In this issue of  Live Magazine SA, writer Gugu Nonjinge confronts her fear of snakes and cosies up to a Ball Python. Snakes, spiders, heights. These are typically the things that get our skin crawling….but a fear of paper? For real? Check out these strange phobias.

Papyiophobia – Fear of paper
The morbid fear of paper can take many forms. Some papyrophobic individuals fear a blank piece of paper, while others can’t cope with crumpled paper.  The size of the paper is significant and the anxiety increases according to how small the piece of paper is. Other sufferers of  Papyiophobia  even fear the ripping of paper or even wet paper.

Alliumphobia – Fear of garlic
People suffering from Alliumphobia experience severe anxiety or panic attacks when they are within a near proximity to garlic.

Agyrophobia  – Fear of crossing the street
Agyrophobia is considered to be a form of Agoraphobia which is an irrational and exaggerated fear. People suffering from this kind of phobia believe that they might be crushed or hit to death by a vehicle while they are on the street or road. This fear can sometimes take an extreme state and the sufferer starts to feel scared just by mentioning a street name.

Anuptaphobia – Fear of staying single
Anuptaphobia is a fairly common phobia. It is also known as the fear of remaining unmarried or getting  married to the wrong person.

Ablutophobia – Fear of bathing
This is a relatively uncommon but serious phobia. It is common among children. The phobia can manifest from a fear of showering, to a phobia of all washing.

Cacophobia- Fear of ugliness.
In this case, if someone is constantly told they are ugly or that they are not beautiful, this can trigger Cacophobia.

Chaetophobia- Fear of hair
Some people fear hair because they feel it is dirty, those who suffer from this phobia get freaked out even by stray strands of hair cling on hairbrushes. The main triggers for this phobia are hygiene-related concerns.

Chronomentrophobia- Fear of clocks
Sufferers are irritated by the ticking made by watches or clocks.

Genophobia- Fear of sex
Genophobia is sometimes linked to insecurities or body image issues, as well as medical concerns.

To follow Gugu’s encounter with snakes, read page 10 of our latest issue.