“When I was 8 years old I went on a trip with my family to Washington, D.C. One day on the bus, I was observing an older woman’s hair. It was long and black, and hung below her waist. As I looked closer, I noticed what I realized were actual chunks of skin – that is how much dandruff she had. Now almost any other hair I see reminds me of that image and it is so gross that I start to feel like there is hair in my mouth and I just want to vomit everywhere.”
Chaetophobia is the defined term for the fear of hair. It is deemed an irrational fear. This a much more rare phobia, believed to affect less than 1% of the population. But as we discussed in the last episode and will keep discussing, it is hard to gauge commonality accurately. Those claiming to suffer from Chaetophobia have constituted at times almost 6% of the population. Sufferers’ fear may be associated with human hair and/or animal hair. People affected may even fear people/animals with an excess amount of hair. They may also fear the hair on their own bodies because they think it is dirty or unattractive. Some only fear detached or loose hair and do not mind attached hair. They may fear things such as dandruff or head lice. This phobia is thought to be closely associated, or even branched off of, Germophobia, the fear of germs. In some extreme cases, Chaetophobes become obsessed with removing every hair on their body. Chaetophobia is often hygiene-related and sufferers feel uncomfortable in environments such as salons where hair is detached and on the ground. Some fear loose hair in their food or on furniture even if it is their own. Possible symptoms may include a feeling of panic, feeling of terror, feeling of dread, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, anxiety, sweating, nausea, dry mouth, inability to articulate words or sentences, and/or taking extreme avoidance measures. There is not much known history or evolutionary basis of Chaetophobia. As with most phobias, this fear could be the result of a negative experience with hair and/or or a hairy person. The anxiety begins when the Chaetophobe remembers an experience whenever they are near a person with an excess amount of hair. Hair loss may also be a trigger to this phobia, such as men going bald. The reason for such a variation when attempting to estimate the number of people suffering from Chaetophobia is the same as it is for almost all phobias. With such a rare phobia, it is especially difficult. The severity of the fear is too relative. These sources of fear – such as hair – are found repelling my many anyways who are not actually Chaetophobic. This may cause confusion as to who believes they are and thus self-proclaims this condition. Some possible treatments may include intensive therapy and/or medication for anxiety, support groups as with most phobias, self-relaxation techniques, behavioral therapy, Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and exposure therapy.
Fun Fact: Khaitē, the root of the word, is Greek for “loose, flowing hair”.