Entomophobia

Entomophobia, sometimes called insectophobia, is a specific phobia characterized by an excessive or unrealistic fear or disgust of one or more classes of insect, and is classified as a phobia by the DSM-5. The condition encompasses more targeted variants, including katsaridaphobia (fear of cockroaches), melissophobia (fear of bees), spheksophobia (fear of wasps), myrmecophobia (fear of ants) and lepidopterophobia (fear of moths and butterflies). Research cited in the article suggests roughly six percent of Americans experience this phobia. The disorder typically emerges following a traumatic insect encounter and commonly leads to avoidance of situations involving the feared insect; while many affected individuals fear only a particular species, some experience broader anxiety toward all arthropods. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an established, evidence-based treatment.