Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionSymptomsDiagnosisCausesTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Definition
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Causes
Treatment
Coping
Fear of lizards is formally referred to asherpetophobia, which is a fear of reptiles. Someone afraid of lizards may also be afraid of reptiles such as alligators, snakes, turtles, or dinosaurs.
This type of fear is known as a specific phobia. Approximately 9.1% of U.S. adults experience a specific phobia in a typical year, and about 12.5% of U.S. adults experience a specific phobia at some point in their lives.
This article will discuss symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of a specific phobia of lizards, as well as how to cope.
SrdjanPav / Getty Images
Definition of “Herpetophobia”
A fear of lizards is a type ofspecific phobia. A specific phobia is a very strong, irrational fear of something that, in reality, usually carries little to no danger.Adults with a specific phobia know that there is no real danger, but the object, situation, or thoughts about the object create intense anxiety symptoms.
There are different kinds of specific phobia, and fear of lizards would fall under what’s considered the animal type.Other types and examples of specific phobia include:
Othersymptoms of anxietycan include:
The exact cause of specific phobias is unknown. It may develop in different ways. Specific phobias may arise from having a negative experience with an object or situation and then developing a fearful association with that object or situation. Or, they may be due to the modeling of phobic behavior, such as from a parent or other close family member who has the same phobia.
Only 10%–25% of people with a specific phobia get treatment.This may be because the person can avoid their trigger (such as seeing a lizard), and so they do not experience frequent stress and anxiety related to it. However, it’s possible that avoiding the trigger may impair their ability to function at work, school, or in social situations.
Treatment can be very helpful and effective in managing a specific phobia.Exposure therapyis the first-line treatment for specific phobias.This involves in-vivo (in real life) or imaging approaches to progressively expose someone to the phobic object or situation. The exposure is repeated until it no longer triggers the fear response.
Your therapist will work with you to create an individualized treatment plan. It will be based on the characteristics of your phobia (whether the trigger is seeing a live lizard, photos or videos of lizards, etc.), the form your fear reaction takes (panic attack, anxiety, physical symptoms), and how you respond to therapy.
Specific phobia is more than just a minor fear. Even if you are aware that your fear of lizards is not rational, managing this fear is not easy. It’s not something that a person can simply “get over”—that’s not how phobias work.
If you are in therapy, talk with your therapist about things you can do at home and outside the therapy session to help cope with symptoms you may be having or any difficulties that arise between sessions.
Things you can do include:
Summary
Fear of lizards is a specific phobia that involves a disproportionate fear of lizards that the individual knows is misplaced. Lizards may provoke intense anxiety and panic in someone with this specific phobia. The person may avoid any situation in which they might see a lizard—even if avoidance causes distress or impairment with work or social relationships.
There is treatment for fear of lizards. Exposure therapy is very effective for specific phobias. Talk with your healthcare provider about finding a therapist who specializes in treating phobias.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Penn Psychiatry Center for Treatment of Anxiety and Study of Anxiety.Specific phobias.Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Symptoms.Eaton WW, Bienvenu J, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.The Lancet.2018;5(8): 678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XNHS.Causes - phobias.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Penn Psychiatry Center for Treatment of Anxiety and Study of Anxiety.Specific phobias.Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Symptoms.Eaton WW, Bienvenu J, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.The Lancet.2018;5(8): 678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XNHS.Causes - phobias.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Penn Psychiatry Center for Treatment of Anxiety and Study of Anxiety.Specific phobias.Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Symptoms.Eaton WW, Bienvenu J, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.The Lancet.2018;5(8): 678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XNHS.Causes - phobias.
National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.
Penn Psychiatry Center for Treatment of Anxiety and Study of Anxiety.Specific phobias.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Symptoms.
Eaton WW, Bienvenu J, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.The Lancet.2018;5(8): 678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-X
NHS.Causes - phobias.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
