I want to show you some of the most common phobias in the world, so sit back and prepare to be equally terrified, astonished, shocked, and entertained.
For those who suffer from it, a phobia can seem unbearable or even life threatening, while for others it can be fascinating.
Index
Some of the most common phobias in the world are:
Trypophobia – Fear of holes
Biological repulsion and culturally learned fears are the main causes of trypophobia , which is the extreme and irrational fear of holes.
While this fear may seem irrational to ” normal ” people, the mere sight or thought of holes can trigger a panic attack in the Trypophobe.
As a result, the individual avoids objects such as corals, sponges, skin, meat, dry combs, and almost anything that has holes in it. Holes seem unpleasant and disgusting to the sufferer and do everything possible to avoid them.
Aerophobia – Fear of flying
The Aerofobia is the fear of flying that affects nearly 6.5% of the world population.
The phobia is often associated with other fears, such as agoraphobia (fear of not being able to escape) and claustrophobia (fear of small and restricted spaces).
Naturally, fear affects the professional and personal life of the person, since traveling by plane is almost impossible for them.
The mere idea of an upcoming flight can cause intense distress for the patient, including nausea, panic attacks, etc.
Myophobia – Fear of germs
The mysophobia is the excessive fear of germs that often is closely related to obsessive – compulsive disorder (OCD). Many people suffer from both OCD and misophobia, as a result of which they can bathe or wash their hands excessively.
The unhealthy fear of germs makes phobics also fear food contamination or exposure to bodily fluids from those around them.
Misophobia can lead to many complications, as the person does everything possible to avoid all kinds of social situations.
Isolation is a common symptom of this phobia. The condition can also lead to other phobias such as agoraphobia, as well as various anxiety disorders.
Claustrophobia – Fear of small spaces
Almost 5 to 7% of the world’s population suffers from Claustrophobia – the fear of small or restricted spaces.
This phobia is mainly related to the fear of suffocation or the fear of restriction. The phobia has been widely studied by experts and scientists, although the sad fact is that only 2% of its patients seek treatment.
Claustrophobia is often confused with cleithrophobia, which is the extreme fear of getting trapped.
Astraphobia – Fear of thunder and lightning
Fear of storms and what accompanies them is called Astraphobia. Tormenting is a common occurrence in many parts of the world, and for an astraphobic individual, it can be downright debilitating.
Most of the people who suffer from astraphobia are children, although the phobia can also persist into adulthood. Even the fiercest and most savage animals have an extreme fear of thunder and lightning, and hiding is the natural psychological defense.
Astraphobia, also called brontophobia, is known to affect almost 2% of Europeans.
Fortunately, it is a highly treatable phobia.
Cinophobia – Fear of dogs
The cynophobia , extreme fear of dogs, is one of the most common phobias animals worldwide. About 36% of sufferers seek treatment for kinophobia and most of them also know that they are afraid of cats.
Extreme fear of dogs is actually even more debilitating than fear of spiders and fear of snakes due to the fact that dogs are commonly present in most residential areas.
Almost 75% of cymphobes are women, although fear affects men as well.
The condition usually begins in childhood, but many patients are also known to have developed fear in adulthood.
Agoraphobia – Fear of open or crowded spaces
Nearly 2 in 100 Americans suffer from agoraphobia , the fear of open or crowded spaces. This is a debilitating condition that prevents phobics from visiting shopping malls, markets, theaters, and other busy areas, as well as open land.
The individual feels intense panic at the mere thought or sight of such a space (that he / she feels it will be difficult to escape from him / her).
Agoraphobia becomes a vicious cycle in which the patient feels afraid of experiencing a panic attack and these thoughts lead to a panic attack again. Limiting activities and avoidance behavior becomes part of the phobic’s life.
Depression is, therefore, a common symptom of this phobia.
Acrophobia – Fear of heights
The acrophobia is an irrational fear of heights or fear of falling (even when the person is not really that high).
It is a specific phobia that causes sufferers to be very agitated or in a state of panic that could interfere with their ability to go down.
In severe cases of Acrophobia, a panic attack can be triggered even when the person suffering from it is getting on or off a chair.
Almost 10% of people in the United States are known to suffer from Acrophobia.
Ophidiophobia – Fear of snakes
Fear of snakes or ophidiophobia is the second most common zoophobia affecting almost 1/3 of the adult human population. Like the phobia mentioned below, the fear of snakes also has evolutionary roots.
To some extent, the fear of poisonous snakes is also essential for survival.
Extreme ophidiophobia can affect a person’s life as they tend to avoid hiking, camping, and other related activities, or they may even become afraid of snakes from the pet store.
The Herpetophobia is similar to reptiles and amphibians phobia.
Arachnophobia – Fear of spiders
Almost a third of the population suffering from arachnophobia (excessive fear of spiders or other arachnids such as scorpions) live in the United States alone. It is one of the most common animal phobias in the world.
The cause of the phobia is often evolutionary, which means that some species of spiders are deadly and that it is a natural human response to survive.
Arachnophobes, however, tend to go to great lengths to ensure that their environment is free of spiders, which often causes them great embarrassment, something that most phobics try very hard to avoid.
Glossophobia and fear of public speaking
The glossophobia is one of the most common and fears known to have to speak in public, not to be confused with being shy or introverted, but occurs before an audience and very specific circumstances of a speech.
Far from the suspicion that social phobia triggers , this disorder prevents and terrifies the person, since it is not a problem of wanting or not to relate socially, but rather adheres to the aspect of presenting orally before an audience.
Hematophobia – Blood Panic
the hematofobia blocks to the individual in the presence or even everything about seeing blood (syringes, hospitals, accidents, etc.), bringing more to the hematofóbico to a feeling of great discomfort, rather than fear and typical blocking phobias.
Belonephobia (Tripanophobia)
The balenofobia is a problem that affects people who can not see needles or sharp or pointed objects, whether small as pins or larger as knives.
This phobia is related to others such as measuring blood or suffering injuries (known as trauma).
Dermatopathophobia and Obsession for the skin
People with dermatophobia are obsessed with contracting diseases of the dermis (skin), constantly inspecting themselves for signs of infection or disease.
It is one of the disorders related to trypophobia and hematophobia, although the latter are more suspicious than obsessive.
conclusion
They are some of the best known, although the number of disorders related to this type of fear is high and, for the majority of the population, completely unknown.
You can also know some of the rarest phobias in the world
Alexa Clark specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She has experience in listening and welcoming in Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy. It meets demands such as generalized anxiety, professional, love and family conflicts, stress, depression, sexual dysfunction, grief, and adolescents from 15 years of age. Over the years, She felt the need to conduct the psychotherapy sessions with subtlety since She understands that the psychologist acts as a facilitator of self-understanding and self-acceptance, valuing each person's respect, uniqueness, and acceptance.