phobo-, phob-, -phobia, -phobias, -phobe, -phobiac, -phobist, -phobic, -phobism, -phobous +

An obsessional fear of bathing.

This fear also relates to an incessant preoccupation with washing or bathing. People who have this particular Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder may be dominated with the act of frequent handwashing or an obsession against washing or bathing.

Activities based on this fear may include avoidance by long periods without washing, abnormal anxiety when considering washing or when actually trying to wash, and anxiety and dread when observing others who are washing.

There are some who have this fear who also fear water or fear being seen in the nude. Some are anxious that their bodies will be criticized or compared with those of others. Still some people simply fear warm or cold water. Ablutophobia may include taking baths, showers, or even swimming.

1. Excessive fear of skin infestation by mites or ticks; fear of itching.
2. Fear of small objects; such as, insects, worms, mites, and non-living things; such as, needles and pins.

Some people are so afraid of insects and mites that they seal off their windows, vacuum and sweep several times a day; and feel anxiety outside their “cleansed” residences.

Excessive fear of sourness. Such fears may lead to avoidance of acerbic (sour) foods or other products.

An abnormal fear of darkness.

Such a fear includes not going out at night, increased anxiety as evening approaches, not wanting to look out at the darkness by closing the window shades to avoid looking out, avoidance of looking into dark rooms, and always having some kind of light available.

On the other hand, many agoraphobics seem to feel more comfortable in the dark than in the light.

In plants, an inability to tolerate acid soils.

An abnormal fear of hearing noises in general or specific noises or sounds. This phobia goes beyond just being startled by sudden loud noises. Some people fear specific noises, such as whistling, balloons popping, or sonic booms.

Excessive fear of heights, elevators, climbing ladders, pinnacles, etc.; fear of sharp points.

This is one of the most common phobias in the general population.

People who have acrophobia are afraid of being on high floors of buildings or on the tops of hills or mountains. They often feel anxious when they approach the edge of bridges, rooftops, stairwells, and railings. Sometimes individuals fear and feel an uncontrollable urge to jump. They may have fantasies and physical sensations of falling even when standing on firm ground.

Those fears of being in elevators or on escalators, balconies, and stairways are probably related to the fear of heights; as is the fear of flying or falling.

An abnormal fear of being too fat.

Intolerant of high atmospheric humidity.

An intensive fear of airplanes or the fear of vomiting due to airsickness.

People who fear vomiting, or seeing others vomit, may also be anxious about being airsick themselves or of seeing others afflicted with the resultant vomiting.

An excessive fear of wind, air, or an intensive hatred of drafts; as in cases of hydrophobia, hysteria, and other nervous ailments. There are times when this term is used to identify the fear of flying in aircraft.

1. An excessive fear of crowded, public places (like markets), or of the necessity of leaving the sheltering protection of home, parents, friends, etc.; considered the most common phobia known.
2. A mental disorder characterized by an irrational fear of leaving the familiar setting of home, or venturing into the open, so pervasive that a large number of external life situations are entered into reluctantly or are avoided; often associated with panic attacks.

The agoraphobia page of extended information.

A fear of sexual abuse.

An abnormal or excessive fear of wild animals.

1. An abnormal fear of busy streets.
2. Fear of crossing a busy street.
3. An excessive fear of public places where help might not be available or from which escape might be difficult to achieve.

A form of agoraphobia.