Uncommon Phobias
Wikipedia says phobias are usually the result of a “combination of external events (i.e., traumatic events) and internal predispositions (i.e., heredity or genetics).” People affected with phobias may experience an unreasonable dread of a subject accompanied by rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweating and nausea. Here are some uncommon phobias.
ALLIUMPHOBIA: FEAR OF GARLIC — People with alliumphobia avoid consuming garlic at all costs and shudder even at the sight or smell of it. Garlic sprays may be used as effective mosquito repellents. There’s evidence gases and odors exhaled by a person who has consumed plenty of garlic may drive off mosquitoes.
DIDASKALEINOPHOBIA: FEAR OF GOING TO SCHOOL — This aversion to school affects 5 percent of the population. The root cause may be traced back to learning disabilities (like dyslexia or ADHD), an inability to cope with academic pressure or traumatic events (such as being bullied, oppressed or marginalized), or being confronted in school.
SOCERAPHOBIA: FEAR OF IN-LAWS — Do you have constant apprehension, anxiety or fear at the thought of interacting with your in-laws? A surprisingly large number of newlywed men and women are seeking therapy to overcome this phobia.
POGONOPHOBIA: FEAR OF BEARDS — Some people attach negative attributes of being disheveled, unhygienic and/or barbaric to men with beards and are repulsed by them. Some women have turned down eligible bachelors due to this phobia and even consider men with facial hair to have a “suspicious streak of individuality and defiance.”
EUPHOBIA: FEARING OF HEARING GOOD NEWS — We know that everyone loves to hear good news and dreads the bad, but here’s a shocking revelation – people suffering from euphobia shun good news of any kind! The reason behind this might be an apprehension of a deceptive or elusive piece of unpleasant news lurking behind so-called “good news.”
CALIGYNEPHOBIA/VENUSTRAPHOBIA: FEAR OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN — Some people may suffer from a ceaseless fear, anxiety, uneasiness and even depression when coming in contact with beautiful women. This may stem from a traumatic incident in the past of confronting a beautiful female, low self-esteem and/or self-image, or an inferiority complex.
VESTIOPHOBIA: FEAR OF WEARING CLOTHES — Vestiophobia is an aversion to the feeling of clothes on one’s body. People with this phobia prefer to dress in extremely loose garments or sometimes no garment at all. Traumatic incidents of being bitten by insects (like spiders and wasps) hidden in the folds of the clothes are linked with vestiophobia. Sometimes wearing heavy clothes for a prolonged time may trigger such a phobia. The symptoms range between a sense of suffocation and strangulation, to nausea, trembling and panic.
