| Mr. Ibrahem/Trypophobia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The holes in lotus seed heads elicit feelings of discomfort or repulsion in some people.[1][2] | |
| Specialty | Psychology, psychiatry |
| Symptoms | Disgust, fear, anxiety, nausea[3][4][5] |
| Treatment | Exposure therapy[1] |
| Frequency | Some degree of symptoms relatively common[1][5] |
Trypophobia is an aversion to the sight of clusters or patterns of small holes or bumps.[4] Symptoms may include disgust, fear, or anxiety.[3][4] There may also be associated nausea or itchiness.[5][1]
Example of triggers include honeycomb, lotus seed pods, and bubbles on top of a cup of coffee.[5][1][4] While not officially recognized as a separate mental disorder as if 2018, it may be diagnosed as a specific phobia if excessive fear and distress occur.[1][3] It is hypothesized that it is an evolutionary defense against external parasites or poisonous animals that has become excessive.[4][5] Exposure therapy is a possible treatment.[1]
Some degree of symptoms when viewing an object like a lotus seed pod occurs in about 16% of people, with women more commonly affected than men.[1][5] The term trypophobia was coined by a participant in an online forum in 2005, from the Greek "trypo" meaning "drilling holes" and "phobos" meaning "fear".[5] It become a popular topic on social media in the 2000s.[6] Formal study began around 2010 by psychologists Geoff Cole and Arnold Wilkins.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h Milosevic, Irena; McCabe, Randi E. (2015). Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear. ABC-CLIO. pp. 401–402. ISBN 978-1610695763. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
- ^ Schacter, Daniel; Gilbert, Daniel; Wegner, Daniel; Hood, Bruce (2015). Psychology: Second European Edition. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 1391. ISBN 978-1137406750. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
- ^ a b c Martínez-Aguayo, Juan Carlos; Lanfranco, Renzo C.; Arancibia, Marcelo; Sepúlveda, Elisa; Madrid, Eva (2018). "Trypophobia: What Do We Know So Far? A Case Report and Comprehensive Review of the Literature". Frontiers in Psychiatry. 9: 15. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00015. ISSN 1664-0640. PMC 5811467. PMID 29479321.
- ^ a b c d e Kupfer, T. R.; Fessler, D. M. T. (19 July 2018). "Ectoparasite defence in humans: relationships to pathogen avoidance and clinical implications". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 373 (1751): 20170207. doi:10.1098/rstb.2017.0207. PMC 6000138. PMID 29866920.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Skaggs, William (1 March 2014). "Are You Afraid of Holes?". Scientific American. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Abbasi, Jennifer (July 25, 2011). "Is Trypophobia a Real Phobia?". Popular Science. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2012.