Pick a Phobia From The Phobia List

The Phobia List is an on line listing of phobias compiled by Fredd Culbertson. The list, which Mr. Culbertson explains started as a lark, is a fascinating compilation of phobias.

Phobia Names and Definitions

Although the list contains only the names and definitions of phobias, it is quite extensive. The site also lists links to places to find help with phobias.

Alphabetically listed, the phobias range from the amusingly outdated to the common ones that we have all heard of.

Slightly Outdated

It is hard to imagine anyone suffering from Bolshephobia (the fear of Bolsheviks) in this day and age, but it is interesting to know that a name for the condition exists. I did not notice a listing for fear of Communists or Communism in general.

Discovering Tuberculophobia, the fear of tuberculosis, brought back warm memories for me because one of my favorite episodes of Sanford & Son was the one where the old man thought he had T.B.

Phobia or Survival Instinct?

Some phobias listed are so common that to think of them as phobias seems extreme. Fear of darkness, for example, is not an unusual or entirely irrational fear. Humans possess a will to survive and being able to see clearly (which we cannot always do in the dark) improves the odds of our survival. It is the intensity of the fear that qualifies it as a phobia.

So what is the fear of darkness called, anyway? It appears to have several different names. Scotophobia (along with Achluophobia) is listed as the fear of darkness while the fear of the dark or of night is Nyctophobia.

Vampires?

Reading over the list of phobias is both entertaining and educational. For instance, you probably did not know that there are people who are afraid of garlic. Whether these people are also vampires, the list does not say. In any case, those suffering from this fear are said to be Alliumphobic.

Fear of Opinions

Here is one that I am sure we can all recognize in someone we have met: Allodoxaphobia is the fear of opinions.

My Phobia

I found one that I definitely suffer from. Well, at least one, but this is the only one I am admitting to. Apparently I have Dentophobia. Dentophobia, in case you cannot tell from the name, is the fear of dentists.

I do not actually fear my dentist as he is a very pleasant individual. I just fear the things he does to my mouth. So maybe Odontophobia, the fear of teeth or dental surgery, would be a more accurate diagnosis.

If You're Not Scared Yet

If you have some time to kill and would like to diagnose yourself or someone you know with one of many phobias, go check out Fredd Culbertson's Phobia List. Unless you are scared of phobias. Yes, there's a name for that: Phobophobia.