10 Uncommon Phobias You Might Not Have Heard Of
Androphobia – Fear of men
Androphobia is the scientific name for fear of males. It comes from andros, the Greek word for man, and "phobia," which means fear or dread. It can lead to atypical behaviours and physical reactions, even though you may not experience fear around a partner or close male family members
Aglophobia – Fear of pain
Aglophobia is a psychological disorder that can be described as a fear of pain. Aglophobia is a sense of fear one feels when coming near or thinking about getting hurt or physical pain in general. It is not necessary that only adults can be afraid, but children are also prone to mental disorders.
Automatonophobia – Fear of human-like figures
Automatonophobia is a fear of human-like figures, such as mannequins, wax figures, statues, dummies, animatronics, or robots. It is a specific phobia, or a fear of something that causes significant and excessive stress and anxiety and can negatively affect a person's quality of life.
Catoptrophobia – Fear of mirrors
Someone with catoptrophobia will have an abnormal and irrational fear of mirrors that results in fear, anxiety, panic and distress if they see a mirror or think about seeing a mirror. Negative thoughts and feelings are likely to be further exacerbated if they see their own reflection in the mirror.
Gynophobia – Fear of women
Gynophobia refers to the fear of women. It is a specific phobia, which is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with gynophobia may experience intense and irrational fear around women or at the thought of them.
Lokiophobia or Tokophobia – Fear of childbirth
Tokophobia is a pathological fear of pregnancy and can lead to avoidance of childbirth. It can be classified as primary or secondary. Primary tokophobia is morbid fear of childbirth in a woman, who has had no previous experience of pregnancy. The dread of childbirth may start in adolescence or early adulthood.
Megalophobia – Fear of large things
Megalophobia is a fear of large objects. It may cause feelings of anxiety and dread or physical symptoms, including shaking, sweating, and shallow breathing, in response to a large object or large open spaces.
Thalassophobia – Fear of the ocean
Thalassophobia refers to a fear of the ocean or other large, deep bodies of water. A person with thalassophobia may be afraid of the vastness or emptiness of the ocean, the sea creatures in the water, or both. Thalassophobia is different from aquaphobia, which is a fear of water itself.
Optophobia – Fear of opening your eyes
Optophobia is the fear of opening one's eyes. It can be caused by bad sights such as seeing someone die. It is hard to treat and can be extremely debilitating, as it is hard for an individual to carry out daily activities without opening their eyes.
Phobophobia – Fear of phobias
Phobophobia is a fear of being afraid. You might be scared of the physical symptoms that come with fear, or feel worried that you could develop a phobia. Many people with phobophobia already have other phobias or mental health disorders.
