The official term for fear of mushrooms is Mycophobia and it is not nearly as uncommon as people may believe. Every child has been taught to avoid wild mushrooms in the yard and most wild mushrooms are poisonous. This early training to avoid mushrooms may be one of the reasons for the fear of mushrooms. Mycophobics have an irrational fear of mushrooms that goes well beyond safety or caution.
In day to day life a fear of mushrooms rarely causes more than an inconvenience for the mild mycophobes. More well known phobias such as agoraphobia or arachnophobia have definite impact on many people’s lives. Only the more severely mycophobes have incapacitating reactions to the sight of mushrooms. A few sufferers have reported a fear of mushrooms leading to screams and inability to move at the sight of a nearby mushroom.
Less severely affected mycophobes simply have to avoid them – a task that should be quite easy one might think. We rarely notice everyday things unless our attention is drawn to them. The presence of mushrooms is easily overlooked unless you have a fear of mushrooms. When you have even a mild level of fear of mushrooms they may seem to jump out in unexpected places.
Most of us treat a trip to the supermarket as a common necessity, not a challenge. To the person with a fear of mushrooms the supermarket trip requires careful planning. To prevent a bad reaction the produce aisles are approached with caution. A selection of whole mushrooms can cause a near panic. Depending on the severity of fear even the canned vegetables must be navigated carefully.
A meal in a nice restaurant can be a challenge. Mushrooms are widely used to add flavor and appearance to many dishes. A fear of mushrooms can require questioning the waiter repeatedly to be sure no mushrooms are in the various menu items.
While most mycophobes lead normal lives by learning where to avoid the fear triggers, others have incapacitating reactions. If your fear of mushrooms has become a problem in your day to day life there are treatments available. Search the local phone directory or the internet to find the treatment option that suits you.
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