Nothing to Fear

Phobias

Fear of speed cameras

When driving past a speed camera, the natural reaction for many drivers is to slow down or at least check the dashboard to read the speedometer. But for one man, the cameras caused such anxiety that he would take hours-long detours to avoid them. He eventually contacted the organization in charge of the speed cameras for help, realizing that his extreme reaction was abnormal and interfered with his daily life.

Orthorexia

While a healthy diet has its virtues, some people take conscientious eating too far. Coined by Colorado physician Dr. Steven Bratman, the term orthorexia applies to people who obsess over eating healthy food. Otherwise known as "health food junkies," people with orthorexia are so concerned with maintaining a healthy diet free of fat, preservatives or sugar that they allow it to interfere with daily life. In extreme cases, orthorexia can lead to malnutrition or even death.

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Aerophobia

Whether you call it pteromerhanophobia, aviatophobia, aviophobia or aerophobia, the fear of flying in an airplane can pose a great limitation in today's increasingly mobile society. Some people, however, are trying to overcome their fear by enrolling in a group course to learn to fly, which culminates in a flight from New York's LaGuardia airport to Boston and back. The New York Times profiled in a video two women taking such a course in White Plains, N.Y., and although both of them completed the flight to Boston, only one flew back to New York.

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School phobia

Although many pupils may feel anxious when anticipating an exam or preparing for a presentation in front of the class, an estimated 3 percent of students suffer from a fear of school that is so extreme they suffer from physical symptoms like stomachaches, nausea and a racing heart rate, according to the Guardian. Possible triggers for school phobia include parent separation anxiety, enrolling in a new school and a fear of being bullied, according to Phobics Awareness.

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Dental phobia

Few people look forward to a trip to the dentist, but for one British eight-year-old girl, the anxiety she felt after her baby teeth were removed was so great, she refused to eat and drink, resulting in her death due to kidney failure, according to the Daily Mail. Dental phobia is actually a group of disorders, including not only a fear of the dentist's office but also other intense fears, such as of needles, choking or gagging.

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Paraskavedekatriaphobia

If you fear Friday the 13th, you may be surprised to hear that your phobia has a name: paraskavedekatriaphobia. In 2009, there will be three months in which the 13th day falls on a Friday -- January, February and March. The fear is related to triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the number 13, also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Most years have only one Friday the 13th, but the next year we're slated to get a triple dose of that unluckiest of days is 2012.

Ichthyophobia

When a seal in the U.K. refused to eat herring -- normally the dietary staple of the mammals -- the staff at the sea life sanctuary where she is being cared for were perplexed and had to resort to feeding her herring smoothies through a tube. The fear of eating fish, called ichthyophobia, also occurs in humans.

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Golf phobia

Professional golfer Frank Langham knows that sometimes anxiety can strike in inopportune situations. Langham developed a phobia of golf that led to a slump in his career and even forced him to take a break from the game. "You get to a tee box, you get the elevated heart rate, sweaty palms, because it comes from that anxiety of not being able to recall a good shot," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "The best explanation I could get is, if every time you hit a bad tee shot, somebody stuck you with a branding iron, OK? Well, all of a sudden, it's Pavlov's dog. You're anticipating it even before you hit the shot."

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Aquaphobia

Water seems to be everywhere in our daily lives, so it's safe to say that aquaphobia -- an irrational fear of water -- could be an obstacle to everyday activities. Sufferers often avoid water-related activities, such as swimming and boating, and may even refuse to bathe because of an intense fear of the water in a shower or tub, according to Ron Kennedy, M.D. Coupled with aquaphobia may be an intense fear of the ocean, thalassophobia, or waves and wave-like motions, cymophobia.

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Arachnophobia

An intense fear of spiders, or arachnophobia, is far from unusual. Thanks to drugs called beta-blockers, however, which are usually used to treat heart problems, those who fear the eight-legged critters may be able to quell their anxiety. According to a study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, spider-fearing subjects had a lower degree of arachnophobia after taking the drugs, perhaps due to the weakening of bad memories. Although this was only a preliminary test, it offers hope to not only those with phobias, but with the anxiety condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder.

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