Fear of solitude
Fear of solitude: An abnormal and persistent fear of solitude, of being alone. Sufferers of this fear experience undue anxiety even though they realize that being alone does not threaten their well-being. They may worry about being ignored and unloved, or they may worry about intruders, strange noises or the possibility of developing a medical problem.
Fear of solitude is termed “autophobia,” a word derived from two Greek words: “autos” (self) and “phobos” (fear). “Autos” has given us many English words such as “automatic” and “automotive” (self-moving) and “autonomy” (self-governing). And “phobos” has bequeathed us a vast number of phobias such as “claustrophobia” (fear of closed places) and “acrophobia” (fear of heights).
Read Also:
- Fear of spiders
Fear of spiders: An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of this fear experience undue anxiety even though they realize the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or nonexistent. They may avoid going barefoot and may be especially alert when taking showers or getting into and out of […]
- Fear of the dark
Fear of the dark: Pathological fear of the dark, an abnormal and persistent dread of the dark. Sufferers experience undue anxiety even though they may rationally realize that the dark does not pose a threat commensurate with their fear. Fear of the dark is termed “nyctophobia,” a word derived from the Greek “nyx” (night) and […]
- Fear of the number 13
Fear of the number 13: A morbid fear of the number 13. Also known as triskaidekaphobia. Written reference to the superstitious fear of the number thirteen dates to the late 1800s. Its origin is conjectural (a matter of guesswork). The term triskaidekaphobia first appeared in the early 1900s. It was derived from treiskaideka, the Greek […]
- Fear of thunder
Fear of thunder: An abnormal and persistent fear of thunder that causes undue anxiety even though sufferers realize that thunder itself poses no threat to them. When outdoors during a thunderstorm, they may suffer excessive anxiety. When indoors, they may hide under beds or desks, behind sofas, or in closets. Fear of thunder is termed […]
- Fear of thunderstorms
Fear of thunderstorms: An abnormal and persistent fear of thunderstorms. Sufferers experience anxiety even when they realize the risk of harm is very small. Consequently, when indoors they might seek shelter under a bed, in a closet or in a basement. They generally keep a watchful eye on the sky and remain alert for reports […]