We all have things we are afraid of. Spiders, snakes and creepy crawlies rank high on the list for most, along with heights, tight spaces and the ever-present, back-of-the-mind fear associated with being a parent. But what about the weird fears? The phobias you keep quiet because they are just that bit, well, bizarre!?

I have an irrational fear of clowns, after my grandmother used to paint thousands of them and hang them in her spare room. They would stare at me while I slept over sometimes. I’ve since found out that this is coulrophobia is actually quite common, but a quick ask-around at the office has opened my eyes to a collection of phobias that would make Freud’s day!

Ablutophobia

OK, so there’s a difference between no wanting to take a bath or shower, and being terrified to. Ablutophobia is the fear of washing or bathing and has seen a significant number of it’s sufferers hospitalised for skin infections and personal hygiene issues as a result of not cleaning adequately. Ironically, ablutophobes do not have a fear of being clean, just the process of getting so. PEE-YOO!

Turophobia

Sufferers of Turophobia would have a very hard time in the SAHM office, being the intense fear of cheese. The smell, colour, texture and taste of either a specific type of cheese or just cheese altogether is enough to send turophobes into a fear spiral, and is often instigated by a traumatic event involving, well, cheese!

Somniphobia

Most of us hang out to get to bed at the end of the day, craving the rest and relaxation of a good nights sleep. Somniphobes, however, associate falling asleep with death and dying, and have an intense fear of the process. Nightmares can also be a trigger for somniphobia, as well as the sensation of losing time whilst sleeping.

Omphalophobia

Fear of bellybuttons, yours and other peoples. Yep, bellybuttons! Usually repulsed by the mere sight of a bellybutton, Omphalophobes cannot stand to have their bellybutton touched or touch someone else’s, usually stemming from the association between navels and the umbilical cord.

Nomophobia

One of the most recent coined phrases in the phobia world is Nomophobia; the fear of being without mobile phone coverage. Apparently, more than 50% of the world’s population suffer from it regularly and is brought on by the loss of signal, loss of internet network coverage and loss of the phone itself.

Pogonophobia

Can’t stand hubby’s facial stubble? The feel of it, thought of it, sight of it just make you want to grab your Gillette Lady razor and shave it smooth as a baby’s bum? You may suffer from Pogonophobia, the fear of beards. Triggered usually by a memory of a traumatic event involving someone with a significant beard, or childhood associations with ‘baddies with beards’, pogonophobia is a genuine fear of specifically beards, but can extend to mustaches and smaller goatees.

Spectrophobia

We can all relate to having a fear of looking in the mirror sometimes, especially after a big night out on the town, or a big night in with a sick child. Spectrophobes however, cannot look at themselves in the mirror and usually dread mirrors themselves. It is usually triggered by an event where they have believed they saw apparitions in their own mirror reflection. Horror movies that show shadows, ghosts and other frightening objects in a reflection are not entirely helpful in reassuring spectrophobes.

Chrometophobia

A level of anxiety around money is normal, but a fear of money itself is known as chrometophobia. Usually stemming from an underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder regarding the germs that tangible money carries, chrometophobes struggle a great deal, as money is an inevitable part of life. They usually get someone else to handle all their money matters, transactions etc.

Arachibutyrophobia

Like it, love it or hate it, peanut butter is sticky stuff. And believe it or not, some people actually harbour irrational fears about peanut butter getting stuck to the roof of their mouths! It’s called Arachibutyrophobia, and the easiest way to avoid it? Don’t eat peanut butter!

Sygenesphobia

Whilst most of us experience some level of irritation with relatives, very few can claim to have a genuine fear of relatives, known as Sygenesphobia. There is usually an explicable, reasonable reason behind this fear, but it is usually recommended to seek treatment for this phobia as it can extend into late adulthood, applying to immediate and extended family members.

Whilst many of these phobias are considered bizarre and unusual, genuine phobias should not be trivialised and help should be sought for coping mechanisms and strategies to deal with these disorders.

Do you know anyone who suffers from a ‘bizarre’ phobia?

Sources

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/10289366/13-of-the-most-unusual-phobias.html

http://opishposh.com/10-funny-and-weird-phobias-people-really-suffer-from/