Episode 16: Everything About Phobias
APA-Figuring Out Phobias
http://commonanxiety.com/a-brief-history-of-phobias
Some Unusual Phobias
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Acerophobia: Fear of sourness
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people who hate the pucker like lemons or sweet tarts
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Acerophobes avoid the tongue zinging feeling whenever possible.
image: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1177140
Phobophobia: No laughing matter.
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Phobos Greek god of fear
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At their base, phobias are about anxiety. Anxious people are more likely to have or develop a phobia. And experience the sweaty symptoms of fear. Worrying about that possibility is phobophobia.
image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:InflatableBalloons.jpg
Globophobia: fear of balloons
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not just the balloon but also could be the fear of being popped
Fear Around the World
Rates for different phobias vary widely around the world. In the US approx 8% of adults (11.5 million) or to put it in perspective, 1:23 people have a specific phobia.
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But only 22% of those cases are considered severe
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According to an article by the Washington post: US top fears Public speaking, heights, bugs/snakes
- the most common fear in the UK is acrophobia, fear of heights. Closely followed by Glossophobia, fear of public speaking
- Democrats are more likely to have a fear of clowns than Republicans
Watching a Chinese language blog there was a video where the author interviewed Chinese people about their fears. What was interesting is that while there were a few who said spiders or mice or the weather. The over whelming sentiment was a fear of loneliness or lack of family. Or even fear of letting down family.
- One study done in Iceland had agoraphobia as the most common phobia, then social phobia – social anxiety
- In India, Mysophobia is on the rise. Fear of germs and contamination.
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/p/phobias/stats-country.htm
A little of the brain science of phobias.
American Psychological Association
Figuring Out Phobia by Lea Winerman
- Phobias: Exaggerated fears.
- More than 10 million adults in the US have phobias according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
New York University Psychologist Jospeh LeDoux, PhD
Two fear responses:
- Sudden, unexpected fear triggers amygdala response-not enough time to analyze true level of threat-quick response to sudden danger.
- Simultaneously, more measured evaluation to determine appropriate response to true level of danger is occurring and can take over. It is more precise and accurate evaluation but takes longer.
- Phobias and fear disorders related to some type of dysfunction in amygdala or related area.
Arne Ohman, PhD at the Clinical Neuro Science Department of Karolinska Institute, Sweden
- Pictures were flashed at participants too quickly to register consciously. Fears and phobias had same response from amygdala.
- Pictures flashed slow enough to consciously register. Fears-no amygdala response. Phobias, amygdala response.
History:
Greek god Phobos origin of word. God of fear-personified.
- Phobias documented as early as 600 BC. Byzantine emperor Heraclius had a phobia of bodies of water large enough to drown in.
- 440 BC Hippocrates dcomunted phobic behavior.
- 63 BC Augustus Caesar had a fear of lightning. Witnessed someone struck by lightning. Built a temple to Jupiter wherein he could hide underground.
- 50 AD, Roman doctor Celsus coined the term phobia. Defined fear of water as hydrophobia.
- 1162 AD Genghis Kahn had cynophobia-fear of dogs.
- 1786 Oxford English Dictionary phobias as a fear of an imaginary evil or an undue fear of a real one.
- 1895 Winston Churchill-glossophobia-fear of public speaking.
- 1920’s FDR-pyrophobia-fear of fire. Worsened by lack of mobility which would hinder escape.
- 1940’s Hitler had dendrophobia-fear of dentists. Yellowing teeth, abscesses, gum disease, bad breath.
- 1947 Phobias became a separate diagnostic category in the International Classification of Diseases.
- 1951 Classified by American Psychiatric Association.
Pogonophobia: Fear of beards. 
Pogonophobia Psyche.media (Photo Courtesy of same)
Pogon: Greek word for beard.
1920s Dr John Watson conditioned fear of bears into a young boy via classical conditioning methods.
Beardism: Discrimination based on facial hair.
Some association with poor hygiene.
Last US president to have a beard was Benjamin Harrison.
One challenge can be finding a therapist who will take the phobia seriously.
Omphalophobia: Fear of navels.
Fear of having belly button touched or tugged by self or others.
Fear of seeing others touch their belly buttons.
Can become uncomfortable, nauseated, anxious.
