Phobias: Mycophobia

There are literally thousands of phobias that are recognized by the psychiatric community, one such phobia is mycophobia. Mycophobia is the fear of mushrooms. This phobia, like others, is the irrational fear of an inanimate object. This phobia can take over a persons life and affect them emotionally, mentally, socially and can even disrupt their ability to work if left untreated and if severe enough.
What Causes Mycophobia

Most all phobias are believed to be rooted in childhood and in early adult years. Researchers believe something happened in the persons early life that has caused them to have phobias later on in life. One woman with mycophobia reported her fear of mushrooms developed over years of hearing her parents reprimand her about being close to mushrooms. The parents would tell her that the mushrooms were dangerous and poisonous. This stuck with the woman and she battled mycophobia to this day.

Symptoms of the Fear of Mushrooms

Depending on the severity of mychophobia some people may experience panic attacks when being near a mushroom, seeing a picture of a mushroom, or even thinking about a mushroom. The less severe symptoms include sweaty body, sweaty hands, upset stomach, nervousness, and possibly getting shakey or faint.

Treatment for Mycophobia

Paxil, Effexor, and Zoloft have all been approved by the FDA to help treat phobias. These medications help the patient to deal with anxiety and depression associated with their fear of mushrooms. Most psychologists believe that the fear of mushrooms can effectively be treated with simple talk therapy if the condition is not entirely severe in nature. Betablockers are also used to treat mycophobia because they block the adrenaline that is given off when the person becomes frightened if seeing or thinking about mushrooms. Such benzodiazipiems such as Xanax can also be used but care needs to be taken when using these drugs as they are addictive in nature.

The fear of mushrooms may seem a bit silly to someone who doesn't have the fear, but for those that do it is very serious and can even disrupt the emotional, mental, and social aspects of a persons life. It is believed that the root cause is seated somewhere in childhood but again the true cause is still unknown or is at least individually specific to each person. Knowing more about the phobia will help you or a loved one who is afflicted with the fear of mushrooms overcome it much faster with the help of a mental health professional.




Sources:
http://www.brighthub.com/mental-health/anxiety-panic/articles/109590.aspx
beta blockers
http://www.brighthub.com/mental-health/anxiety-panic/articles/88356.aspx
Phobias: Causes
http://allpsych.com/journal/phobias.html
Symptoms of Mycophobia
http://www.changethatsrightnow.com/phobia-list-and-definitions/mycophobia/
Mushroom Image by Chromatoast
Image credit/morguefile.com/Chromatoast