10 Extremely Bizarre Phobias

In October 2012, I wrote a blog about the Top 10 Fears. I thought I'd revisit this topic, but instead of talking about the top fears that most people have, I'd list some of the more bizarre phobias out there.

Everyone suffers from some minor phobia or two, but some people get completely debilitated by their fears. A phobia is "an irrational, persistent fear of certain situations, objects, activities, or persons. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one’s control, or if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disorders can be made" (Wikipedia).  

Here are some of the more bizarre phobias:

1. Ithyphallophobia (Fear of erections): Defined as “a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of an erect penis”, each year this surprisingly common phobia causes countless people needless distress. To add insult to an already distressing condition, most Ithyphallophobia therapies take months or years and sometimes even require the patient to be exposed repeatedly to their fear. Known by a number of names (Medorthophobia, Phallophobia, Ithyphallophobia, and Fear of an Erect Penis being the most common), the problem often significantly impacts the quality of life. It can cause panic attacks and keep people apart from loved ones. Just think that there are men out there who suffer with this phobia.

2. Taphophobia (Fear of being buried alive):  Fear of being buried alive is the fear of being placed in a grave while still alive as a result of being incorrectly pronounced dead. The abnormal, psychopathological version of this fear is referred to as taphophobia. Before the advent of modern medicine, the fear was not entirely irrational. Throughout history, there have been numerous cases of people being buried alive by accident. In 1905, the English reformer William Tebb collected accounts of premature burial. He found 219 cases of near live burial, 149 actual live burials, 10 cases of live dissection and 2 cases of awakening while being embalmed.

3. Pteronophobia (Fear of feathers or being tickled by feathers):  Pteronophobia is the irrational fear of feathers or being tickled by feathers. Certain childhood events, such as tickling a baby, can lead to this fear as the child may feel trapped. It is related to the fear of tickling.

4. Agyrophobia (Fear of crossing the street): Agyrophobics have a fear of crossing streets, highways and other thoroughfares, or a fear of thoroughfares themselves. This, of course, makes it very difficult to live comfortably in a city. The word comes from the Greek gyrus which means turning or whirling as the phobic avoids the whirl of traffic. The phobia covers several categories, wherein sufferers may fear wide roads specifically down to suburban single lane streets, and can also include fearing jaywalking or crossing anywhere on a street, even a designated intersection. This phobia is considered independent from the fear of cars.

5. Mageirocophobia (Fear of cooking): The bizarre fear of cooking is called mageirocophobia which comes from the Greek word mageirokos which means a person skilled in cooking. This disorder can be debilitating and potentially lead to unhealthy eating if one lives alone. Sufferers of mageirokos can feel extremely intimidated by people with skills in cooking, and this intimidation and feeling of inadequacy is probably the root cause of the disorder for many.

6. Deipnophobia (Fear of dinner conversation): Now admittedly some dinner conversations can be very awkward, but some people are so terrified of the idea of speaking to another person over dinner that they avoid dining out situations. In times gone by there were strict rules of etiquette that helped a person to deal with these situations – but they are (sadly) mostly forgotten. In today’s society in which rules and formality are out the window, it is possible that the more controlled nature of a dinner party may lie partly behind this phobia.

7. Spectrophobia (Fear of mirrors): Spectrophobia is a kind of specific phobia involving a morbid fear of mirrors. Generally, an individual that deals with Spectrophobia has been traumatized in an event where they believe they have seen or heard apparitions or ghosts. The individual could also become traumatized by horror films, television shows, or by nightmares. This fear could be the result of a trauma involving mirrors. It could also be the result of the person’s superstitious fear of being watched through the mirror.

8. Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth): Although it sounds strange to many people, arachibutyrophobia is a devastating fear for some people. The phobia is actually the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth. The fear is often rooted in a more generalized phobia of choking or of sticky textures, but it can also occur alone. Like all phobias, arachibutyrophobia varies in severity from sufferer to sufferer. Some people are able to consume small quantities of peanut butter, perhaps as a dip for vegetables, while others are afraid to try peanut butter at all. In some cases, the fear extends to other peanut products, from peanut butter ice cream to peanut sauces.

9. Cathisophobia (Fear of sitting): Cathisophobia is the fear of sitting down and also is otherwise known as Thaasophobia. When someone fears sitting, they may actually have anxieties about being trapped, or being unable to sit still. People with this phobia will do whatever they can to avoid sitting. Obviously, sitting is a part of life. Attending classes, working in an office or most other environments, and generally doing just about anything will require sitting. Therefore, living with this phobia can really impact career choices, the ability to ride in or drive a car, and even something traditionally pleasant, such as watching a movie in a theater.

10. Pediophobia (Fear of dolls): Pediophobia is the irrational fear of dolls. Not just scary dolls – ALL dolls. Strictly speaking, the fear is a horror of a “false representation of sentient beings” so it also usually includes robots and mannequins, which can make it decidedly difficult to go shopping. This phobia should not be confused with pedophobia or pediaphobia which is the fear of children. Sigmund Freud believed the disorder may spring from a fear of the doll coming to life and roboticist Masahiro Mori expanded on that theory by stating that the more human-like something becomes, the more repellent its non-human aspects appear.

Bonus:

Luposlipaphobia:  The fear of being pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a newly-waxed floor. Okay, okay, this is actually a fictional phobia which was created by Gary Larson – author of the Far Side comics (see below).