Online Phobia Test

Thank you for taking our phobia quiz! Below is a little bit more information about this disorder as well as links to mental health professionals who can help you.

What is a Specific Phobia?

Everyone is afraid of something. For example, it's normal to feel some anxiety when giving a presentation or doing something new. However, some people experience an unnatural level of anxiety or fear when confronted with even the thought of a specific thing or situation.

A specific phobia is an intense and irrational fear on a specific object or situation. Phobias are said to affect about 19 million adults, and women are two times more likely than men to have a specific phobia. Many times, a person with a specific phobia is also afraid of more than one object or situation. In fact, approximately 75% of people with a specific phobia fear more than one object or situation.

DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Specific Phobias

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), or DSM-5, outlines that specific phobias, diagnosed by a medical professional, must meet the following criteria:

• Unreasonable, excessive fear: Marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, seeing blood, or in this case, fear of needles).
• Immediate anxiety response: The phobic object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety.
• Avoidance or extreme distress: The individual goes out of their way to avoid the object or situation, or endures it with extreme distress.
• Life-limiting: The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
• Six months duration: The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more.
• Not caused by another disorder: The disturbance is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder, including fear, anxiety, and avoidance of situations associated with panic-like symptoms or other incapacitating symptoms (as in agoraphobia); objects or situations related to obsessions (as in obsessive-compulsive disorder); reminders of traumatic events (as in posttraumatic stress disorder); separation from home or attachment figures (as in separation anxiety disorder); or social situations (as in social anxiety disorder).

Treatment Available for Specific Phobias

Exposure Therapy

One of the best forms of treatment for many specific phobias is a form of psychotherapy called exposure therapy. Exposure therapy is a type of psychotherapy treatment that focuses on changing a person’s response to the object or thing they fear. Gradual, repeated exposure to your fear can help a sufferer to learn ways to overcome their specific phobia. This technique is excellent for treating phobias.

Find mental health professionals that use exposure therapy treatment

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is another way mental health professionals treat specific phobias. CBT combines exposure therapy along with other techniques to teach a sufferer to learn ways to view and cope their specific phobia. CBT also teaches a sufferer new beliefs about their specific phobia so that they can develop a mastery and confidence over their thoughts and feelings rather than feeling overwhelmed.

Find mental health professionals that use cognitive behavioral therapy

Medications

Typically psychotherapy such as exposure therapy and CBT are enough for most phobia sufferers. However, sometimes medications can help reduce some of the side effects like anxiety or panic associated with a person’s phobia.

Some medications include:

• Antidepressants
• Antianxiety medications
• Betablockers
• Sedatives

Find mental health professionals that can help you with medication management

Get Phobia Treatment

Having a specific phobia can be paralyzing for sufferers.

If you need help, there is hope! Reach out to a licensed mental health professional that treats phobias.

Common Types of Specific Phobias

Below are some common types of specific phobias. We will be adding to this list as we expand our resources on specific phobias.

Achluophobia

Achluophobia is the fear of darkness.

Acrophobia

Acrophobia is the fear of heights

Aerophobia

Aerophobia is the Fear of flying

Algophobia

Algophobia is the fear of pain

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces or crowds

Aichmophobia

Aichmophobia is the fear of needles or pointed objects

Amaxophobia

Amaxophobia is the fear of riding in a car

Androphobia

Androphobia is the fear of men

Anginophobia

Anginophobia is the fear of angina or choking

Anthrophobia

Anthrophobia is the fear of flowers

Anthropophobia

Anthropophobia is the fear of people or society

Aphenphosmphobia

Aphenphosmphobia is the fear of being touched

Arachibutyrophobia

Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter

Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders

Arithmophobia

Arithmophobia is the fear of numbers

Astraphobia

Astraphobia is the fear of thunder and lightning

Ataxophobia

Ataxophobia is the fear of disorder or untidiness

Atelophobia

Atelophobia is the fear of imperfection

Atychiphobia

Atychiphobia is the fear of failure

Automatonophobia

Automatonophobia is the fear of Human-Like Figures

Autophobia

Autophobia is the fear of being alone

Bacteriophobia

Bacteriophobia is the fear of bacteria

Barophobia

Barophobia is the fear of gravity

Bathmophobia

Bathmophobia is the fear of stairs or steep slopes

Batrachophobia

Batrachophobia is the fear of amphibians

Belonephobia

Belonephobia is the fear of pins and needles

Bibliophobia

Bibliophobia is the fear of books

Botanophobia

Botanophobia is the fear of plants

Cacophobia

Cacophobia is the fear of ugliness

Catagelophobia

Catagelophobia is the fear of being ridiculed

Catoptrophobia

Catoptrophobia is the fear of mirrors

Chionophobia

Chionophobia is the Fear of snow

Chromophobia

Chromophobia is the fear of colors

Chronomentrophobia

Chronomentrophobia is the fear of clocks

Chronophobia

Chronophobia is the fear of Time

Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia is the fear of confined spaces

