Living with phobias

Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, is a fairly common phobia. — AFP

Fear of spiders, snakes or the dark is relatively widespread. In fact, it’s estimated that 10 million people in the UK suffer from a phobia. And lesser-known phobias, such as fear of rooms or dogs, affect more people than you might think.

Whether it’s cynophobia (fear of dogs), frigophobia (fear of being cold) or iatrophobia (fear of going to the doctor), these three disproportionate fears are examples of some of the UK’s most common phobias, as compiled in an article in Glamour magazine. According to NHS Inform, Scotland’s national health information service, some 10 million people in the UK are currently living with a phobia.