Logophobia

Logophobia refers to the condition of having an abnormal, extreme, and persistent fear of words.

There can be many subtle versions of logophobia, such as: fear of words; fear of Greek words, or difficult-sounding terms; fear of language itself; fear of the Word (in the Christian sense); fear of the spoken word; fear of abstractions; fear of truth, order, or any transcendent reality; fear of giving out one's name.

Extreme fears (phobias) such as logophobia can lead to a variety of disturbing symptoms such as: Breathlessness; difficulty in thinking or speaking clearly; dizziness; dry mouth; fear of dying, "going mad" or losing control; feeling sick; inability to concentate, inability to make usually-simple decisions, nausea; palpitations, shaking; sweating profusely; or a severe anxiety attack. Not all sufferers are affected by all possible symptoms, and some individuals may also have other reactions.

Even though many adult sufferers of logophobia (and/or other fears/phobias) are aware that their fears are unreasonable, many still experience severe anxiety even when just thinking about the subject or situation they fear.
Alternative forms of treatment that are sometimes found to be beneficial to sufferers from phobias include hypnotherapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or other similar therapies.

Note that the list of phobias included in this section (see the list on the left) is not complete. There are very many, some obscure, fears that have specific names in this format. Click here for a longer list of these terms.