How have people many phobias

List of Phobias: Common Phobias From A to Z

Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author and educational consultant focused on helping students learn about psychology.

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

What Is a Phobia?

A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving excessive and persistent fear of a situation or object. Exposure to the source of the fear triggers an immediate anxiety response.

Phobias are one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), approximately 12.5% of adults in the U.S. will deal with a specific phobia in their lifetime. Women are more likely to experience phobias than men. Typical symptoms of phobias can include nausea, trembling, rapid heartbeat, feelings of unreality, and being preoccupied with the fear object.

Types of Phobias

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) identifies three different categories of phobias:

While not comprehensive, this list of phobias offers a glimpse of the many phobias that can have a serious impact on a person’s life. As you may notice while you browse through this list, most specific phobias fall into one of four major categories:

One important thing to remember is that virtually any object can become a fear object. The names of specific phobias are often formed as nonce words, or words coined for a single occasion only.

A–Z List of Some of the More Common Phobias

This article lists some of the most common phobias. It also covers some of the treatment options that are available.

Phobias

Even though millions of people live with them, phobias remain a misunderstood disorder. A specific phobia is, by nature, triggered by a specific object, place, or situation.

Unlike generalized anxiety disorder, people with a specific phobia are not consumed by pervasive worry and fear. However, a phobia can have a very real impact on a person’s daily functioning and quality of life. Get the facts and learn how to cope with your persistent fears.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following phobias are 10 of the most common objects or situations that lead to marked fear and symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and breathlessness: arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), acrophobia (fear of heights), aerophobia (fear of flying), cynophobia (fear of dogs), astraphobia (fear of thunder and lightning), trypanophobia (fear of injections), social phobia, agoraphobia (fear of being alone), mysophobia (fear of germs and dirt).

Phobias are one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Approximately 10% of people in the U.S. have specific phobias, 7.1% experience social phobias, and 0.9% have agoraphobia. It’s possible that these numbers are low since mental disorders are often underreported in the U.S.

Consult with your healthcare provider or trained mental health professional about any fear that seems severe or affects your life. Many phobias can be treated in just a few sessions using a combination of therapy techniques and, possibly, medications.

You may learn coping techniques and strategies, confront the root of your fear or work through a process known as systematic desensitization in which you are gradually exposed to the object of your fear.

Understanding Phobias and Their Possible Causes

Have you ever wondered what causes phobias? Researchers have offered several theories about the factors that may increase the likelihood that a phobia will develop.

What Is a Phobia?

A phobia is an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of an object or situation that poses little real danger but provokes anxiety and avoidance.

Unlike the brief anxiety most people feel when they give a speech or take a test, a phobia is long-lasting, causes intense physical and psychological reactions, and can affect your ability to function normally at work or in social settings.

Several types of phobias exist. Some people fear large, open spaces. Others are unable to tolerate certain social situations. And still, others have a specific phobia, such as a fear of snakes, elevators or flying.

Not all phobias need treatment. But if a phobia affects your daily life, several therapies are available that can help you overcome your fears—often permanently.

Phobias are divided into three main categories:

10 of the Most Common Phobias

Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author and educational consultant focused on helping students learn about psychology.

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Terrified of the creepy-crawlies? Scared of slithering serpents? Well, you’re not alone. According to the American Psychiatric Association, phobias are the most common psychiatric illness among women and the second most common among men.

The National Institute of Mental Health suggests that phobias affect approximately 10% of U.S. adults each year. These phobias typically emerge during childhood or adolescence and continue into adulthood. They also impact twice as many women as they do men.

There are a number of explanations for why phobias develop, including evolutionary and behavioral theories. Whatever the cause, phobias are treatable conditions that can be minimized and even eliminated with cognitive and behavioral therapy techniques and medication.

Press Play for Advice on Facing Your Fears

Hosted by Editor-in-Chief and therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how to face your fears in a healthy way. Click below to listen now.

What Are We Afraid Of?

» data-caption=»» data-expand=»300″ data-tracking-container=»true» />

Illustration by Emily Roberts, Verywell

Phobias are surprisingly common, but what exactly do people fear the most? Are there any phobias that tend to be more common than others?

The following phobias are ten of the most common objects or situations that lead to marked fear and symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and breathlessness. In some cases, these symptoms escalate into a full-blown panic attack.

Social phobia (social anxiety disorder) and agoraphobia are in their own category of anxiety disorders, where the remaining eight phobias are considered «specific phobias,» related to a particular object or situation.

These common phobias typically involve the environment, animals, fears of injections and blood, as well as certain other situations.

Click Play to Learn More About Common Phobias

This video has been medically reviewed by Daniel B. Block, MD.

Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders and other arachnids. The sight of a spider can trigger a fear response, but in some cases, simply an image of an arachnid or the thought of a spider can lead to feelings of overwhelming fear and panic.

So why are so many people terrified of arachnids? While there are an estimated 35,000 different spider species, only around a dozen pose any type of real threat to humans.

One of the most common explanations for this and similar animal phobias is that such creatures once posed a considerable threat to our ancestors who lacked the medical know-how and technological tools to address injuries from animals and insects. As a result, evolution contributed to a predisposition to fear these creatures.

Ophidiophobia

Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes. This phobia is quite common and often attributed to evolutionary causes, personal experiences, or cultural influences. Some suggest that since snakes are sometimes poisonous, our ancestors who avoided such dangers were more likely to survive and pass down their genes.

Another theory suggests that the fear of snakes and similar animals might arise out an inherent fear of disease and contamination. Studies have shown that these animals tend to provoke a disgust response, which might explain why snake phobias are so common yet people tend not to exhibit similar phobias of dangerous animals such as lions or bears.

Acrophobia

Acrophobia, or the fear of heights, impacts more than 6% of people. This fear can lead to anxiety attacks and avoidance of high places. People who suffer from this phobia may go to great lengths to avoid high places such as bridges, towers, or tall buildings.

While in some cases this fear of heights may be the result of a traumatic experience, current thinking suggests that this fear may have evolved as an adaptation to an environment in which a fall from heights posed a significant danger.

While it is common for people to have some degree of fear when encountering heights, this phobia involves a severe fear that can result in panic attacks and avoidance behaviors.

Aerophobia

Aerophobia, or the fear of flying, affects between 10% and 40% of U.S. adults despite the fact that airplane accidents are actually very uncommon. Around 1 out of every 3 people have some level of fear of flying. Some of the common symptoms associated with this phobia include trembling, rapid heartbeat, and feeling disoriented.

The fear of flying sometimes causes people to avoid flying altogether. It is often treated using exposure therapy, in which the client is gradually and progressively introduced to flying. The individual may start by simply imagining themselves on a plane before slowly working up to actually sitting on a plane and finally sitting through a flight.

Cynophobia

Cynophobia, or the fear of dogs, is often associated with specific personal experiences such as being bitten by a dog during childhood. Such events can be quite traumatic and can lead to fear responses that last well into adulthood. This particular phobia can be quite common.

This phobia is not just a normal apprehension of unfamiliar canines; it is an irrational and excessive fear that can have a serious impact on a person’s life and functioning.

For example, a person with cynophobia might feel unable to walk down a certain street because they know that there is a dog living in that neighborhood. This avoidance can impact the individual’s ability to function in their daily life and make it difficult to get to work, school, or other events outside of the home.

Astraphobia

Astraphobia is a fear of thunder and lightning. People with this phobia experience overwhelming feelings of fear when they encounter such weather-related phenomena. Symptoms of astraphobia are often similar to those of other phobias and include shaking, rapid heart rate, and increased respiration.

During a thunder or lightning storm, people with this disorder may go to great lengths to take shelter or hide from the weather event such as hiding in bed under the covers or even ducking inside a closet or bathroom. People with this phobia also tend to develop an excessive preoccupation with the weather.

They may spend a great deal of time each day tracking the local and national weather in order to know when any type of storm might take place. In some instances, this phobia may even lead to agoraphobia in which people are so afraid of encountering lightning or thunder that they are unable to leave their homes.

Trypanophobia

Trypanophobia is the fear of injections, a condition that can sometimes cause people to avoid medical treatments and doctors. Like many phobias, this fear often goes untreated because people avoid the triggering object and situation. Estimates suggest that as many as 20% to 30% of adults are affected by this type of phobia.

When people with this phobia do have to have an injection, they may experience feelings of extreme dread and elevated heart rate leading up to the procedure. Some people even pass out during the injection.

Because these symptoms can be so distressing, people with this phobia sometimes avoid doctors, dentists, and other medical professionals even when they have some type of physical or dental ailment that needs attention.

Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)

Social phobia involves the fear of social situations and can be quite debilitating. In many cases, these phobias can become so severe that people avoid events, places, and people who are likely to trigger an anxiety attack.

People with this phobia fear being watched or humiliated in front of others. Even ordinary, everyday tasks such as eating a meal can be anxiety-provoking. Social phobias often develop during puberty and can last throughout life unless they are treated.

The most common form of social phobia is a fear of public speaking. In some cases, social phobias can cause people to avoid social situations including school and work, which can have a major impact on the individual’s well-being and ability to function.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia involves a fear of being alone in a situation or place where escape may be difficult. This type of phobia may include the fear of crowded areas, open spaces, or situations that are likely to trigger a panic attack. People will begin avoiding these trigger events, sometimes to the point that they cease leaving their home entirely.

Approximately one-third of people with panic disorder develop agoraphobia. Agoraphobia usually develops sometime between late-adolescence and mid-30s. Two-thirds of people with agoraphobia are women. The disorder often begins as a spontaneous and unexpected panic attack, which then leads to anxiety over the possibility of another attack happening.

Mysophobia

Mysophobia, or the excessive fear of germs and dirt, can lead people to engage in extreme cleaning, compulsive hand-washing, and even avoidance of things or situations perceived as dirty. In some instances, this phobia may be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This common phobia can also result in people avoiding physical contact with other people out of fear of contamination, overuse of disinfectants, and excessive preoccupation with media reports about illness outbreaks. People with this phobia may also avoid areas where germs are more likely to be present such as doctor’s offices, airplanes, schools, and pharmacies.

A Word From Verywell

Phobias are one of the most common types of psychiatric disorders and can create a significant disruption in a person’s functioning and well-being. Fortunately, safe and effective treatments are available which may include psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of both.

The appropriate treatment depends upon a variety of factors including the symptoms and severity of the phobia, so it is always best to consult with your doctor or therapist in order to develop a treatment plan that works for your specific situation.

A phobia is an overwhelming and debilitating fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal.

Phobias are more pronounced than fears. They develop when a person has an exaggerated or unrealistic sense of danger about a situation or object.

If a phobia becomes very severe, a person may organise their life around avoiding the thing that’s causing them anxiety. As well as restricting their day-to-day life, it can also cause a lot of distress.

Phobia symptoms

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. You may not experience any symptoms until you come into contact with the source of your phobia.

But in some cases, even thinking about the source of a phobia can make a person feel anxious or panicky. This is known as anticipatory anxiety.

Symptoms may include:

If you do not come into contact with the source of your phobia very often, it may not affect your everyday life.

But if you have a complex phobia, such as agoraphobia, leading a normal life may be very difficult.

Types of phobia

There are a wide variety of objects or situations that someone could develop a phobia about.

But phobias can be divided into 2 main categories:

Specific or simple phobias

Specific or simple phobias centre around a particular object, animal, situation or activity.

They often develop during childhood or adolescence and may become less severe as you get older.

Common examples of simple phobias include:

Complex phobias

Complex phobias tend to be more disabling than simple phobias. They usually develop during adulthood and are often associated with a deep-rooted fear or anxiety about a particular situation or circumstance.

The 2 most common complex phobias are:

Agoraphobia is often thought of as a fear of open spaces, but it’s much more complex than this.

Someone with agoraphobia will feel anxious about being in a place or situation where escaping may be difficult if they have a panic attack.

The anxiety usually results in the person avoiding situations such as:

Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, centres around feeling anxious in social situations.

If you have a social phobia, you might be afraid of speaking in front of people for fear of embarrassing yourself and being humiliated in public.

In severe cases, this can become debilitating and may prevent you carrying out everyday activities, such as eating out or meeting friends.

What causes phobias?

Phobias do not seem to have a single cause, but there are a number of associated factors.

Diagnosing phobias

Phobias are not always formally diagnosed. Most people with a phobia are fully aware of the problem.

A person will sometimes choose to live with a phobia, taking great care to avoid the object or situation they’re afraid of.

But if you have a phobia, continually trying to avoid what you’re afraid of could make the situation worse.

Ask a GP for help if you have a phobia. They may refer you to a specialist with expertise in behavioural therapy, such as a psychologist.

You can refer yourself directly to an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT) without a referral from a GP.

Treating phobias

Most phobias can be treated successfully.

Simple phobias can be treated through gradual exposure to the object, animal, place or situation that causes fear and anxiety. This is known as desensitisation or self-exposure therapy.

You could try these methods with the help of a professional or as part of a self-help programme.

Treating complex phobias often takes longer and involves talking therapies, such as:

Medication may be prescribed to help with anxiety caused by certain phobias.

Medicines that may be used include:

How common are phobias?

Phobias are a common type of anxiety disorder.

Some of the most common phobias include:

More in Phobias

Page last reviewed: 27 July 2022
Next review due: 27 July 2025