corpses (whether or not they are clowns) is Necrophobia. Fear of dolls is Pediaphobia. Although fear of Chucky wouldn't be unusual, fear of puppets is Pupaphobia. A related weird phobia - fear of a ventriloquist's dummy - is a more specific phobia: Automatonophobia. An unusual fear of garlic (assuming you are not a vampire) is Alliumphobia, while phobias of crosses are Staurophobias. Tombstones can give some people Placophobia.

Panphobia is a fear of everything, while a phobia of many things ( a little less pervasive) is Polyphobia. Fear of large things can be termed Megalophobia. Fear of phobias is Phobophobia. Phobias of razors are Xyrophobias, and if you are afraid of your shadow (or anyone else's) you probably have Sciophobia.

Fear of mirriors is Cataptrophobia, and a weird phobia or fear of money is Chrometrophobia. More than the usual fear of your mother-in-law is called Pentheraphobia, and you can count on the fact that Arithmophobia is phobia of numbers.

Weird Phobias About Things that You Do, Have, or Can Happen

Fear of new things is Neophobia. Unreasonable fear of dancing is Chorphobia, but if you fear being criticized (about dancing or anything else) your phobia is Enissophobia. Fear of being ignored - Lady Gaga? - is Athazagoraphobia, while fear of imperfection is known as Atelophobia. Fear of kissing is a phobia called Philematophobia. Fear of falling in love is Philophobia.

Inatrophobia is fear of going to the doctor, while a similar fear of dentists Dentophobia. Fear of dying (whether or not due to a doctor) is Thanatophobia. A phobia about constipation is Coprastasophobia. Fear of itching may make you Acarophobic.

A phobia of being poor or impoverished is Peniaphobia, and a phobia of law suits is Liticaphobia. A fear of getting dirty is Automysophobia.

The following list of phobias in not exhaustive, but covers many of the kinds of specific phobia that the DSM-5 woould consider specific phobias, and it is organized by the categories that the DSM-5 manual proposes.

Animal Phobias

If you are phobic of animals in general you could be considered as having Zoophobia. Fear of bats is Chiroptophobia, while bees is either Melissophobia or Apiphobia. Ornithophobia is an unrealistic fear of birds, While fear of bulls is Taurophobia. Unrealistic fears of dogs - or rabies - are known as Cynophobia. Fear of fish when irrational is Ichthyophobia. A horse phobia is either Hippophobia, or Equinophobia. When insects inspire dread it is called Acaraphobia or Entomophobia. Fear of taods is Bufonophobia, and termites is Isopterophobia.

Fear of mice is Suriphobia or Murophobia, while fear of rats is called Zemmiphobia. Mottephobia is fear of moths. Fear of otters ought to be called by its phobia name, Lutraphobia, while fear of wolves is Lupaphobia. Fear of sharks is Selachophobia, while snake phobia is Ophidophobia. The common phobia about spiders is Arachniphobia, a phobia that has the distinction of being featured in a movie.

Natural Environment Phobias

A Phobia about Comets is called Cometophobia. While fear of dust is Amathophobia, the fear of dirt or filth is called Thypophobia. Pyrophobia is a fear of fire. The fear of flooding is Antlophobia. A fear of flying is either Aviatophobia or Pteromerhanophobia. Brontophobia is fear of lightning and thunder. A phobia of dampness is Hygrophobia. Storm terrors is Brontophobia. Fear of tornados can be called Lilapsophobia.

Situational Phobias

A fear of accidents is Dystychiphobia. Phobias about crossing bridges are known as Gephyrophobia. Fear of being buried alive is Taphephobia or Taphophobia. If riding in a car or vehicle freaks you out, you may have Amaxophobia. the well known phobia of confined spaces, is Claustrophobia.

When you are afraid of heights you likely have Acrophobia, also called Altophobia and Hyposophobia. Fear of precipices is called cremniphobia. When rain leaves you ina puddle of sweat, you have Pluviophobia or Ombrophobia, while fear of running water is Potamophobia (also used for fear of rivers). Fear of crossing streets is Dromophobia.

Blood Injection Injury Related Phobias

Fear of blood is Hemaphobia. A phobia of menstruation is referred to as Menophohobia. Fear of needles is Belonephobia, also known as Aichmophobia. There is no such thing as an unrealistic fear of surgery, unless you are the doctor. but they do have a name for it and that is Tomophobia. Amychophobia is a fear of being scratched.

Photo credit claustrophobia by danisabella, clown by Gary Knight, fear of heights by Christopher Thompson, and Needle phobia injection by Yuya Tamai.