Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsTriggersIs it Real?DiagnosisCausesTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Triggers
Is it Real?
Diagnosis
Causes
Treatment
Trypophobiais an intense fear of holes or disgust for things with clusters of small bumps.A person may feel anxiety along with physical symptoms such as goosebumps, itching, and nausea when they see objects such as a honeycomb or sponge. Snake-skin patterns or repeated bumps like those on fruit can also trigger the fear.
Researchers disagree about whether trypophobia is a truephobia, and it’s not officially classified as a mental disorder. However, studies show people can have significant adverse reactions and may meet the criteria for a phobia if symptoms interfere with everyday living.
In severe cases, people with trypophobia may benefit from therapies or medication commonly used for anxiety disorders.
Verywell / Laura Porter
Trypophobia Symptoms
Like other phobias, trypophobia manifests with both a psychological response and an autonomic nervous system response. These reactions accelerate a person’s negative experience because extreme emotions spawn physical symptoms and vice versa.
People with trypophobia may experience some or all of the following physical and psychological symptoms:
People with phobias tend to avoid the object or experience that triggers symptoms, which can make it more difficult to function in certain circumstances.
Trypophobia Triggers
In addition, people may experience anxiety and disgust when they view similar objects such as:
Trypophobia can also manifest as an extreme aversion to patterns associated with certain skin diseases.These might include conditions such as chicken pox, parasitic infections, orichthyosis, which cause bumps and patterns on the skin.
Is Trypophobia a Real Phobia?
It’s estimated that 10% to 18% of adults experience at least some anxiety when they see clusters of small holes.However, whether this reaction should be classified as general disgust or an actual phobia is debated.
Trypophobia wasn’t well known until recently. The term was first coined in 2005 in an online forum where participants claimed to have a fear of objects with closely packed holes.
What Does Trypophobia Mean?The word for this fear was derived from the Greek words “trypa” (hole or cavity) and “phobia” (fear or aversion).
What Does Trypophobia Mean?
The word for this fear was derived from the Greek words “trypa” (hole or cavity) and “phobia” (fear or aversion).
Based on this history, some have claimed that the rise in people claiming to have a fear of holes is a result of internet conditioning. However, a 2024 study found that the association between holes and anxiety existed long before the internet.
Some researchers believe the initial disgust a person feels toward clustered patterns may begin as a fear, but with negative reinforcement and continued avoidance, can evolve into a phobia over time.
Usually, experts make a diagnosis of a phobia according to the criteria outlined in the"Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Edition 5 (DSM-5)." However, it’s been difficult to determine if trypophobia meets the conditions for a specific phobia because researchers interpret the condition differently.
Some researchers point out that people claiming to have trypophobia exhibited disgust upon seeing clustered patterns, but not fear.This, they say would disqualify the phenomenon as a phobia.
Other scientists point out that DSM-5 doesn’t separate fear from anxiety when outlining the diagnostic criteria for specific phobias.
Trypophobia may meet those seven criteria in the following ways:
What Causes Trypophobia?
Phobias don’t have a specific cause. Instead, they can result from any number or combination of complex factors. These may include genetics, prior trauma, learned responses early in life, and long-term anxiety or depression.
With trypophobia, some scientists believe the cause may be at least partially evolutionary, Resulting from human’s natural responses to the following:
However, this theory that trypophobia results from an evolutionary need to protect oneself from danger needs further research.
How to Cure Trypophobia
Since trypophobia isn’t recognized as a specific condition, there are no clearly established recommended treatments. However, people diagnosed with a specific phobia are typically treated with psychotherapy and, if needed, medications.
Treatments include:
If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety or a phobia, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Summary
9 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.
Cole GG.Is trypophobia real?.BJPsych Open. 2024;10(2):e48. Published 2024 Feb 16. doi:10.1192/bjo.2023.621
Pipitone RN, DiMattina C.Object Clusters or Spectral Energy? Assessing the Relative Contributions of Image Phase and Amplitude Spectra to Trypophobia.Front Psychol. 2020;11:1847. Published 2020 Jul 24. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01847
National Health Service.Symptoms: Phobias.
Wagner KD, Croley JA, Wilson JM.Trypophobia, skin, and media.Dermatol Online J. 2018;24(11):13030/qt2n54z5tw.
Martínez-Aguayo JC, Lanfranco RC, Arancibia M, Sepúlveda E, Madrid E.Trypophobia: what do we know so far? a case report and comprehensive review of the literature.Front Psychiatry. 2018;9:15. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00015
Garcia R.Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias.Learn Mem. 2017;24(9):462-471. Published 2017 Aug 16. doi:10.1101/lm.044115.116
Kupfer T, Trong Dinh Le A.Disgusting clusters: trypophobia as an overgeneralised disease avoidance response.Cognition and Emotion. 2017;32(4):1-13. doi:10.1080/02699931.2017.1345721
NHS.Treatment - Phobias.
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