Top 10 Most Crippling Phobias

Lists: All, Bizarre, Health ; Written or Posted by: William O'Dell

Everyone fears something. Whether it’s a child fearing the boogey man (bogyphobia) or even fear of the number 13 (triskadekaphobia). These two seem potentially unfounded fears, though there are real people who are particularly afraid of them. Certainly fears are crippling to the person with the phobia; however, there are also some potentially crippling fears that could halt someone in their tracks on a daily basis. To be included on this list, the reason for the phobia has to be something that a person can encounter every day. Don’t be afraid, read on. And if you have any top 10 lists, please submit them to TopTenz.net

10. Chronophobia

The fear of clocks might easily be overcome; however, the alternate definition of chronophobia is the fear of time. Time surrounds us, it binds us – sorry, Star Wars moment there. If a person were to rid herself of all reminders of time such as clocks that would be one thing. But fear has a way of creeping up on someone. As soon as she thought about the fact that time is slipping away, perhaps their sanity might as well. Photo by Perpetually.

9. Stasibasiphobia

Most people might think that couch potatoes have this fear of standing up and walking. It’s not true; most couch potatoes are just averse to the idea. However, a person with stasibasiphobia could very well never get anything done in life, unless he was confined to a wheelchair. But what happens if that person is afraid of someone else standing up and walking? Does that mean the phobic must live in isolation in a sitting position for the rest of his life? What a drag!

8. Domatophobia

Most Americans want four walls, three meals a day and a bed to sleep on. Unfortunately, most of those things are on this list as crippling phobias including domatophobia, fear of houses or being in a house. The only logical cure to this phobia would be to live in a cave or some other natural enclosure unless the fear doesn’t extend to apartments or condos. Either way, that’s a portion of the American Dream dashed. Photo by elliterate

7. Decidophobia

You just did it! You just made the decision to continue reading this list, which includes the phobia of making decisions, decidophobia. A person who cannot make a decision is likely to be eternally stuck in a rut. Unless something becomes second nature such as everyday routines, a person could be crippled by the simple decision of what to eat for breakfast. Photo by Garretc.

6. Nyctophobia and Photophobia

For these two fears, they are sides of the same coins like a Yin-Yang symbol – literally. Nyctophobia is the fear of night or darkness, while photophobia is the fear of light. Perhaps the only way to handle these fears is sleeping through the night or through the day, then again turning on all your lights might help a phobic handle the fear of darkness, not necessarily the electricity bill. On the flip side, a photophobic would have to live in the dark for the rest of his life – talk about being white as a sheet. Photo by carbonblack

5. Anthropophobia and Lalophobia

Like No. 6 on our list, these fears could potentially isolate the phobic for life. Anthropophobia is a fear of people while lalophobia is the fear of speaking. Maybe the hermit with domatophobia should get together with the anthropophobic. Nope, that wouldn’t work, because the hermit is still a person. And don’t forget that never being able to speak or be around another person certainly wouldn’t do well for social skills. Photo by SaraMcL.

4. Urophobia

From here on out, this list becomes phobias of functions that humans must do to survive. And that means that the phobias, such as urophobia or the fear of urination, would put a cramp on anyone’s life style. A catheter might be a stop gap measure as long as someone else would agree to change the phobic’s bag. Either way, everyone has to release bodily waste and this fear could make bathrooms a very unpleasant experience no matter where the phobic is. Photo by Phil Dokas.

3. Somniphobia and Clinophobia

While you don’t necessarily have to be clinophobic to be somniphobic, it doesn’t really matter once you realize that going to sleep is never an option anymore! A person with somniphobia fears sleep while a person suffering from clinophobia fears beds. I’m sure a clinophobic could just sleep standing up. However, humans need the REM cycles of sleep to help digest their everyday thoughts and activities. Without sleep, a person could, potentially, slowly go insane due to fatigue and too many screws loose in the noggin. We all have nightmares, but can you imagine having a waking nightmare about going to sleep? Photo by rbatina

2. Phagophobia

And the final piece of our American Dream is having three square meals a day. But what if you had phagophobia, the fear of eating? There are people – in hospitals – who live on liquid diets. But to go without food must be torturous on a daily basis, unless of course, you’re a phagophobic. It must be hard for a phobic like this to go out on a date since he would obviously not ask his date out for dinner. And the holidays must also get awful lonely without the company and great food! Photo by Laura Mary.

1. Anemophobia

Catch your breath, especially if you have anemophobia, the fear of air. A person could be scared every moment of her life. Sure eating, sleeping and all the other fears on this list could cripple people on a daily basis, but not potentially for every moment of your waking life. There are a number of methods to counter phobias, all of which seem like they would fail miserably contingent on how paralyzed a phobic is of air. Outside of living in a bubble with a controlled atmosphere, nothing comes to mind to counter such a phobia. Even a little fresh air to help cleanse the mind wouldn’t help in this case.

