Halloween 2019: 16 phobias you have probably never heard of

Halloween isn’t celebrated in every corner of every town but it’s recognised very well by pop culture. And since we can’t resist any reason to dress up, it’s gaining quite a bit of popularity in Indian cities, too.

Originally a pagan ritual, Halloween is now ruled by spooky parties and haunted houses. The common factor is always fear. But not everyone is as excited to be scared out of their minds. Especially people who have a phobia.

A phobia is an anxiety disorder in which one experiences extreme and intense fear of an object, animal, person, activity or situation. We’re all familiar with some of the more common ones - the fear of heights (acrophobia), the fear of being in enclosed spaces (claustrophobia) and the fear of being in the dark (nyctophobia). But with the world changing at such a fast pace, new fears are being formed every day.

Here are some you might not have heard of yet:

1. Nomophobia:  The fear of being without your cell phone or being somewhere you can’t use it. Yes, it really has come to this.

2. Cacophobia:  The fear of ugliness or being considered ugly. Thank you social media for making this all the more possible.

3. Gynophobia:  The fear of women. They make up (almost) half of the population, this has got to be extremely inconvenient.

4. Gamophobia:  The fear of commitment. Yes, it’s real, not just an excuse. You know now, you’re welcome.

5. Coitophobia (also called Genophobia):  The fear of sexual intercourse. It can be a result of past trauma, like many other specific phobias.

6. Necrophobia:  The fear of death. “It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.” - Albus Dumbledore.

7. Pediophobia:  The fear of dolls. No, just being scared of the one doll, Annabelle, doesn’t count. This could also refer to the fear of children.

8. Androphobia:  The fear of men.

9. Nostophobia:  The fear of returning home. Not just from the office every evening. This refers to permanently returning home and can be seen as a sign of failure by some.

10. Tocophobia:  The fear of pregnancy and childbirth.

11. Gymnophobia:  The fear of seeing naked people. Must make things terribly complicated in the bedroom department.

12. Triskaidekaphobia:  The fear of the number 13. So you might want to skip the next one.

13. Cynophobia:  The fear of dogs.

14. Scopophobia:  Intense fear of being stared at. In severe cases, people living with this phobia may be afraid of making any eye contact.

15. Abibliophobia:  The fear of running out of things to read. (Not today, you won’t.)

16. Wiccaphobia:  The fear of witches and witchcraft. Halloween really isn’t your day.

Happy Halloween!

Please note that phobias aren’t simply irrational feelings - they can severely hamper the patient’s day-to-day life. From drugs to therapies, modern medicine has many ways to help those who wish to overcome their phobia(s).

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. For more information, please read our article on   Fear: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment _._