While there are many credible and crippling specific phobias, due to their irrational and intriguing nature, people have come up with a lot of outlandish and non-credible specific phobias to entertain the public. Among these is anatidaephobia, the irrational fear that one is being watched by a duck. The term ‘anatidaephobia’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Anatidae’ meaning ducks and ‘phobos’ meaning fear.
One of the most common conditions treated by psychologists is anxiety. It generally involves feelings of worry, nervousness, or unease associated with a sense of uncertainty about the outcome of a situation. While it’s common for people to feel nervous or fearful about a variety of circumstances in their lives, when these feelings interfere with one’s daily functioning, it’s recommended to find a psychotherapist who can help with treatment.
There are many different kinds of anxiety diagnoses, but those that receive a disproportionate amount of attention, particularly in the media are specific phobias. Those who came up with anatidaephobia intended for it to be classified as a specific phobia along with other seemingly unique phobias.
While to some, this may sound as legitimate a phobia as coulrophobia (fear of clowns), it is, in fact, a fictional phobia that was made up for a cartoon comic by Gary Larson in his cartoon series, The Far Side. It then picked up interest when a writer named Tammy Duffey wrote a satirical article regarding the symptoms and treatment of anatidaephobia which was accompanied by an ad for the insurance provider Aflac, that has a duck “watching over” its customers.
This humorous article led the internet world to question this phobia’s accuracy and led to a lot of debates about its origin. However, it is indeed a fake phobia. Anatidaephobia has now become a satirical phobia that is joked about in videos and threads on social media networks but has no scientific or medical support for being an actual mental health disorder.
Symptoms and Characteristics
Although anatidaephobia is not a real condition, imagining its symptoms can be quite entertaining. Someone with this fictional phobia might experience a persistent and overwhelming fear of ducks or geese. Physical symptoms could include a rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, and nausea.
Psychologically, they might have thoughts of death or dying, feel trapped, and experience heightened anxiety. In a humorous twist, the fear of ducks could become so intense that it affects a person’s daily life, causing them to avoid parks, ponds, or any place where ducks might be present. While this is all in good fun, it mirrors the very real and serious nature of specific phobias, which can significantly impact a person’s life.
Causes, Triggers, and Treatments
If we were to speculate on the causes of anatidaephobia, it might be triggered by a past traumatic experience involving ducks or geese. Trauma is commonly considered to be the cause of specific phobias involving things that become the subject of the phobia.
For those dealing with real phobias, treatment typically involves cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy. These methods help individuals overcome their fears and develop effective coping strategies. Resources and support are available for those in need, including online therapy platforms and support groups, ensuring that help is always within reach.
Common Specific Phobias That Are Real
Specific phobias are described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) as conditions in which there is an excessive and irrational fear of a specified object or situation (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). The DSM-5 categorizes specific phobias into 5 types:
- Animal phobias – dogs, snakes, spiders, etc.
- Natural environment phobias – thunderstorms, floods, earthquakes, etc.
- Blood-injection-injury phobias – seeing blood, getting medical treatment involving blood, witnessing medical procedures, etc.
- Situational phobias – elevators, flying, small spaces, being trapped, etc.
- Other phobias – fears of contracting an illness, fear of vomiting, fear of human-like figures, etc.
Many well-researched specific phobias fall under these categories and are considered credible due to their prevalence (Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, n.d.). Those diagnosed with these phobias meet the following criteria:
- Having a persistent, irrational fear
- Exposure to the feared item/situation leads to an extreme anxiety response (panic attack, screaming, freezing, etc.)
- Recognizing that the fear is irrational
- They avoid the feared stimuli
- The avoidance of this fear impacts a person’s daily life and overall functioning
- Fear lasts more than 6 months
- These fears do not directly come from another mental health diagnosis
Final Thoughts on Anatidaephobia
While this article makes light of a fictional disorder to provide some laughs and possibly dispel misconceptions held by the misinformed, specific phobias are real. They can be medically diagnosed and involve intense treatment. People seek to address these fears so they can live comfortably, without limiting themselves and having to avoid normal activities.
Specific phobias are generally treated with psychotherapy focusing on overcoming the irrational fear by rewiring the brain to decrease anxious responses to the subject of the phobia. If you or someone you care about is struggling with a real phobia, seek out help from a mental health professional.
References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
- Galvao-de Almeida, A., Araujo Filho, G. M., Berberian, A., Trezsniak, C., Nery-Fernandes, F., Araujo Neto, C. A., Jackowski, A. P., Miranda-Scippa, A., & Oliveira, I. R. (2013). The impacts of cognitive-behavioral therapy on the treatment of phobic disorders measured by functional neuroimaging techniques: A systematic review. Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria (São Paulo, Brazil : 1999, 35(3), 279–283. https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2012-0922
- Gottschalk, M. G., & Domschke, K. (2017). Genetics of generalized anxiety disorder and related traits. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 19(2), 159–168. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2017.19.2/kdomschke
- Hamm, A. O. (2009). Specific phobias. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 32(3), 577–591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2009.05.008
- Specific Phobias (Symptoms) | Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety | Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. (n.d.). https://www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/phobias_symptoms.html
Dr. Shannon McHugh is a Licensed Clinical and Forensic Psychologist in Los Angeles, California. She specializes in assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and adults who have developmental and social delays, behavioral difficulties, and those who have experienced traumatic events