“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”.
That seems like a very unfortunate phobia to have, as we are all obviously surrounded by a lot of hair. Strange phobias like this one always make me curious though. It seems to me like the majority of the time, there is some mental disorder that causes the person to lock in on an issue like this and obsess about it, and it has much less to do with the issue itself and more to do with the person’s brain chemistry and function. Research into the commonalities of rare phobias such as this one would be fascinating, although, as you mentioned, very difficult to quantify and compare.
To be completely honest, I have never heard of Chaetophobia until I read your post! I really liked how you commenced the post with a small snippet from a relatable experience, before delving into the logistics of the actual phobia (even though it painted a disgusting mental image in my head). I find it fascinating that some people with this phobia are so traumatically affected that they may need to go through cognitive-behavioral therapy! You said that some sufferers of Chaetophobia feel uncomfortable in salons, where there is loose, detached hairs. In that case, do these sufferers fear getting their hair cut?
All I could think about reading this blog is how much a Chaetophobia would hate to be around me. I twirl my hair constantly and I shed just as much as a dog. So I couldn’t even imagine living with them. These strange phobias are very interesting and in my opinion its very sad that they honestly are terrified by the most common things and can not do anything about it. Yes they can go to therapy, but they will always be afraid. I’m very curious on how different their lives may be.
The fact that those suffering from Chaetophobia have represented up to 6% of the population at some points is shocking! I agree that it is very hard for clinicians or psychologists to diagnose fears like this, since the causes, symptoms, and severity vary so widely.