Phobias facts

Arachnophobia. Some statistics show that 50% of women and 10% of men show symptoms of arachnophobia. The reasons are unclear, as a huge majority of modern spiders are harmless. It is speculated, that early humans might have lived in areas where poisonous spiders were a real threat.

Spiders. Scientists figure humans may be born with a fear of spiders and snakes, healthy phobias that up the odds of survival in the wild.

Fear of bathing. Ablutophobia, or fear of bathing, is a relatively uncommon but serious phobia that appears to be more prevalent in women and children. It can manifest in many ways, from a fear of showering to a complete phobia of all washing.

Contamination and germs. Mysophobia, is a pathological fear of contamination and germs. The term was coined by William A. Hammond in 1879 when describing a case of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) exhibited in repeatedly washing one's hands.

Brontophobia is an abnormal fear of thunder and lightning that can be developed both by humans and animals. A person with brontophobia will often feel anxious during a thunderstorm, even when they understand that the threat to them is minimal.

Fear of holes. Trypophobia is an aversion to the sight of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes, or bumps. Although few studies have been done on trypophobia, researchers hypothesize that it is the result of a biological revulsion that associates trypophobic shapes with danger or disease, and may therefore have an evolutionary basis.

Tokophobia often leads patients to ask for a Caesarean section. Frequency of appearing: 6-10% pregnancies.

A fear of being alone. Autophobia is the specific phobia of isolation; a morbid fear of being egotistical, or a dread of being alone or isolated. Sufferers need not be physically alone, but just to believe that they are being ignored or unloved.