Hylophobia
Hylophobia, also known as xylophobia, ylophobia, and dendrophobia, is a psychological disorder defined by an irrational fear of wood, forest or trees.[1] It is a type of specific phobia.
Etymology
The term hylophobia is derived from the Greek ὕλη hylo-, meaning "wood or forest", and phobo- meaning "fear".[2][3]
Causes and contributing factors
Most phobias start through an incident or memory in childhood, and hylophobia is no different.[4]
Treatments
Phobias such as hylophobia are usually treated by putting the patient in therapy and making them recall the incident in question, and making them see it from an adult perspective. This is often a hard task, as the original incident will have been forgotten, and hypnosis or anti-anxiety medicine may have to be used.
In popular culture
- In the BBC television show New Tricks, Dennis Waterman's character, Gerry Standing, admits to suffering from hylophobia in the second season. Subsequently, his fear is occasionally mentioned or used as a plot element throughout the series, particularly when the Unsolved Crimes and Open Case squad are required to visit crime scenes in forested areas near London. In the tenth season, the character seeks treatment for hylophobia.
- In the The Simpsons Episode 21 of Season 20 , "Coming to Homerica", Lisa mistakenly says it is the fear of xylophones.
- In "Uncle Grandpa", Hot Dog Person stated that he was afraid of trees but when he climbed a telephone post which he thought of as a tree, he conquered his fear.
See also
References
- ↑ John G. Robertson, An Excess of Phobias and Manias: A Compilation of Anxieties, Obsessions, and Compulsions That Push Many Over the Edge of Sanity, Senior Scribe Publications (January 2003), p.103
- ↑ Hylo, Latin-Greek Cross references, Robertson’s Words for a Modern Age, Senior Scribe Publications, 2003, retrieved 07-11-2009
- ↑ Phobo-, Latin-Greek Cross references, Robertson’s Words for a Modern Age, Senior Scribe Publications, 2003, retrieved 07-11-2009
- ↑ Anxiety, Fears and Phobias, from the Nemours Foundation
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