10 Most Bizarre Phobias

Published on 12/1/2008 under Medicine - 128,341 views
TAGS: weird phobias, strange phobias

Papaphobia: fear of the Pope

Regarded as one of the most benevolent and wonderful individuals in the world, millions flock to him, hoping for his blessing... except for those who suffer "Papaphobia": an abnormal or persistent pathological fear of the pope or the papacy. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, and overall feelings of dread. And it might not be only about the pope himself; a person with papaphobia may also be fearful of the Roman Catholic Church, so keep that popemobil away from them!

Arachibutyrophobia: fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth

Say what? You heard it. Eating a peanut butter sandwich is challenging for people with aracibutyrophobia, as they will freak out if the butter sticks to their mouth.

Trichophobia: fear of loose hairs

If there's a hair in your soup you're fine, but if you see them everywhere, you might be suffering Trichophobia. From Greek Thrix (hair) and phobia (fear), it's the morbid disgust or fear caused by the sight of loose hairs on clothing or elsewhere.

Nomophobia: fear of being out of mobile phone contact

How do you feel when your phone has no network coverage? Can you turn off your mobile for a whole day? Whether you have run out of credit or battery, lose your phone or are in an area with no reception, being phoneless can bring on a panicky symptom in our 24/7 culture, described as "Nomophobia".

Ephebiphobia: fear of teenagers

First coined as the "fear and loathing of teenagers," today the phenomenon is recognized as the "inaccurate, exaggerated and sensational characterization of young people" in a variety of settings around the world. Sociologist Ray Oldenburg has attributed the generation gap and the "increasing segregation of youth from adults in American society" to "adult estrangement and fear of youth." Fear of youth and their rejection is often disguised in a permissive attitude toward them.

Scopophobia: fear of being looked at

Feeling an intense and irrational fear of being looked at or stared at, Scopophobics tend to avoid large public places such as shopping malls and other large gatherings of people. Even simple tasks like driving a car can be very difficult, as the sufferer will experience an acute sense of fear and uneasiness as they irrationally perceive others are staring at them, either from the cars beside them, or from the cars in front or back of them in their rear-view mirrors.

Spectrophobia: fear of mirrors

This kind of specific phobia involves a morbid fear of mirrors and the dread of seeing one's own reflection. Psychoanalyst Sandor Ferenczi attributed it in one case to two main causes: fear of self-knowledge and flight from exhibitionism.

Phagophobia: fear of swallowing

In milder cases a phagophobe eats only soft and liquid foods, and its fear is expressed in various swallowing complaints without any apparent physical reason detectable by physical inspection and laboratory analyses. Phagophobia may lead to (and be confused with) fear of eating, and the subsequent malnutrition and weight loss.

Vomitophobia: fear of vomiting

Vomitophobia is the irrational fear of vomiting, being around others who are vomiting, and/or the vomit itself. In worst case scenarios, people with this particular phobia tend to avoid eating out, socializing and going to parties. They may hardly eat at all and that's why many are often diagnosed as anorexic, but not bulimic as this illness involves being overweight or at a healthy weight.

Triskaidekaphobia: fear of the number 13

One of the most common fears, but still senseless, even Adolf Hitler was triskaidekaphobic. There a specific fear of Friday the 13th as well, called paraskavedekatriaphobia. Tetraphobia is the fear of the number 4, more popular in China, Japan, and Korea.

Reader Contributions Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia by Dustin on 2/10/2010 Fear of the number 666 It's Not Called Vomitophobia by Chelsea on 1/18/2010 It's Emetophobia. I've suffered from it for years, failing my first semester of college because Noro(...) More stupid phobias by Sarah on 9/16/2009 64 stupid phobias I found on Phobialist.com: Ablutophobia- Fear of washing or bathing. Alliumpho(...) (Source) See More Contributions... Have a great addition to the article? Contribute!

Subscribe by RSS: Subscribe by E-mail:	Share this: E-mail it Del.icio.us Share Corrections? Factual Grammar/Spelling

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...
World's Wackiest Addictions

 

 

	10 Far-out Valentine's Gifts
	10 Geekiest T-Shirts
	10 Coolest Computer Mice
	12 Strangest Ties
	12 Funniest Wedding Cake Toppers
	10 Coolest Bottle Openers
	10 Most Creative Holders
	10 Coolest USB Flash Drives
	10 Coolest USB Accessories
	10 Most Creative Ice Cube Trays

	10 of the World's Worst Jobs
	15 Funny Facebook Fails
	10 of the World's Greatest Jobs
	World's Oddest Mothers
	12 Coolest Google Street Finds
	10 Geekiest Panties
	10 Strangest Animal Incidents
	15 Coolest Photos You Won't Believe Are Not Photoshopped
	12 Accidental Deaths You Won't Believe
	10 Most Bizarre Sex Toys
	10 Craziest Plastic Surgeries to Look Like Someone Else
	10 Audacious Amputee Tattoos
	15 Coolest Google Earth Finds
	12 Most Bizarre Police Sketches Ever
	Another 12 Embarrassing Moments in Sports
	10 Unbelievable Facebook Stories
	Another 12 Cool Google Street Finds
	12 Most Creative Indoor Staircases
	15 Most Stupid Forehead Tattoos
	10 of the World's Most Bizarre Laws
	Worst Birthday Cakes Ever
	12 Most Controversial Video Games
	12 Coolest Steampunk Gadgets
	15 Funny Yahoo Answers Fails
	World's Tallest
	12 of the Wackiest Condoms ever
	World's Oddest Couples
	14 Funny Toilet Graffiti
	10 Real Houses Inspired by Cartoons
	When Cosplay Goes Wrong
	10 Clever Ads on Buildings
	12 Most Unfortunate Costumes for a Mugshot

Oddee by Category: Art  |  Advertising
Signs  |  Names
Places  |  People
Objects  |  Gifts
Science  |  Medicine
Stories  |  Tech
Design  |  Misc

Search Oddee.com:

Sites we like:
I-am-bored | 2leep
CollegeHumor | Leenks
URLesque | UniqueDaily
Uncoached | Unreality
DRB | Inspiratorium
WebUrbanist | Ecoist
Gajitz | Dornob
GorillaMask | Eat Liver Neatorama | Uphaa


Oddee.com makes PC Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites of 2008!

Great articles on other blogs: