20 Bizarre Real-Life Phobias

18. Mysophobia

If you’ve ever heard the term ‘clean freak’ you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen someone with mysophobia. This is a phobia that involves an irrational fear of germs. In reality mysophobia is a very serious condition because sufferers often go to extreme lengths to make sure themselves, and their environments, even their foods, are free of germs. This can mean constant scrubbing and using chemicals to disinfect their entire lives.

19. Claustrophobia

A common and often experienced fear, claustrophobia is the fear of small, enclosed spaces. A reasonable portion of the world suffer with claustrophobia, which can result in people exhibiting high levels of fear when they’re in tight spaces. Claustrophobia doesn’t just happen when people step into small spaces either, it can also rear it’s head when the sufferer finds themselves in a tight space, like a busy crowd.

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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