Phagophobia

Phagophobia is a fear of swallowing. It is described as a psychogenic dysphagia, meaning a person reports swallowing difficulties although inspection and laboratory tests find no physical cause. It is classed as a specific phobia, and under the DSM-IV classification it sits among the category of other phobias. An older name, choking phobia, has been called confusing, because the fear of swallowing, which concerns the passage of a bolus of food, differs from the fear of choking. The condition can be confused with a fear of eating, and it may lead to malnutrition and weight loss. In milder cases a person with phagophobia eats only soft and liquid foods. This record is a reference summary of how the condition has been described, not medical advice.