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Have you ever been so scared that you were frozen in place?
The hair on the back of your neck stands on end, your knees grow weak, you can feel beads
of sweat forming on your brow.
Imagine if your phobias went a step further than just temporarily paralyzing you.
What if the very thing you were so afraid of could eventually kill you?
We're not just talking an extreme response to fear, either.
We are talking about phobias that can directly affect your well-being to the point of no
return.
See if your greatest fear is one of these in this top ten list of phobias that can kill
you.
Before we scare you to death, be sure to subscribe to the channel, and click the bell for future
notifications, but it may not matter much in the end.
If you're still standing by the end of this video, be sure to give it your thumbs up and
leave a comment about what scares you the most.
10.
Ablutophobia, Fear of Washing Just as much as washing too much can be harmful,
not washing at all can be just as bad, albeit for different reasons.
The world we live in is ripe with bacteria, viral infections, germs, and all manner of
dangerous microbes, all capable of doing long-term damage to us if we're not careful.
Washing is all part of killing these deadly particles.
According to UNICEF, 90% of children that die from diarrhea-related diseases are directly
linked to poor hygiene and sanitation, so someone that refuses to wash is simply increasing
their risk of catching (and spreading) something deadly.
9.
Heliophobia, Fear of the Sun Here's a bit of irony for you: Spending too
little time in the sun can actually increase the risk of cancer.
While heliophobes may fear developing skin cancer and will limit their time in the sun
greatly, what they wind up doing is depriving their bodies of vitamin D, which is responsible
for regulating calcium production.
According to Michael Holick, author of "America's Dangerous Heliophobia" in The Providence Journal,
upwards of 47,000 cancer deaths could be prevented in the United States if people had adequate
vitamin D levels.
8.
Aquaphobia, Fear of Water Not to be confused with hydrophobia, aquaphobia
refers to the persistent and irrational fear of water.
The former is a side effect of late-stage rabies.
Aquaphobia refers to a person's fear of large bodies of water or even any level of water
in a bathtub, and while that may not sound deadly, consider that 71% of the world is
covered in water.
People that are afraid of water don't tend to learn to swim, so if they ever find themselves
accidentally in a deeper pool of water, they are more susceptible to drowning.
7.
Mysophobia, Fear of Germs Having an intense fear of germs may not sound
like it could be deadly, but let's look at the tragic story of Samantha Hancox.
At 40-years-old, Samantha suffered from severe mysophobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder
that had her showering up to 20 hours a day.
One evening, her elderly parents came home to find her dead from initially unknown causes,
but upon examination, was found to have died of dehydration and skin infections.
One would think being overly clean is a good thing, but there is such a thing as overwashing.
Our skin is covered with a layer of protective oil that prevents germs from penetrating into
our bodies and causing health issues.
6.
Pantophobia, Fear of Everything How can one live if they have a general fear
of everything that surrounds them?
It's not easy, especially in extreme cases.
And it's in those cases that the individual may feel like they can no longer live in a
constant state of fear.
While there haven't been any recorded cases of suicide associated with pantophobia, sufferers
of even mild cases have revealed moments of contemplation over taking their own life.
Consider, though, if someone was so affected by pantophobia that they likely would remain
isolated for much of their life, leaving no one to attest to why they may have taken their
own life.
5.
Iatrophobia, Fear of Doctors Nobody likes going to the doctor, but it's
a necessity that, when we're at our worst, keeps us going.
Fearing those that implement the practice of medicine can be dangerous, especially if
your body develops a life-threatening condition or disease.
Without proper care, something as simple as pneumonia or the flu can be fatal even outside
of the usual high-risk categories.
4.
Rhypophobia, Fear of Defecating Depending on who you ask, rhypophobia can
either be a fear of dirt or defecating.
For this list, we're talking about the latter.
People that develop rhypophobia are usually more afraid of painful bowel movements, but
this can lead to them not wanting to go through the process no matter how they may feel.
Without passing the waste that builds up in our bodies, we can essentially poison ourselves.
Think it's ridiculous to think that such a fear can kill you?
Sixteen-year-old Emily Titterington was known for holding her bowel movements for up to
two months because of her rhypophobia.
Before her 17th birthday, she suffered a fatal heart attack directly related to her condition.
Her autopsy revealed that her bowel had grown so large that it actually displaced some of
her organs.
3.
Somniphobia, Fear of Falling Asleep Imagine having to go through your life with
the crippling fear of falling asleep.
How could you function in your day-to-day life?
What would the long-term health implications be?
People that suffer from Somniphobia tend to associate sleep with death, which probably
makes the casual phrase "The Big Sleep" a bit uncomfortable for them.
So, how can somniphobia kill you?
Beyond the implications of an overtired mind that can lead to falling asleep at the wheel
or at other inconvenient moments, chronic sleep deprivation can cause cardiovascular
disease and lead to a fatal heart attack.
There's also a link to sleep deprivation and obesity which, in its own way, can be a death
sentence.
2.
Cibophobia, Fear of Food We eat to sustain our health.
It's a cold-hard fact that, without food, we would die, and it's a problem that people
with severe cibophobia have to face.
While not all cases of cibophobia can be considered deadly, especially when it's more a fear of
food prepared by other people, but there are extreme cases that lead the individual to
stop eating meat or vegetables altogether.
Without the proper nutrients being absorbed, a person's body cannot function properly and
can lead to fatal health issues down the line.
1.
Counterphobia, Fear of Avoiding Anxieties and Not Facing Fears
It's a strange phobia in that it's not really a fear but instead a response to feelings
of anxiety.
A counterphobic person will be someone that is insistent on facing their fears and overcoming
the anxieties brought on by them.
That may not sound so bad, but consider an aquaphobic individual that decides it's time
to swim without having gone through the proper lessons.
Sometimes, we fear things to keep ourselves alive and counterphobia can sever the "flight"
portion of our "fight or flight" response.
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