Some of the Most Common and Uncommon Phobias

With around 13% of U.S. adults suffering from a phobia at some point in their life, phobias are one of the most common mental health disorders. Despite their frequency, many people express feeling foolish for struggling with a phobia. Living in shame only keeps people trapped in their fear, so to help normalize this issue, this article explores some of the most common and uncommon phobias.

What Is a Phobia?

Before exploring different types of phobias, allow me to lay some groundwork first. A phobia is an excessive fear response or aversion to an object or event. People with a phobia experience physical symptoms when encountering the feared object or event, such as sweating, a racing heart, and feeling nauseous or dizzy. Sufferers can also be preoccupied with worry about their phobia.

On the surface, having a phobia may not seem like a big deal. After all, it’s just a little fear, right? In reality, phobias can be incredibly debilitating, leaving many sufferers unable to lead a fulfilling life. Some people are even unable to leave their home because of the intensity of their phobia.

In contrast to the healthy fear we feel when we’re in danger, a phobia occurs when there isn’t actually a threat. Instead, the sufferer’s brain perceives something that’s harmless as being dangerous. It’s sort of like a smoke alarm that blares when there isn’t a fire. The perception of danger is very real, but in reality, the person with the phobia is safe.

What Causes a Phobia?

As with most mental health disorders, research suggests that genetics are partially responsible for phobias. For example, someone with a genetic predisposition to anxiety is at an elevated risk of developing a phobia. Some environmental factors, like living in an anxious family, lend themselves to acquiring a phobia as well.

Additionally, traumatic life events can contribute to having a phobia. For instance, someone who was attacked by a dog may develop cynophobia, the fear of dogs. Phobias can begin at all ages, though they’re most likely to develop during childhood or adolescence.

Now that you have a baseline understanding of phobias, let’s explore some of the most common and uncommon ones.

Claustrophobia

If Christmas Eve strikes fear in your heart because you’re scared of St. Nick getting coming down your chimney, there’s a good chance you struggle with claustrophobia.

Just kidding. Claustrophobia is actually the fear of being trapped in tight, enclosed spaces. People with this phobia may have difficulty riding in elevators, flying in airplanes, or driving through tunnels, making everyday life and travel difficult.

The National Institute of Health suggests that around 12-13% of the population has claustrophobia, making it one of the most common types of phobias. More women than men suffer from claustrophobia.

For most people with claustrophobia, their fear isn’t about the enclosed space in and of itself; instead, it’s about what could happen while in the enclosed space. Common worries are getting stuck and not being able to escape or having an emergency and not being able to access medical care.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia derives its name from the Greek word “agora,” which means “meeting place” or “marketplace.” Appropriately named, agoraphobia is the fear of being in open, public spaces.

Similar to claustrophobia, people with agoraphobia aren’t just afraid of being in public. Rather, they’re afraid of what could happen while they’re in public, like not being able to escape from a large crowd or having a panic attack in public.

Speaking of panic attacks, agoraphobia commonly begins after having a panic attack. Characterized by a racing heart, sweating, nausea, dizziness, and feelings of impending doom, panic attacks are a very unpleasant experience. People with agoraphobia often associate being in public with these symptoms, leading to their fear of leaving home.

The National Institute of Mental Health suggests that agoraphobia affects men and women equally and that approximately 1.3% of adults in the U.S. will experience this phobia at some point in their life.

Trypanophobia

Most people don’t enjoy having their blood drawn, but for someone with trypanophobia, it can feel like a life-threatening experience. Trypanophobia is the fear of needles.

Most people with trypanophobia experience distress before and during medical appointments where a needle is used, leading them to sometimes skip necessary appointments. As you can imagine, trypanophobia can have serious negative impact if it causes people to avoid necessary medical interventions.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, trypanophobia is most common in children, though research suggests that around 1 in 10 adults may struggle with a needle phobia.

Emetophobia

It’s normal to feel squeamish when someone is sick, but if the sound of gagging makes you want to run for cover, there’s a chance you struggle with emetophobia. This phobia is the fear of vomiting.

Some people with emetophobia fear vomiting themselves, while some fear other people vomiting. Lots of emetophobes fear both.

Emetophobia commonly begins in childhood after a traumatic vomiting experience. Additionally, some people with emetophobia grew up in a household where vomiting was treated as a huge ordeal rather than a minor inconvenience, leading them to associate vomiting with high anxiety.

Worries associated with emetophobia are not being able to stop vomiting, not making it to the bathroom in time, or dying from vomiting. In some cases, people with emetophobia may only eat certain foods that feel “safe” or restrict eating altogether in an effort to avoid vomiting.

More women than men struggle with emetophobia, and it appears to be a rare phobia – research suggests that only 0.2% of the population suffers from emetophobia.

Trypophobia

Whenever I write an article, I do some research first to see what topics are currently trending. When I was preparing for this article, a term that kept popping up was “the phobia about holes.” Apparently, trypophobia is gaining recognition, as it was one of the most popular topics I found on Google.

Trypophobia is the strong aversion to patterns of repeated holes. These patterns often occur in nature on objects like honeycomb, strawberries, and lotus seed pods. Many people with trypophobia experience extra distress when this type of pattern occurs on one’s skin, such as with chickenpox or shingles.

Unfortunately, due to the growing recognition of trypophobia, images like this one (click at your own risk) have become increasingly popular on the internet. Clearly, this photo is fake, but could nonetheless exacerbate someone’s trypophobia.

Trypophobia may actually be fairly common, with research suggesting that around one in six people have this phobia.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words (ironic, isn’t it?). This phobia is considered a type of social phobia, as people who suffer from it may worry about encountering a long word in public and not being able to pronounce it correctly, leading to judgment or ridicule. They may also worry that they won’t be able to understand a long word, leading to additional scrutiny.

Because it’s related to reading and performance, hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia can have negative impacts on one’s career and social life. It may also co-occur with other forms of social phobias, such as public speaking or interacting with someone of the opposite sex.

It’s unclear how common hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is, though research suggests that around 12% of adults will experience a social phobia at some point in their lives.

How to Overcome a Phobia

Did you resonate with any of these phobias? If so, take heart – phobias are highly treatable. Therapies like exposure and response prevention and EMDR are highly effective at treating phobias. The most important thing to remember is that the only way to overcome a phobia is to confront it – avoiding it only makes it worse in the long run.

If you’re ready to confront your phobia, feel free to send me a message or schedule a session on my website. You are capable of facing your fears, and we can conquer your phobia together.