Know Your Phobias…How Well Do You Know These World’s Top 10 Phobias?

Some people fear heights so badly the escalators at the local shopping centre give them vertigo. Vertigo is different to the phobia and is the sense of dizziness people can develop. For others a cliff-top lookout or a tall building makes their head spin.

With all the media coverage of air disasters it is understandable many fear being in a plane crash and hence have a fear of flying.

But with more than 100,000 commercial flights around the world each day, the chances of being struck by lightning are higher than dying in a plane crash.

Sometimes the fear of flying is actually more closely linked to a fear of enclosed spaces.

People with this fear say they feel like the walls are closing on them.

Some theories suggest there is a genetic link to specific phobias as a kind of dormant survival mechanism.

They are small, they crawl and they often bite, so it is understandable why many people do not like spiders and insects.

But they are a crucial link in the food chain and we cannot live without them.

A fear of all things long and venomous is common to many.

The great thing about snakes is that if you leave them alone they will leave you alone.

The fear can be exacerbated by a negative experience with an animal and can be one of the most difficult phobias to conquer given canines can sense people's fear.

It is understandable why the booming sound of thunder can send people's hearts racing and a fear of storms is common. Realistically it is lightning that can hurt people, but the chance of that happening is remote.

Having a sharp piece of metal stuck in your arm is always an unpleasant thought and many people develop a strong aversion to needles. But needles are typically worth the pain with them either delivering vaccinations, delivering blood donations or helping to investigate a potential illness — even creating a tattoo.

Agoraphobia involves a fear of being alone in a situation or place where escape may be difficult. This type of phobia may include the fear of crowded areas, open spaces, or situations that are likely to trigger a panic attack. People will begin avoiding these trigger events, sometimes to the point that they cease leaving their home entirely.

Mysophobia, or the excessive fear of germs and dirt, can lead people to engage in extreme cleaning, compulsive hand-washing, and even avoidance of things or situations perceived as dirty. In some instances, this phobia may be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder.