Categories: Diseases & Conditions

The Ten Most Common Phobias: Do You Suffer from Any of These Fears?

A phobia can be defined as having an unreasonable or illogical (often uncontrollable) fear of a certain thing, condition or situation that is normally considered to be safe. Phobias are the most common type of anxiety disorders. So much so, that approximately 10% of the adult American population suffers from at least one phobia. It’s interesting to note that women are more apt to suffer from phobias than men. But, for men who are over 25 years of age, having a phobia is the second common mental disorder, according to www.unexplainedstuff.com. Do you suffer from one of these fears? To find out, you’ll need to know what the ten most common phobias are.

Note: These phobias are given in no particular order.

#1 Arachnophobia

There are believed to be about seven hundred documented phobias. Phobias can cause sufferers to become overcome by feelings of extreme fear, panic and anxiety. Many people avoid certain things, conditions and situations so they won’t come face-to-face with their fears. However, Arachnophobia, which is the fear of spiders, is also the name of a 1990 horror/comedy film directed by Frank Marshall. Even though the fear of spiders is the “Number One Phobia”, people flocked to the theaters to see this successful movie.

#2 Acrophobia
Another most common phobia that Americans suffer from can keep you from traveling to the top of the Empire State Building, an awesome 1,453 feet up! It can also keep you off off of bridges, and may even stop you from climbing a ladder. Acrophobia is the fear of heights.

#3 Agoraphobia
According to www.coolquiz.com, actress Kim Basinger has a phobia of wide, open spaces. Agoraphobia is the irrational fear of wide, open spaces, of leaving your home, and of becoming involved in humiliating, uncontrollable situations. Some of the worse sufferers of this phobia are not only unable to leave their homes, but they will only live in one room. Or, they take to their beds.

#4 Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is another one of the ten most common phobias. If you suffer from
this anxiety disorder, you fear being in confined places such as elevators, airplanes, trains and subways. Claustrophobics may have this fear because they were at one time, earlier in their lives, trapped in an enclosed area where there was no way to escape. Phobias often start in our childhoods. They can follow us into our adulthood.

#5 Mysophobia
Mysophobia, which is also called “Germophobia” or “Bacterophobia”, can be defined as “the unsupportable fear of germs.” Singer Michael Jackson is said to suffer from this fear because he often wears a surgeon’s mask when he goes out into the public. People who suffer from this phobia often wash their hands constantly in order to remove germs.

#6 Brontophobia
Brontophobia is defined in two ways: one definition states that this anxiety disorder is “a fear of thunder” even though people who suffer from this phobia
recognize the fact that thunder cannot hurt them.

However, other online sources, such as Wikipedia.com, define Brontophobia as the “fear of both thunder and lightning”. Whatever the case, sufferers of this disorder often dread seeing warm weather come, a time when thunder and lightning storms are more prevalent. They keep a close watch on the weather, and, anytime a storm does appear, they find a place to hide so they can’t hear the thunder boom or see the lightning flash.

#7 Social Phobia
Another one of the ten most common phobias is Social Phobia. Social Phobia is the fear of being watched or scrutinized by other people. Just like other extreme fears, it can bring on a feeling of overwhelming panic among its sufferers. It can cause your heart to race, your skin to sweat, and your stomach to feel nauseous. Severe cases of this disorder can lead to reclusiveness.

#8 Aerophobia
If you suffer from Aerophobia, then you avoid flying in an airplane or in a hot air balloon, et cetera. The Boeing Aircraft Corporation found in a 1980 study that 25 million Americans suffered from Aerophobia. At one time, airlines such as Northwest and U.S. Airways held seminars to help people get over their fear of flying. Unfortunately, tighter budgets forced these programs to be discontinued.

Actor Billy Bob Thornton, singer/actress Cher and actress Florence Henderson are just three celebrities who suffer from Aerophobia.

#9 Carcinophobia
Carcinophobia is the illogical fear of acquiring cancer. While no person wants to suffer from this often-deadly disease, people who have this phobia go to extremes. They take excessive measures to try and increase their immunity to cancer. They may load-up on vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements. Or, they may refuse to eat certain foods or drinks for fear of acquiring cancer.

#10 Necrophobia
Necrophobia is the fear of death or anything related to it. Funerals, funeral homes, caskets, dead bodies- anything that reminds them of death can send a Necrophobic into an episode of extreme fright. Things like attending a painful funeral of a loved one can last in a person’s memory and cause them to acquire this phobia.