As strangers in Halloween costumes parade up and down the dimly lit avenues of Pocatello on a mysterious, moonlight quest, only the bravest of people dare venture into the dark, scary atmosphere. An estimated 18 percent of the U.S. adult population and children from the ages of 5 to 9 years of age suffer from some kind of phobia.
As quoted from an article released by the Harvard Medical School, "A phobia is a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation. A person with a phobia either tries to avoid the thing that triggers the fear, or endures it with great anxiety and distress. For example, a person may fear only spiders (arachnophobia) or cats (galeophobia)." Needless to say, some Halloween decorations or confrontations with these objects might trigger a fear that a person would consider too difficult to overcome or make excessively uncomfortable to attend an evening party or journey outside on a chilly Halloween night. Here are some other phobias that could bite into your Halloween plans.
Agoraphobia: A person with this phobia has a fear of being in public places where it would be difficult or embarrassing to make a sudden exit. This is also known as a social phobia. These people may turn down an invitation to ateend a crowded Halloween party, or prefer to not dress up in a costume because of their fear of personal humiliation.
"People might have fears of particular situations or certain stimulus that would trigger a phobic event," says Steven R. Lawyer, assistant professor and member of the ISU Psychology Clinic, adding, "There are people who may have fears associated with the dark that are relatively powerful and may prevent them going outside at night. Or fears associated with religious beliefs that cause conflicts with the tradition of trick or treating. There are also children who have phobias of balloons, or clowns, or have had bad or scary experiences associated with Halloween."
So, phobics anyonomous, beware of the creatures who suddenly appear during the night, like the ghosts, goblins, gremlins, witches, and vampires who may knock on your door. Be prepared to hand them a sweet, tasty offering to satisfy their insatiable appetites, and make sure, if fear is your worst enemy, to avoid being noticed, turn off the porch lights. Or, maybe not.
