A fear of sugar or sweet foods can affect everyday situations involving sweets, desserts, chocolate and cake. It may lead to restricting foods, checking ingredients or preparation, avoiding meals, shops or restaurants, or relying heavily on familiar choices.

Possible triggers

Being offered a sweet dessert, seeing sugar added to food or choosing from sweet drinks.

Name origin

From Greek hyper (excess), glykys (sweet) and -phobia.

A fear of sunlight can affect everyday situations involving bright sun, sun exposure, UV rays and bright day.

Possible triggers

Stepping from shade into sunshine, sitting beside a sunlit window or planning a daytime outdoor activity.

Name origin

From Greek helios (sun) and -phobia.

A fear of surgical procedures can affect everyday situations involving being operated on, operating theatre, surgery and operation. It may lead to postponing appointments or treatment, worrying for days beforehand, seeking repeated reassurance, or avoiding healthcare that would otherwise be straightforward.

Possible triggers

Receiving a surgery date, discussing an operation or entering a surgical department.

Name origin

From Greek ergasia (work or procedure) and -phobia.

A fear of swallowing can affect everyday situations involving food stuck, throat tight, choking and eating anxiety. It may lead to restricting foods, eating very cautiously, checking sensations while swallowing, avoiding meals or relying on a narrow set of familiar choices.

Possible triggers

Preparing to swallow a mouthful, eating a texture you find difficult or anticipating a meal away from home.

Name origin

From Greek phagein (to eat) and -phobia.

Symbolism is the focus of this fear.

Possible triggers

Encountering a symbolic image, discussing what a sign represents or noticing a symbol with personal significance.

Name origin

Combines symbol with -phobia (fear). Symbol comes through Latin from Greek symbolon, meaning a sign or token.

A fear of symmetry can affect everyday situations involving even pattern, perfect alignment, balanced shapes and symmetry. It may lead to scanning for the sensation or visual cue, avoiding particular environments or objects, leaving situations early, or arranging surroundings to prevent encountering it.

Possible triggers

Looking at a perfectly mirrored pattern, a symmetrical arrangement of objects or a balanced geometric design.

Name origin

From Greek symmetros (symmetrical) and -phobia.

The concern centres on this particular infection, rather than sexually transmitted infections in general.

Possible triggers

Reading about syphilis, discussing a possible exposure or awaiting a relevant test result.

Name origin

Combines syphilis with -phobia (fear). The illness takes its name from Syphilus, a character in a sixteenth-century poem.

A fear of the moon can affect everyday situations involving moon in the sky, full moon, lunar phase and moonlight.

Possible triggers

Noticing the moon through a window, being outdoors under moonlight or viewing photographs of the moon.

Name origin

From Greek selēnē (moon) and -phobia.

Trains and journeys by rail are the focus of this fear.

Possible triggers

Entering a railway station, boarding a train or anticipating a rail journey.

Name origin

From Greek sidero- (iron), dromos (running) and phobia (fear).

A fear of tunnels can affect everyday situations involving underground tunnel, road tunnel, rail tunnel and tunnel. It may lead to avoiding certain journeys, routes or vehicles, planning extensively, relying on other people for transport, or cancelling trips altogether.

Possible triggers

Approaching a road tunnel, entering an underground passage or anticipating a journey through a tunnel.

Name origin

From Latin spelunca (cave) and -phobia.