A fear of hell or eternal punishment can affect everyday situations involving eternal punishment, afterlife punishment, damnation and underworld. It may lead to repeated rumination, reassurance-seeking, avoiding reminders or conversations, or finding it difficult to stay present because attention is pulled towards the feared idea.

Possible triggers

Hearing descriptions of hell, encountering religious punishment imagery or discussing eternal punishment.

Name origin

From Greek Styx (mythological river of the underworld) and -phobia.

Also known as

Hadephobia

Learning itself is the focus, rather than only attending school or taking an examination.

Possible triggers

Beginning a lesson, being asked to learn a new skill or anticipating unfamiliar teaching material.

Name origin

From Greek sophos (wise or learned) and -phobia (fear).

A fear of mirrors can affect everyday situations involving mirrored room, seeing reflection, mirror and reflection. It may lead to avoiding touching, using or being near the object, asking others to deal with it, changing routines, or checking surroundings for the trigger.

Possible triggers

Passing a large mirror, entering a mirrored lift or seeing your reflection unexpectedly.

Name origin

From Greek katoptron (mirror) and -phobia.

Also known as

Eisoptrophobia, Spectrophobia

Narrowness is the focus of this term. It is not limited to being inside an enclosed space.

Possible triggers

Encountering a narrow object, handling a thin item or focusing on something's restricted width.

Name origin

From Greek stenos (narrow) and -phobia (fear).

A fear of sacred objects or rituals can affect everyday situations involving holy object, religious ceremony, sacred place and religious ritual. It may lead to avoiding certain places, images, stories or times of day, checking surroundings, seeking reassurance, or staying away from reminders of the feared idea.

Possible triggers

Entering a ritual setting, encountering a sacred object or being invited to take part in a religious ceremony.

Name origin

From Greek hieros (sacred) and -phobia.

A fear of Satan or demonic forces can affect religious settings, media, darkness and situations containing demonic imagery or references. It may lead to avoiding certain places or stories, checking surroundings, seeking reassurance or changing routines because something feels connected with evil.

Possible triggers

Encountering demonic imagery, hearing a story involving Satan or watching a supernatural film.

Name origin

From Hebrew satan (adversary) and -phobia.

The concern is developing scabies, rather than skin disease in general.

Possible triggers

Hearing about a scabies case, reading information about it or worrying about possible contact.

Name origin

Combines scabies with -phobia (fear). Scabies comes from a Latin word for an itchy skin condition, related to scabere (to scratch).

A fear of school can affect everyday situations involving school attendance, classroom, school anxiety and lessons. It may lead to putting things off, over-preparing, repeatedly checking, seeking reassurance, or turning down opportunities that feel too exposing.

Possible triggers

Getting ready for school, approaching the school gates or anticipating a classroom day.

Name origin

From Greek didaskaleion (school) and -phobia.

Also known as

Scolionophobia

A fear of severe storms or tornadoes can affect everyday situations involving weather warning, severe storm, natural disaster and tornado.

Possible triggers

Receiving a severe-storm warning, seeing tornado footage or anticipating a storm approaching your area.

Name origin

From Greek lilaps (whirlwind) and -phobia.

A fear of sexual inexperience or perceived innocence can affect everyday situations involving approaching someone romantically, sexual inexperience, dating anxiety and intimacy anxiety. It may lead to avoiding intimacy or difficult conversations, pulling back from relationships, seeking reassurance, or making choices primarily to prevent the feared emotional or physical situation.

Possible triggers

A conversation about sexual inexperience or an intimate situation in which perceived innocence becomes a focus.

Name origin

From Greek parthenos (maiden) and -phobia.