What are Phobias?

A phobia is described as an uncontrollable, irrational, unrealistic and persistent fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. We've all heard of common phobias such as agoraphobia - Fear of open spaces, of being in crowded, public places, of leaving a safe place, and claustrophobia- Fear of confined spaces. Phobias are classified as anxiety disorders.

After searching the internet, I found that in addition to common phobias, there are many unusual ones. This is a list of the more unusual of these phobias from "a" to "z", and there are still others that are not included.

Ablutophobia- Fear of washing or bathing.
Agrizoophobia- Fear of wild animals
Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens.
Alliumphobia- Fear of opinions or beliefs
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
Bogyphobia- Fear of bogeys or the bogeyman.
Bufonophobia- Fear of toads.
Bibliophobia- Fear of books.
Blennophobia- Fear of slime.
Carnophobia- Fear of meat.
Catoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors, especially big ones.
Chaetophobia- Fear of hair.
Chionophobia- Fear of snow.
Consecotaleophobia- Fear of chopsticks.
Dendrophobia- Fear of trees.
Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body.
Dinophobia- Fear of dizziness or whirlpools.
Doraphobia- Fear of fur or skins of animals.
Eosophobia- Fear of dawn or daylight.
Ereuthrophobia- Fear of blushing.
Febriphobia - Fear of fever.
Frigophobia- Fear of cold or cold things.
Geniophobia- Fear of chins.
Genuphobia- Fear of knees.
Graphophobia- Fear of writing or handwriting.
Helminthophobia- Fear of being infested with worms.
Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia- Fear of the number 666.
Hodophobia- Fear of road travel.
Ichthyophobia- Fear of fish.
Isopterophobia- Fear of termites, insects that eat wood
Judeophobia- Fear of Jews
Kathisophobia- Fear of sitting down.
Kyphophobia- Fear of stooping.
Koniophobia- Fear of dust.
Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables.
Leukophobia- Fear of the color white.
Linonophobia- Fear of string.
Lutraphobia- Fear of otters.
Melanophobia- Fear of the color black.
Myrmecophobia- Fear of ants.
Musophobia or Muriphobia- Fear of mice.
Nephophobia- Fear of clouds.
Numerophobia- Fear of numbers.
Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.
Oenophobia- Fear of wines.
Optophobia- Fear of opening one's eyes.
Ostraconophobia- Fear of shellfish.
Papyrophobia- Fear of paper.
Pentheraphobia- Fear of mother-in-law.
Phobophobia- Fear of phobias.
Pteronophobia- Fear of being tickled by feathers
Rhytiphobia- Fear of getting wrinkles
Rupophobia- Fear of dirt.
Scriptophobia- Fear of writing in public.
Siderophobia- Fear of stars
Spacephobia- Fear of outer space.
Telephonophobia- Fear of telephones.
Textophobia- Fear of certain fabrics.
Uranophobia - Fear of heaven.
Vestiphobia- Fear of clothing.
Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Xerophobia- Fear of dryness.
Y (Didn't find any beginning with the letter Y)
Zoophobia- Fear of animals.

I perused various web-sites, and the following is a synopsis of general information I gleaned pertaining to phobias:
It is reported that between 8.7% and 18.1% of Americans suffer from phobias of one sort or another. It is commonly believed that the cause of phobias is either external events or genetic predisposition. A specific event or traumatic experience can be at the root of many phobias. Often these events happened during childhood.

Phobias are usually classified into three catagories:
Social phobias - fears involving other people or social situations. Such phobias may manifest as performance anxiety, fear of being embarrased by others, or fear of speaking in public.

Specific phobias - fear of a single specific panic trigger such as snakes, dogs, water, insects , germs, flying, etc.

Agoraphobia- a generalized fear of leaving one's "safe place", such as person's home. (one web-site maintains that this is the only phobia regularly treated as a medical condition)

Although many people have rational fears of snakes, dogs, etc., those with phobias take the fears to the extreme, although not of their own will; but because they are powerless to overcome their initial response. Some, however, can simply avoid the fear-producing agent and suffer only mild anxiety.

Phobia names generally contains a Greek word for what the individual fears, followed by the suffix -phobia. Thus, almost anything can be turned into a "phobia."

Phobias are treatable. Usually patients are treated in two ways- with certain types of psychotherepy, and with medication. Sometimes the two treatments are combined, but sometimes one or the other suffices.

My final thought is this: We all probably have phobias to some extent. I can stand at the very edge of the rim of the Grand Canyon, looking down with no anxiety at all, but I cannot go beyond the 4th step on a ladder. I have a terrible fear of driving in the city, and of going alone into a group of people whom I don't know.

What are your phobias??