Entomophobia

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Entomophobia, sometimes known as insectophobia, is a specific phobia characterized by an excessive or unrealistic fear (disgust) of one or more classes of insect, and classified as a phobia by the DSM-5. [1] More specific cases include katsaridaphobia (fear of cockroaches), melissophobia (fear of bees), myrmecophobia (fear of ants), and lepidopterophobia (fear of moths and butterflies). One book claims 6% of all US inhabitants have this phobia. [2]

Entomophobia may develop after the person has had a traumatic experience with the insect(s). It may develop early or later in life and is quite common among animal phobias. Typically, one has a fear of one specific type of insect. However, in some cases, this fear may encompass all organisms of the phylum Arthropoda. Entomophobia leads to behavioral changes: the person with entomophobia will avoid situations where they may encounter a specific type of insect. Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered an effective treatment. [1]

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Myrmecophobia is the inexplicable fear of ants. It is a type of specific phobia. It is common for those who suffer from myrmecophobia to also have a wider fear of insects in general, as well as spiders. Such a condition is known as entomophobia. This fear can manifest itself in several ways, such as a fear of ants contaminating a person's food supply, or fear of a home invasion by large numbers of ants. The term myrmecophobia comes from the Greek μύρμηξ, myrmex, meaning "ant" and φόβος, phóbos, "fear".

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References

  1. 1 2 McCabe, Randi E. (2015). Milosevic, Irena; McCabe, Randi E. (eds.). Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear: The Psychology of Irrational Fear. ABC-CLIO. pp. 125–27. ISBN   9781610695763.
  2. Lockwood, Jeffrey (2013-09-25). The Infested Mind: Why Humans Fear, Loathe, and Love Insects. Oxford UP. pp. 110–. ISBN   9780199374939 . Retrieved 13 December 2015.