Clear Answers for Common Questions

"Having the fear" is a phrase that has entered the English language and means exactly what it says. The definition can be applied to numerous situations. It has been used both humorously and seriously to describe situations people face when they are going through crisis. People who face a mid ...

One of the most common phobias that people suffer from is agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is a fear of open spaces and of being left alone in open spaces. Agoraphobics rarely venture into crowded places, and they avoid areas from which they fear there is no escape, such as busy stores and ...

People fear many things: snakes, spiders, closed-in places. However, a fear of flying is also common, although many people are ashamed to talk about it. How can someone overcome a fear of flying? One good method is information. People often have a fear of flying because they do not ...

Little did Miss Muffet know when she sat down to eat a pleasant lunch that she was about to suffer from one of the most common phobias in the Western world. The appearance of the spider frightening Miss Muffet away should come as no surprise to the number of people ...

Nyctophobia is an intense, irrational fear of darkness; the term “scotophobia” is also used to describe this condition. While many people are afraid of the dark, a nyctophobic has a fear which is so intense that it can cause a variety of physical symptoms in addition to general anxiety and ...

Cynophobia can be defined as a persistent and often irrational fear of dogs, of other canines, or of rabies, and sometimes all three. Numerous incidents can cause cynophobia to manifest, but most often, childhood trauma connected with a dog is the underlying cause. A toddler that receives a dog bite ...

Acrophobia is one of the most common phobias and is an extreme fear of heights, which can induce feelings of panic, panic attacks, nausea, and dizziness. This phobia should not be confused with agoraphobia, the fear of the outdoors or open spaces, which contributes to many people feeling they can ...

If you break down the word agoraphobia, you can quickly see what it means. A phobia is a fear of something. Agora comes from the Greek language, and refers to a place where people meet, or more specifically a marketplace. So this is the fear of being in crowded or ...

Mysophobia is an intense fear of dirt and uncleanliness. It is typically associated with a fear of contamination with germs; some people call it “germaphobia” as a result. This condition can have serious repercussions for people who suffer from it, as they may embark on radical lifestyle changes to avoid ...

Dentophobia is a fear of dental care, and, by extension, people who provide dental care, such as dentists. This condition is also known as dental fear, odontophobia, or dental anxiety. Surveys estimate that many people suffer from this condition to varying degrees, and fortunately there are an assortment of ways ...

Triskaidekaphobia is frequently defined as the fear of the number 13. More accurately, triskaidekaphobia refers to superstitions about the unlucky nature of the number of 13. These superstitions are common in the US and in England, but they are certainly not global. Instead of triskaidekaphobia, many Asian countries have superstitions ...

Trypanophobia is an extreme reaction of fear to the use of needles in any type of medical environment. While many people experience some degree of aversion to receiving a shot at the doctor’s office, persons who suffer from trypanophobia tend to take on levels of anxiety that can result ...

If you wake up from nightmares that have you running from a Bozo look-alike wielding a knife, or if you feel a little ill at the mention of Marcel Marceau, then you may be suffering from coulrophobia, the fear of clowns and mimes. Coulrophobia is a relatively new term ...

Monophobia is an abnormal fear of being alone. While everybody feels lonely sometimes, someone with monophobia experiences extreme anxiety when left alone, and the condition can be both socially crippling and extremely frustrating. A variety of behavioral therapy techniques can be used to treat monophobia, including talk therapy and hypnosis ...

Glossophobia is a fear of public speaking. It can occur as part of a larger issue, like stage fright, or on its own; in some cases, it can be quite crippling for people who suffer from it. A glossophobic might, for example, make a conscious effort to avoid situations in ...

You’re about to perform for the first time. Your knees are trembling, you feel like you’re going to throw up, and your heart is pounding in your chest. These are symptoms of stage fright, known scientifically as topophobia or more generally known as performance anxiety. Stage fright is ...

Anxiety disorders, also called panic disorders, are broadly defined as irrational fears of situations or particular objects marked by an intense physically or mentally debilitating response. Anxiety disorders often co-exist with other disorders, such as depression, mood disorders and drug or alcohol addiction. Anxiety disorders are considered maladaptive, which ...

According to some phobia studies, an estimated 20 to 30% of the entire population find clowns scary, or at least a little unsettling. A certain segment of that group finds them frightening enough to trigger panic attacks, anxiety, and other phobic reactions. The fear of clowns is called coulrophobia, from ...

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), alternatively known as social phobia, is a recognized psychological condition affecting millions of people. While many of us may feel anxious at the thought of delivering a speech or undergoing a job interview, those with this disorder may suffer crippling feelings of inadequacy and public rejection ...

Every now and then, the 13th day of the month happens to fall on a Friday. This can happen between one and three times a year. Friday the 13th is associated with a great deal of superstition in many cultures, and some people think that it is an unlucky or ...

Neuroses are mental illnesses that cause distress in sufferers. In addition, neuroses can interfere with these individuals’ abilities to function normally. Though the term neuroses is no longer used formally within the medical community, it is still a common umbrella term used for mental illnesses such as anxiety, pyromania, obsessive ...

Monomania is an emotional or mental disorder that impacts the ability of the individual to interact with his or her environment in a balanced and productive manner. Essentially, monomania is a condition in which the sufferer is so focused on one idea or emotion that it is impossible to function ...

In its most common usage, the term mania refers to episodes of severely elevated mood, usually associated with bipolar disorder. However, the suffix -mania, which suggests an obsession or madness, is used to denote a large number of psychological disturbances known collectively as manias. In bipolar disorder, episodes of general ...

The phrase “delusions of grandeur” is often used in casual conversation to describe a person who imagines him or herself to be more important or more powerful than he or she really is, but it is more accurately used to describe a very real and potentially very serious mental health ...

Pteridomania was a craze which obsessed Victorian England at every level of society, from the Royal family to impoverished farm workers. The word is a portmanteau of the biological name for ferns and “mania” in the sense of a craze; in other words, pteridomania was a passion for ferns. It ...

Megalomania is an unrealistic belief in one's superiority, grandiose abilities, and even omnipotence. It is characterized by a need for total power and control over others, and is marked by a lack of empathy for anything that is perceived as not feeding the self. Although megalomania is a term ...