Gerascophobia: The Fear of Growing Old

Gerascophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of growing old.

I don't know of many people who actually look forward to getting older, but those with Gerascophobia are so afraid of growing old that they will have anxiety attacks and break out into sweats just at the thought of getting older.

Some with this phobia may even wish to die at a young age so that they don't get old. They fear the unknown and they fear mental diseases, having to wear diapers, being lonely, losing their independence and a multitude of other things.

If you have Gerascophobia please share your story. Why are you afraid of growing old?

Geliophobia: The Fear of Laughter

Geliophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of laughter. Those with the phobia become afraid that they will smile or laugh at inappropriate times. Jokes, comedies and funny situations can cause them to feel extreme anxiety.

Geliophobia can be caused by embarrassment from laughing at an inappropriate time, being mistreated and made fun of, or from uncorrected orthodontic problems.

If you have Geliophobia please share your story. What triggered the phobia and how does it affect your life?

Francophobia: The Fear of France

Francophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of France. It is also known as gallophobia and galiophobia.

Those who suffer from Francophobia have an extreme hatred of the country, the people and the culture. There is a website that is devoted to Francophobia called I Hate France.

There are quite a few sites that talk about Francophobia and I'm not sure at this point if this is a true phobia or just an extreme hate. It could be hatred caused by fear, but none of the sites are really clear on this.

If you have this phobia please share your story. Do you just hate France and anything that has to do with it or are you truly afraid?

Frigophobia: The Fear of Cold or Cold Things

Frigophobia is the abnormal and irrational fear of cold or cold things. Those who suffer with this phobia will bundle up in jackets and blankets even when the weather isn't cold.

Frigophobia can make it difficult to do things when the temperature is too low. This can make for a very long, hard winter. Those who have the phobia just can't function properly in the cold.

Some believe that it may be linked to hypochondria or obsessive compulsive disorder.

If you have Frigophobia please share your story. How does it affect you and how do you cope with this phobia during the winter?

Ecclesiophobia: The Fear of Church

Ecclesiophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of church. Everyone is afraid of something and some people are afraid of church.

I couldn't find any information on this one at all. If you have this phobia or know someone who does I need your help. Please share your story and let us know about this phobia.

Thank You!

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read my posts and share your stories. I never imagined that this blog would be so well accepted when I started it. I apologize for not responding to every comment individually, but I have received so many and I can't seem to catch up. I do read every comment that is left though and I sincerely appreciate every single one.

Please keep sharing your stories. They are so important in raising awareness about phobias. There are too many people in this world who don't understand the impact that phobias can have on a persons life.

Thanks again!

Diplophobia: The Fear of Double Vision

Diplophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of double vision.

As kids we were always told that if we make ugly faces then our faces will stay that way and if we cross our eyes they will stay that way or we will see double. I never really thought too much about it, but some people develop an extreme fear because of those little warnings.

In fact someone with Diplophobia developed the phobia
because their mother told them that if they crossed their eyes they would permanently see double. It goes to show that even the most harmless words can do so much damage.

There's not a lot of information on this phobia and I wonder if they're are any other triggers. If you have Diplophobia please share your story. What triggered it and how does it affect your life?

Dromophobia: The Fear of Crossing Streets

Dromophobia is the irrational and extreme fear of crossing streets. Some may see this phobia as one of the more benign ones, but take a moment and imagine never crossing another street. See how it interupts your daily activities.

This phobia can be caused by a traumatic event occurring while crossing the street. Examples of this are almost or getting ran over by a vehicle or witnessing someone getting ran over. Embarassing moments while crossing the street may also trigger this phobia. I slipped and literally slid across the street in front of my school when I was in the 5th grade. I was so embarrassed that I didn't want to have to cross the street again because I was afraid I would fall again. I also never wore the shoes that I was wearing that day again. I wouldn't say that I have this phobia, but till this day I hate crossing the street.

If you have Dromophobia please share your story. How does it affect your life and what triggered it?

Chemophobia: The Fear of Chemicals

Chemophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of chemicals or working with chemicals. This phobia has grown rapidly over the last few years. Information on most phobias is hard to find on the internet, but if you Google Chemophobia you will find tons of links.

Most people develop this phobia because they fear the unknown. Many people know nothing about chemicals and what they do know is usually from what they hear on T.V. The media is notorious for only reporting the bad things that happen, so when people are injured or killed by chemicals this is all people know.

Other causes of the phobia could be a traumatic event involving chemicals. Those who are severely injured or know someone who has been injured or killed by chemicals are prime candidates for this phobia.

Chemicals are everywhere and trying to avoid them would have to be a full time job, so I can imagine how frustrating this phobia could be. If you have this phobia, please share your story with us. How long have you had it and what triggered it? More importantly, how do you cope with it?

Carnophobia: The Fear of Meat

Carnophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of meat. There are many people who choose not to eat meat because it comes from animals, but those with Carnophobia are afraid of it.

Carnophobia could be caused by a traumatic experience that involved meat. An example of this would be choking on a piece of meat or witnessing someone choke on a piece of meat that had a bad outcome.

I've choked on meat before, but I'm a fat kid, so I didn't stop eating it. I am a lot more cautious now though.

Do you have Carnophobia? If you do, please share your story. What caused it and how do you deal with it?

Barophobia: The Fear of Gravity

Barophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of gravity. They strongly believe that they may be crushed by the force of gravity. Some are fearful that gravity will fail and they will float away.

Possible causes are sustaining an injury from a fall or seeing or knowing someone who fell and was severely injured or died.

If you have this phobia share your story. How do you cope and what triggered your Barophobia?

Bacteriophobia: The Fear of Bacteria

Bacteriophobia is the irrational and extreme fear of bacteria and other microorganisms. A severe case of this phobia can make a person feel that bacteria will cause their death.

My niece just recently admitted to having this phobia. When she washes dishes she rinses them immediately and doesn't place them in the other side of the sink like some do. She feels that the other side of the sink is dirty.

Possible causes of this phobia are a person having a bacterial infection that made them very ill or witnessing the death of someone who had a bacterial infection.

If you suffer from Bacteriophobia please share your story. How do you cope with this phobia?

Agraphobia: The Fear of Sexual Abuse

Agraphobia is an abnormal and persistent fear of Sexual Abuse.

Agraphobia is a common condition, but it is not well known. Most people who suffer from Agraphobia have had a past link between emotional trauma and sexual abuse.

Those with Agraphobia don’t have to personally experience sexual abuse to suffer from the phobia. Agraphobia can be triggered by just watching sexual abuse on T.V.

If you have this phobia, please share your story and help raise awareness of Agraphobia.

Aeronausiphobia: The Fear of Vomiting because of Airsickness

Aeronausiphobia is the irrational and extreme fear of vomiting that is caused by airsickness.

This one is easy for me to imagine because I tend to have motion sickness quite often. It's one thing when your in your car with family or friends, but when you're on an airplane with strangers the idea of puking all over the place can be terrifying.

If you've been on an airplane before and have become airsick then most likely you have developed this phobia. Social puking no matter the cause can be extremely embarrassing and if you've done it once you don't want to do it again!

If you have this phobia please share your story. When did it begin and how do you deal with it?