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Comments

38 Responses to “Top 10 Most Crippling Phobias”

A.Alaalas on July 11th, 2008 2:52 am

Do they all roll-up into vitaphobia, a fear of life? Personally, I have vilisaphobia, a fear of cheapskates. It’s personal.
Toyzone on July 11th, 2008 7:20 am

Hey

we really appreciate your kind words!

I am big fan of your site, as you can see we do the odd topten on our site.

If you need anything… please shoot me an message via msn: danny-ashton@hotmail.co.uk

Cheers

Danny
Leon on July 11th, 2008 8:09 am

You have to mention Hipopotomanastrasaquipedaliophobia - Fear OF Long Words. (i think thats how you spell it)
Proxl on July 11th, 2008 9:20 am

The term “phobia” doesn’t exactly mean “fear” - at least not in all cases. It means something more like “an aversion to”. For instance, when someone is suffering from a migrane headache, a common symptom is photophobia: they can’t stand the light because it causes additional pain, but they aren’t actually afraid of the light. Most phobias occur in varying degrees. What we call “pet peeves” might qualify as very minor phobias.
Peter on July 11th, 2008 10:04 am

Actially phobia does mean fear. Its fromm greek, phobos, meaning fear.
They call something like avoidibg light a phobia, because you do fear it. You fear that it will give you pain, something most people want to ignore.

One very big one was missing from your list- aquaphobia (a symptom of rabies).
A fear of water. That would be a tough one.

As for Anemophobia, couldnt they just live off an oxygen tank? Its not air, techincally.
ken on July 11th, 2008 10:21 am

good post i wounder what the fear of having a phobia would be ?.
erik on July 11th, 2008 11:18 am

i have an intense fear of seagulls no joke. what would that be called?
Kaytee on July 11th, 2008 12:05 pm

Ouch… that would really suck!
anon on July 11th, 2008 1:31 pm

Phobia is also used in a non-medical sense for aversions of all sorts. These terms are usually constructed with the suffix -phobia. A number of these terms describe negative attitudes or prejudices towards the named subjects
TopTenz Master on July 11th, 2008 1:38 pm

Erik - Ornithophobia is the fear of birds, but that is the best I can do. I’m sure you can coin the phrase for a seagull phobia.
anna on July 11th, 2008 11:40 pm

i’m terrified of poison ivy (the plant itself, not the reaction) and called it toxicodendrophobia since it didn’t seem to have a real name. for eric, it could be laridaephobia. or a grammatically correct version since i suck at making words.
glad i’m afraid of something less…socially crippling than the stuff in the article. sheesh.
Midna on July 12th, 2008 3:43 pm

I have a fear of ticks…I’m not sure if that’s classified under Arachnophobia? It literally prevents me from doing anything if I think there will be ticks involved. My mind goes into some sort of rage…
Midna on July 12th, 2008 3:45 pm

actually, I remembered it. It’s called entonophobia.
TopTenz Master on July 12th, 2008 4:49 pm

This has been the most popular post for Top Tenz so far (only 2 months). I’m not sure to be happy for the success or sad for the realization that there are so many odd phobias out there affecting our lives on a daily basis.

Danny - love your site too. Thanks for the comment. If you ever want to contribute a list you would be a welcomed writer.
ATOzTOA on July 14th, 2008 7:21 am

What about phobophobia??? The fear of having a phobia
Jamie on July 14th, 2008 10:09 pm

Shopped!!!!!!11 Haha I’ve wanted to act like one of those idiots lol

Great lovef it =P
Keoki on July 15th, 2008 8:46 am

I had a fear of heights and I jumped off a 100 foot cliff into water and conquered it also had a fear of spiders and got over it by raisind daddy long legs. Phobias can be overcome.
dave on July 15th, 2008 4:34 pm

Leftmarginless = the fear of no left rail.
Kylie on July 16th, 2008 4:38 pm

what about Trichopathophobia… fear of hair? as a sufferer I must say it’s pretty awful. hair is everywhere.
nikki on July 18th, 2008 10:16 am

I have a fear of spiders. but thats because my brother got bit by a brown recluse in elementary school. Luckily he was alright in the end. And I have a weird fear of hrights. I can go on roller coasters, but I shake and flip out on almost anything else that is high (even ladders!)
Online Advertising on July 24th, 2008 5:29 pm

I bet you more people suffer from Decidophobia then would admit it.
Rajeshree on July 26th, 2008 5:45 am

Hello Top Tenz,,

The post is really awesome…no doubt the chain is elongating…!!

I have some equally good solutions for a few phobia’s mentioned here…do find them on my blog.