Coulrophobia

Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns

Cyberphobia

Cyberphobia is the fear of computers

Cynophobia

Cynophobia is the fear of dogs

Dendrophobia

Dendrophobia is the fear of trees

Dentophobia

Dentophobia is the fear of dentists

Domatophobia

Domatophobia is the fear of houses

Dystychiphobia

Dystychiphobia is the fear of accidents

Ecophobia

Ecophobia is the fear of the home

Elurophobia

Elurophobia is the fear of cats

Emetophobia

Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting

Entomophobia

Entomophobia is the fear of insects

Ephebiphobia

Ephebiphobia is the fear of teenagers

Equinophobia

Equinophobia is the fear of horses

Gamophobia

Gamophobia is the fear of marriage

Genuphobia

Genuphobia is the fear of knees

Glossophobia

Glossophobia is the fear of speaking in public

Gynophobia

Gynophobia is the fear of women

Haphephobia

Haphephobia is the fear of touch

Heliophobia

Heliophobia is the fear of the sun

Hemophobia

Hemophobia is the fear of blood

Herpetophobia

Herpetophobia is the fear of reptiles

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is the fear of long words

Hydrophobia

Hydrophobia is the fear of water

Hypochondria

Hypochondria is the fear of illness

Iatrophobia

Iatrophobia is the fear of doctors

Insectophobia

Insectophobia is the fear of insects

Katsaridaphobia

Katsaridaphobia is the fear of Cockroaches

Koinoniphobia

Koinoniphobia is the fear of rooms

Koumpounophobia

Koumpounophobia is the fear of buttons

Leukophobia

Leukophobia is the fear of the color white

Lilapsophobia

Lilapsophobia is the fear of tornadoes and hurricanes

Lockiophobia

Lockiophobia is the fear of childbirth

Mageirocophobia

Mageirocophobia is the fear of cooking

Megalophobia

Megalophobia is the fear of large things

Melanophobia

Melanophobia is the fear of the color black

Microphobia

Microphobia is the fear of small things

Mysophobia

Mysophobia is the fear of dirt and germs

Necrophobia

Necrophobia is the fear of death or dead things

Noctiphobia

Noctiphobia is the fear of the night

Nosocomephobia

Nosocomephobia is the fear of hospitals

Nyctophobia

Nyctophobia is the fear of the dark

Obesophobia

Obesophobia is the fear of gaining weight

Octophobia

Octophobia is the fear of the figure 8

Ombrophobia

Ombrophobia is the fear of rain

Ophidiophobia

Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes

Ornithophobia

Ornithophobia is the fear of birds

Papyrophobia

Papyrophobia is the fear of paper

Pathophobia

Pathophobia is the fear of disease

Pedophobia

Pedophobia is the fear of children

Philematophobia

Philematophobia is the fear of Kissing

Philophobia

Philophobia is the fear of love

Phobophobia

Phobophobia is the fear of phobias

Podophobia

Podophobia is the fear of feet

Porphyrophobia

Porphyrophobia is the fear of the color purple

Pteridophobia

Pteridophobia is the fear of ferns

Pteromerhanophobia

Pteromerhanophobia is the fear of flying

Pyrophobia

Pyrophobia is the fear of fire

Samhainophobia

Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween

Scolionophobia

Scolionophobia is the fear of school

Scoptophobia

Scoptophobia is the fear of being stared at

Selenophobia

Selenophobia is the fear of the moon

Sociophobia

Sociophobia is the fear of social evaluation

Somniphobia

Somniphobia is the fear of sleep

Tachophobia

Tachophobia is the fear of speed

Technophobia

Technophobia is the fear of technology

Tonitrophobia

Tonitrophobia is the fear of thunder

Trypanophobia

Trypanophobia is the fear of needles/injections

Trypophobia

Trypophobia is the fear of Holes

Venustraphobia

Venustraphobia is the fear of beautiful women

Verminophobia

Verminophobia is the fear of germs

Wiccaphobia

Wiccaphobia is the fear of witches and witchcraft

Xenophobia

Xenophobia is the fear of strangers or foreigners

Zoophobia

Zoophobia is the fear of animals