What Are Some Unusual Phobias of Everyday Objects?

[wolram]

http://www.didyouknow.cd/phobias/phobiasal.htm

Can people really be affraid of some of these?

 

[NewScientist]

Yep they can

 

[wolram]

How could anyone go through life afraid of money?

 

[hypatia]

They find ways of coping, get others to do there banking/shopping. Famlies and friends enable phobics a great deal, there is a lot of help/treatment out there.
I do know of a lady who can not be left alone, she just panics and does outrageous things. The family goes to great lenths to make sure some one is there at all times.

 

[honestrosewater]

That's a funny aspect of some anxiety disorders - it doesn't matter how absurd the feared object or situation is or how disproportionate their response; The person often feels like they have no control over it.

Specific phobia (SP) is characterized by extreme fear of specific objects or situations that present little or no threat in reality. A summary of the diagnostic criteria for SP, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, includes the following:

* Criterion A: The patient has persistent or irrational fear that is unreasonable or excessive and is triggered by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation

* Criterion B: Exposure to the above noted event or object almost always results in an immediate anxiety response

* Criterion C: The person acknowledges this response to be unreasonable or excessive

* Criterion D: The person either avoids such situations or objects or else experiences exposure with intensive anxiety or distress

* Criterion E: The avoidance or distressful response significantly interferes with a person's daily functioning

* Criterion F: Duration is at least 6 months for individuals younger than 18 years

* Criterion G: The anxiety, distressful response, or avoidance is not accounted for by other mental disorders (see Differentials).

Adults with SP acknowledge that their fear is excessive or unreasonable, but children may not.
- http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2659.htm

If anyone around here thinks I'm a pretty rational, stable person, you might be surprised to see the list that I'm working on of my obsessions and compulsions. It's nowhere near finished, but gives you an idea of how different a person can be from their disorder. Looking at the list myself, I'm rather amazed that I manage to function at all. The list has a specific purpose and isn't meant to be shown to just anyone, so if you do read it and don't understand what I'm talking about, you can see this.

 

[wolram]

I have a fear of touching cotton wool, it makes me cringe just thinking about
it, but i didn't see that in the list, am i unique ?

 

[honestrosewater]

I have a fear of touching cotton wool, it makes me cringe just thinking about
it, but i didn't see that in the list, am i unique ?

Apparently not, but there's help available!

This hypnotic cassette or compact disc is suitable for all fears and all phobias such as: heights, death, flying, spiders, birds, failure, mice, dentists and pretty much anything you can think of including cotton wool!
- http://www.tosleep.co.uk/fearsphobias.htm

Don't worry, you're still very peculiar in my book.

 

[primal schemer]

Do they really need to have atomosophobia down there, surely everyone is afraid of atomic explosions.

Also, you got to love bogyphobia - fear of the bogeyman.

PS

 

[wolram]

Apparently not, but there's help available!


Don't worry, you're still very peculiar in my book.

But how can anyone be afraid of some thing as harmless and stupid?

And i :!) you to WB

 

[wolram]

Do they really need to have atomosophobia down there, surely everyone is afraid of atomic explosions.

Also, you got to love bogyphobia - fear of the bogeyman.

PS

The bogeyman is the one my folks used to try and scare us with when we
were kids, but it just made us worse

 

[wolram]

Amnesia, amnesiophobia.

This one is paradoxical.

 

[honestrosewater]

England, English - Anglophobia
Well, that's understandable.
everything - panophobia
Hey, maybe this is what I have! No, wait, I'm not afraid of cotton wool.
Greek (or complex scientific) terms - Hellenologophobia
figure 8 - octophobia
flavours - geumophobia
Okay, these are a bit odd, even for me.
And the worst phobia to have...
fear - phobophobia

 

[wolram]

That's a funny aspect of some anxiety disorders - it doesn't matter how absurd the feared object or situation is or how disproportionate their response; The person often feels like they have no control over it.
If anyone around here thinks I'm a pretty rational, stable person, you might be surprised to see the list that I'm working on of my obsessions and compulsions. It's nowhere near finished, but gives you an idea of how different a person can be from their disorder. Looking at the list myself, I'm rather amazed that I manage to function at all. The list has a specific purpose and isn't meant to be shown to just anyone, so if you do read it and don't understand what I'm talking about, you can see this.

Rose when did all this start ?

 

[honestrosewater]

Rose when did all this start ?

Early summer when I was 17, a little over 5 years ago. It wasn't always as bad as it is now - I used to be able to go outside and such - I managed to keep jobs and everything.
But anyway, would you have guessed that there was something seriously wrong with me if I hadn't told you? Most people wait years before seeking treatment and manage to hide it quite well if they try.

