Fear of a savage planet

One killer storm after another, destroying lives and businesses, not only leaves entire cities under water or reduces them to rubble, but also can create paralyzing and lingering fears in the minds of the region’s residents. Even if you don’t live in the region, you may be feeling a little more than usual anxiousness right now. Could be antlophobia, the fear of floods. Here’s a list of clinically recognized phobias that may result from living through (or learning of) the hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Sources include the sites at www.phobialist.com, www.aboutphobias.com and www.changethatsrightnow.com.

Acousticophobia—Fear of noise.

Aerophobia—Fear of drafts, air swallowing or airborne noxious substances.

Agoraphobia—Fear of leaving a safe place. Fear of uncontrolled social conditions.

Ancraophobia—Fear of wind (anemophobia).

Anemophobia—Fear of air drafts or wind (ancraophobia).

Antlophobia—Fear of floods.

Aquaphobia—Fear of water, specifically the morbid fear of drowning.

Ataxophobia—Fear of disorder or untidiness.

Atephobia—Fear of ruin or ruins.

Athazagoraphobia—Fear of being forgotten.

Automysophobia—Fear of being dirty.

Bacteriophobia—Fear of bacteria.

Blennophobia—Fear of slime.

Coprophobia—Fear of feces.

Cymophobia or kymophobia—Fear of waves or wavelike motions.

Enochlophobia—Fear of crowds.

Lilapsophobia—Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.

Lygophobia or myctophobia—Fear of darkness.

Macrophobia—Fear of long waits.

Misophobia or mysophobia—Fear of being contaminated with dirt or germs.

Nostophobia—Fear of returning home.

Ombrophobia or pluviophobia—Fear of rain or of being rained on.

Panthophobia—Fear of suffering and disease.

Pathophobia—Fear of disease.

Politicophobia—Fear or abnormal dislike of politicians.

Potamophobia—Fear of rivers or running water.

Rupophobia—Fear of dirt.

Scatophobia—Fear of fecal matter.

Seplophobia—Fear of decaying matter.

Thalassophobia—Fear of the sea.