Why do I have trypophobia?

Experts don't know why some people develop trypophobia. One theory is that the brain associates clusters of holes with danger. For example, you may associate a pattern of small holes with the skin of a venomous snake or the eyes of a tarantula. Or the holes may remind you of skin diseases or skin rashes.
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Is there a cure for trypophobia?

Trypophobia Treatment

Because trypophobia isn't a true disorder, there's no set treatment for it. Some studies show that an antidepressant like sertraline (Zoloft) plus a type of talk therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are helpful. CBT tries to change the negative ideas that cause fear or stress.
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Is trypophobia a mental disorder?

Trypophobia is not classified as a mental disorder. However, it can meet the criteria for a phobia if the sight of clustered patterns causes sudden fear and anxiety to the degree that it causes marked distress or impairment. There is debate on whether trypophobia meets the clinical definition of a specific phobia.
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Why am I afraid of small holes?

Trypophobia is a condition where a person experiences a fear or aversion to clusters of small holes. The condition is thought to be triggered when a person sees a pattern of small clustered holes, bringing about symptoms, such as fear, disgust, and anxiety.
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What does trypophobia do to your skin?

So-called “trypophobia skin” is not a real skin disease, but trypophobia may be a common reaction to skin diseases that can present with clusters of holes, bumps, or nodules. Skin that has holes, bumps, or nodules and trypophobic patterns is also commonly seen on characters in movies, television shows, and video games.
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What Causes Trypophobia?



Why do holes disgust me?

Trypophobia brings on feelings of disgust or fear when you see patterns with lots of holes. Sunflowers, honeycombs, sponges and seedy fruits can cause this response. Trypophobia is a type of anxiety disorder.
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How common is trypophobia?

Trypophobia is not recognized in pyschiatry's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but it is present in 16 percent of people, according to a new study in Psychological Science, which is the first to address the strange fear.
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Does everyone have trypophobia?

Trypophobia is widely documented by sufferers on the Internet and, in one study, Cole and Wilkins found that about 16% of participants reported trypophobic reactions.
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Who created trypophobia?

The term came into popular usage in 2009, when a University of Albany student named Masai Andrews founded the website Trypophobia.com and a trypophobe support group on Facebook, according to Popular Science.
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What is the most common phobia?

Arachnophobia – Arachnophobia is possibly the most well-known of all phobias. It is the fear of spiders, or arachnids. Estimates put arachnophobia at affecting roughly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men.
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Is trypophobia serious?

While not listed in the DSM-5, trypophobia would fall under the broad classification of specific phobias as long as the symptoms are persistent, excessive, and lead to significant impairment or distress.
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What is it called when holes gross you out?

Emory University. Trypophobia, commonly known as “fear of holes,” is linked to a physiological response more associated with disgust than fear, a new study suggests.
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How do I know if I have trypophobia?

If you have trypophobia, you'll generally notice feelings of disgust and discomfort when looking at an object or surface with small clusters of holes or shapes that resemble holes.
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What phobias exist?

Common phobias include:
  • fear of spiders, or arachnophobia.
  • fear of flying in an airplane, or aviophobia.
  • fear of elevators, or elevatophobia.
  • fear of heights, or acrophobia.
  • fear of enclosed rooms, or claustrophobia.
  • fear of crowded public places, or agoraphobia.
  • fear of embarrassment, or katagelophobia.
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What is the rarest phobia in the world?

21 Rare and Weird Phobias You've Likely Never Heard Of
  1. Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth) ...
  2. Nomophobia (Fear of being without your mobile phone) ...
  3. Arithmophobia (Fear of numbers) ...
  4. Plutophobia (Fear of money) ...
  5. Xanthophobia (Fear of the color yellow) ...
  6. Ablutophobia (Fear of bathing)
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What are the weirdest phobias?

Here are some of the strangest phobias one can have
  • ​Ergophobia. It is the fear of work or the workplace. ...
  • ​Somniphobia. Also known as hypnophobia, it is the fear of falling asleep. ...
  • Chaetophobia. ...
  • ​Oikophobia. ...
  • ​Panphobia. ...
  • Ablutophobia.
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How do you get holes in your skin?

Pitted keratolysis is a skin disorder that's caused by bacteria. It creates crater-like pits or small holes on the top layer of your skin and usually affects the soles of your feet, but can also develop on the palms of your hands. It's more common in people who: Often go barefoot and live in tropical areas.
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What are some of the rarest phobias?

Rare and Uncommon Phobias
  • Ablutophobia | Fear of bathing. ...
  • Arachibutyrophobia | Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. ...
  • Arithmophobia | Fear of math. ...
  • Chirophobia | Fear of hands. ...
  • Chloephobia | Fear of newspapers. ...
  • Globophobia (Fear of balloons) ...
  • Omphalophobia | Fear of Umbilicus (Bello Buttons)
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What is the scariest phobia?

Then again, some of the scariest phobias are ones almost everyone has to some degree.
...
These Disturbing Phobias Make Life For Their Sufferers A Waking Nightmare
  • Taphophobia. ...
  • Claustrophobia. ...
  • Pediophobia. ...
  • Coulrophobia. ...
  • Nyctophobia. ...
  • Athazagoraphobia. ...
  • Trypophobia. ...
  • Chronophobia.
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What is the least popular phobia?

10 Least Common Phobias
  • Alektorophobia: The fear of chickens.
  • Metrophobia: The fear of poetry or rhyming verse.
  • Ephebiphobia: The fear of youths.
  • Ergasiophobia: The fear of work.
  • Optophobia: The fear of opening one's eyes.
  • Neophobia: The fear of newness.
  • Anthophobia: The fear of flowers.
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What are the top 3 fears?

Phobias: The ten most common fears people hold
  • Social phobias. ...
  • Agoraphobia: fear of open spaces. ...
  • Acrophobia: fear of heights. ...
  • Pteromerhanophobia: fear of flying. ...
  • Claustrophobia: fear of enclosed spaces. ...
  • Entomophobia: fear of insects. ...
  • Ophidiophobia: fear of snakes. ...
  • Cynophobia: fear of dogs.
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What is Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest words in the dictionary — and, in an ironic twist, is the name for a fear of long words. Sesquipedalophobia is another term for the phobia. The American Psychiatric Association doesn't officially recognize this phobia.
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Can you be born with a phobia?

a phobia may be associated with a particular incident or trauma. a phobia may be a learned response that a person develops early in life from a parent or sibling (brother or sister) genetics may play a role – there's evidence to suggest that some people are born with a tendency to be more anxious than others.
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What is the #1 weirdest phobia?

Top 10 Most Bizarre Phobias
  • Optophobia: Fear of opening one's eyes. ...
  • Chorophobia: Fear of dancing. ...
  • Geliophobia: Fear of laughter. ...
  • Heliphobia: Fear of sunlight. ...
  • Deipnophobia: Fear of dinner conversations. ...
  • Neophobia: Fear of new things. ...
  • Syngenesophobia: Fear of relatives. ...
  • Ablutophobia: Fear of washing and bathing.
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