Xenophobia refers to fear, dislike or hostility towards people perceived as foreign. It can involve prejudice and discrimination, and should not be confused with a specific phobia or ordinary social anxiety.

Possible triggers

Contact with unfamiliar cultures or people perceived as foreign may bring prejudiced reactions into focus. This label is not a clinical phobia diagnosis and does not imply those people pose a threat.

Name origin

From Greek xenos (stranger or foreigner) and phobos (fear).

This term describes excessive fear related to COVID-19, including fear of becoming infected or of its consequences.

Possible triggers

Hearing COVID-19 discussed, anticipating possible exposure or waiting for a relevant test result.

Name origin

A modern name combining corona, shortened from coronavirus, with -phobia (fear).

This term describes having several phobias, rather than one fear tied to a single thing.

Possible triggers

Examples depend on the fears involved. Several different situations or objects may be relevant, rather than one shared trigger for this label.

Name origin

Poly- means many or several; phobia comes from Greek phobos (fear).

Hypochondriasis, also called hypochondria, is an older diagnostic term for persistent worry about having a serious illness. Current assessment may identify illness anxiety disorder or somatic symptom disorder, depending on the symptoms. These are not simply specific phobias. Health anxiety can involve repeated checking or seeking reassurance, and can continue despite reassuring test results. New or unexplained symptoms still deserve appropriate medical assessment.

Possible triggers

Noticing an unfamiliar bodily sensation, reading health information or waiting for reassurance about a health concern.

Name origin

From Greek hypo (under) and khondros (cartilage). The original anatomical meaning referred to the area beneath the ribs.

Anatidaephobia is a humorous term from The Far Side comic for the fear that a duck is watching you somewhere. It is a comic invention, not the clinical name for a fear of ducks.

Possible triggers

In the humorous premise, noticing a duck nearby or imagining a duck watching you. This is a fictional joke, not a documented clinical trigger pattern.

Name origin

The name uses Anatidae, the bird family that includes ducks, geese and swans, with -phobia.