 

[wolram]

England, English - Anglophobia
Well, that's understandable. ]

you wouldn't be afeared of old wolram rose, you wouldn't have time

 

[wolram]

Early summer when I was 17, a little over 5 years ago. It wasn't always as bad as it is now - I used to be able to go outside and such - I managed to keep jobs and everything.

I think some thing bad hapend when you were 17 ?

 

[honestrosewater]

you wouldn't be afeared of old wolram rose, you wouldn't have time

Ha, I'm always on the lookout for woolierams.

 

[honestrosewater]

I think some thing bad hapend when you were 17 ?

Nope. Well, there is something that I think is connected, but it wasn't a bad experience - just realizing that I needed to be responsible for my own safety and success. It was phrased more like saving myself from the fates that I most feared, but these were things like never achieving some of my important goals and such; They weren't fears of snakes or anything like that. Oddly enough, I just noticed this connection last week!
Just before I had my first episode, I had been having the same dream every night for about a month or so: I was in immediate danger and running from something or someone - and that's what my earliest obsessions were about.

 

[wolram]

Ha, I'm always on the lookout for woolierams.

I have heard they can give one a wicked butt, though most of the time they
are well behaved.

 

[wolram]

Nope. Well, there is something that I think is connected, but it wasn't a bad experience - just realizing that I needed to be responsible for my own safety and success. It was phrased more like saving myself from the fates that I most feared, but these were things like never achieving some of my important goals and such; They weren't fears of snakes or anything like that. Oddly enough, I just noticed this connection last week!
Just before I had my first episode, I had been having the same dream every night for about a month or so: I was in immediate danger and running from something or someone - and that's what my earliest obsessions were about.

Your running from the possibility of failure, and you have set your goals so
high that you may?
It seems to me that you are unknowingly punishing yourself, but i am no
authority.

 

[honestrosewater]

Your running from the possibility of failure, and you have set your goals so
high that you may?
It seems to me that you are unknowingly punishing yourself, but i am no
authority.

You're half right- I know that I'm punishing myself. I aim to be the best possible and perform perfectly, but that's not always unrealistic; There are some things that I should be able to do perfectly or very near perfectly. But I don't think that explains my symptoms. It seems more likely that I have a biological predisposition or sensitivity and my deep sense of personal responsibility and perfectionism just triggered and feeds it. Of course, I could be wrong... anywho, I don't want to bore everyone with my problems, as fascinating as they are to me.

 

[matthyaouw]

Honestrosewater, quite a few things on that list remind me of when I was a child, and a couple still effect me now. At least I know I'm not the only one:D

 

[Evo]

If anyone around here thinks I'm a pretty rational, stable person

You *are* a rational, stable person, you are just dealing with a chemical imbalance. Did you mention before if you are taking any medication to correct it?

Hang in there.

 

[wolram]

You're half right- I know that I'm punishing myself. I aim to be the best possible and perform perfectly, but that's not always unrealistic; There are some things that I should be able to do perfectly or very near perfectly. But I don't think that explains my symptoms. It seems more likely that I have a biological predisposition or sensitivity and my deep sense of personal responsibility and perfectionism just triggered and feeds it. Of course, I could be wrong... anywho, I don't want to bore everyone with my problems, as fascinating as they are to me.

You can not judge your self Rose, you are not qualifed, and perfection is
an illusion, what seems perfect to me, others may view as a bag of old nails,
and you isn't boring.

 

[wolram]

Honestrosewater, quite a few things on that list remind me of when I was a child, and a couple still effect me now. At least I know I'm not the only one:D

If you want to explain may be it would help me understand why i am afraid of
cotton wool.

 

[matthyaouw]

I can sympathise- the feeling given by squeezing cotton wool makes me cringe at times. Its almost as bad as the noise and feeling of polystyrene.

I may come back to this thread and explain in more detail in a few days, as I'm off away tomorrow morning.

 

[Evo]

If you want to explain may be it would help me understand why i am afraid of
cotton wool.

I would be afraid of anything that was a cross between a sheep and a plant!

What the heck is cotton wool? Cotton comes from a plant, wool comes from a sheep.

 

[Evo]

cottonballs! Why don't you silly english just say so.

edit: now that you deleted your post, it looks like I'm talking to myself.

edit to edit: now it looks like I saw into the future.

 

[matthyaouw]

http://shrc.net/Merchant2/graphics/prodpics/10534.jpg

^ the stuff those are made from.

 

[matthyaouw]

cottonballs! Why don't you silly english just say so.

edit: now that you deleted your post, it looks like I'm talking to myself.

I looked at the pic a bit closer, and they seemed to be made of gauze type material, so I thought I'd best change it
(looked again- half were cotton balls. half were gauze stuff. Right the first time ).

Anyway, what's it called when it's not in ball form? If it were just called cotton, people would assume thread/fabric type stuff. Silly Americans :P