I guess this will also provee to be an answer to all other discussion on board….!
Sean on July 27th, 2008 8:40 pm

Top ten lists scare the [expletive] out of me.
RPO on July 28th, 2008 1:58 pm

I think we are all sometimes ridden by Chronophobia. Time and lack of it can drive ya crazy.
Recruiting Services on July 29th, 2008 3:38 pm

Decidophobia: indecisiveness

Hypochondriac: figment of your imagination
deadrazorsEMO on October 14th, 2008 9:23 pm

one of my friends has a fear of boats. we oculdnt find the name for it so we called it ‘titaniphobia’ named after the Titanic, although it sorta sounded like a fear of titanium. im philaphobic: fear the romance! do it!
blake on November 1st, 2008 11:06 pm

oh oh i jest remembered globaphobia fear of
balloons but i figured out how to counter act
it a thumb tack;)
Bob on November 4th, 2008 12:43 pm

Decidophobia seems a little stupid. Are you afraid to make the decision to be afraid of it?
Meegh on November 15th, 2008 9:43 am

I have climacophobia, a fear of climbing or going down stairs. Escalators are ok as long as they are working. If they aren’t working I can’t climb them, it is 10x worse. Luckily I’ve learned to manage it.
Helena on January 28th, 2009 4:50 am

Um. Excuse me. You’ve forgotten the worst phobia ever. NECROPHOBIA. I’d like some freaking representation here, man!!
Necrophobia, the phobia of death and dying, is TERRIFYING, as it’s not even a fear. Because death is inevitable. You can’t do anything about it. I can’t do anything about it. MAKE A FREAKING ADDITION TO THE LIST DAMNIT!!!!! omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg
Helena on January 28th, 2009 4:53 am

Oh oh oh. And another fear that sucks epically? Fear of fear. YES THAT’S RIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I’m afraid of being scared. It makes you so so so suspicious. And it also sucks. But OMG nowhere nears as much as necrophobia -shudders-
XUSNLT on February 10th, 2009 11:25 pm

Phobophobia is the fear of fears. Hydrophobia - not aquaphobia - is the fear of water. (If you saw Ol’ Yeller, you’ll recall the term used as a substitute for rabies because the fear/aversion accompanies the disease.) Agoraphobia is the fear of wide open spaces and keeps people indoors, while claustrophobia keeps people out of confined spaces like phone booths, confessionals and elevators… In a Scattergories game one night, my dad, two brothers and I all answered “Stupidity” for the “fear” category beginning with an “S” - not snakes or spiders, folks. Stupidity. (We’re fairly bright people.)
betzblue on February 24th, 2009 11:29 am

What about twids like myself who have an abnormal fear of driving in heavy traffic or on freeways?
Never had any anxiety or panic attacks until the freeways in San Diego started turning into LA….so I moved to Central Oregon, where I then discovered I hated to drive with the 18 wheelers too. So now I am in Tennessee, and find that country roads brought me back to my senses….
Weird Phobias on March 19th, 2009 5:51 pm

Very good site, excellent content, I will recommend to my group of readers in the university, I found very interesting article on the internet, including this …
Weird phobias that control your life…..: The humongous list of phobias that you can have find anywhere shares the same characteristics, like the fear of dentist or doctor. Phobias and Fears are emotional reactions to an uncomfortable situation that causes physical and mental responses. Some of the symptoms that affect all of these weird phobias and fears like fear of success or fear of long words include:
1) Horror, terror, confusion, fear and uncontrollable feelings of panic
2) Unawareness that phobias and fears go beyond.
3) Acceleration of heart beat, extreme sweating, trembling, breathing problems.
Margot on March 26th, 2009 3:33 pm

I agree that hydrophobia should be on this list. Now mind you I’m not completely hydrophobic–I still shower, and swim in pools and stuff. But I can’t do any live body of water. I can go to the beach if its JUST sand, but if theres anything else in the water I can’t stand it. And deep water especially freaks me out, whenever I accidentally flip to a Titanic or shark documentary on TV I freak. Ichthyophobia (fear of fish) goes hand in hand with this for me.

But most of all, I think there should be a word for fear of whales. I haven’t been able to find one yet, nor have I encountered someone else who shares this fear, but seriously they are the freakiest things in existence. They scare the heck out of me.
anonymous on March 28th, 2009 12:14 am

to helena

the topic is about phobias that could cripple or harm people

having necrophobia can’t harm (or kill) a person, instead it will help you to avoid of being dead because you are afraid of dying
Milander on May 4th, 2009 11:39 am

What about Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - a fear of long words!

Well, imagine the situation…
everytime you get an attack of it you’d have to explain what caused it thereby triggering another attack.
Poor B**tard.
cAROLINE1957 on May 26th, 2009 12:09 am

Very interesting information. Good article