What is Herpetophobia (Fear of Reptiles): Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

A specific phobia of herpetophobia refers to a fear of reptiles. Due to this phobia, people suffer from anxiety disorder and irrational fear or stress of seeing reptiles. This phobia, like other fears, often disrupts normal well-being if left untreated.

This article explains all about this phobia and details the possible treatment options that can lead to recovery.

The symptoms of herpetophobia vary from one person to the other. This means that while one might be afraid to touch a lizard, another might suffer from serious issues where they cannot even view an image of the reptile. Here are some additional factors that describe what people with such a phobia fear:

• Individuals suffering from such a phobia develop a fear whenever they are in proximity to a lizard or any reptile.
• They are unable to visit shops and stores, fearing there might be reptiles in close vicinity.
• These individuals fear staying at home as lizards are often found indoors.
• Individuals with such a phobia refuse to travel, fearing that they might encounter reptiles.
• They also fear visiting any friend’s or relative’s place due to the fear.
• People also fear getting diseases from reptiles, compelling them to consume medicines or apply anti-allergic lotion unnecessarily.
• Often, people with this phobia might be afraid of other reptiles, such as turtles and alligators.

People who fear reptiles can also possess a fear of insects (entomophobia), snakes (ophidiophobia) and related disorders. However, the symptoms of each of them are similar. Additionally, these phobias affect the mind so much that people hallucinate about lizards, snakes and insects around them. Here are some of the symptoms of herpetophobia:

• Anxiety Attack: People who have herpetophobia have severe anxiety attacks, which is a common symptom. They suffer from bouts of extreme fear right after they see a lizard or other reptile. 
• Hyperventilate: A reptile can often be very harmless or cause little or no danger at all. Although people with such a phobia are aware of this fact, they start to panic, scream or shiver whenever they encounter a reptile.
• Increased Heart Rate: Panic attacks are also common symptoms for people fearing reptiles. Whenever they see or encounter a reptile, they suffer from increased heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain, sweating and elevated blood pressure.
• Dizziness or Faint: Due to extreme fear, anxiety and hyperventilation, people suffer from dizziness and tend to faint at the sight of a reptile.
• Nausea or Vomiting: This happens due to extreme disgust or fear of reptiles, because of which people seem to suffer from nausea. They visualise lizards crawling over their body and affecting them.
• Trouble Functioning: Extreme panic, anxiety, and fear disrupt a person's normal well-being, disrupting normal body functions. They are unable to perform their daily life chores as the fear of a lizard or a reptile continues to haunt them.

When someone finds such signs and symptoms in a person, it is necessary to opt for treatment.

Any specific phobia can occur at any age, although the exact reasons for the same are still unknown. However, the common causes of herpetophobia include the following:

• Genetics: Studies confirm that genetics play a significant role in a person picking up any phobia or anxiety disorder. For instance, if a parent has herpetophobia, a child may have this tendency to pick up the phobia.
• Negative Experiences: People who have been a victim or have witnessed a traumatic episode in the past, including a reptile, may develop a fear. Again, if any person has had a severe allergic reaction due to an encounter with a reptile may also develop herpetophobia.
• Stories of Reptiles: Hearing too many stories about reptiles portrayed in a negative light can instigate fear in the mind of people and cause disgust. 
• Superstitions and Culture: Superstitious beliefs about lizards, reptiles, etc., and cultural beliefs can trigger this phobia. 
• Media Portrayal: Seeing a particular movie or a show portraying reptiles and related things can instigate fear. Watching too many scary movies and shows featuring reptiles and their harmful effects on humans over a prolonged time period can also lead to this phobia.

There are several factors contributing to the fear of reptiles. The risk factors for herpetophobia include the following:

• Extreme fear can lead to risks at home when a person visualises a lizard at home and tries to counter it, thereby hurting oneself.
• Risk factors of people with herpetophobia could also include pre-existing mental health issues.
• Another potential risk factor is substance abuse which can aggravate the phobia further. Also, people often tend to substance abuse to eliminate the fear.
• Consuming medicines unnecessarily to eliminate fear can lead to risky circumstances.

Often, we find house lizards eating away small insects and wasps at our homes. It is impossible to avoid them as they can be anywhere in a room. However, it can be difficult for a person who has herpetophobia to remain indoors and face one’s fear, which, if left untreated, may lead to dangerous complications.

Some people avoid the situations or objects that instigate fear in them, leading to a phobia. But most of them tend to overthink, and this leads to hampering their daily life events. Some of the complications that may arise due to the fear of reptiles are:

• Social Isolation: People who suffer from this fear refrain from interacting with people, visiting places or attending invitations to avoid situations of encountering a reptile. Therefore, they socially isolate themselves from their peers, colleagues, and people around them.This leads to poor performance in school and at the workplace.
• Mood Shifts: Since they are not communicative, there are a lot of emotions bottled up, instigating the phobia to cause a shift in mood. As a result, they start losing control over themselves, leading to severe emotional stress.
• Abusive: People having phobias tend to turn abusive as negative behaviour aggravates over time if left untreated. There are no exact medicines to cure phobias, but certain therapies do help. However, before realising the damage, a patient may even turn to substance abuse to relieve anxiety, fear, and stress.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) mentions all the guidelines for diagnosing herpetophobia. This manual explains the ways this phobia is diagnosed in individuals:

• As a person visits a clinic first, the doctor enquires about their experiences and feelings in order to identify the triggers associated with this phobia.
• They will then be asked if the fear has been persistent for more than 6 months and about its progress over time.
• Doctors will then try to find out the impact that the phobia has on the individual’s health, family and near ones. They also try to diagnose if there is any underlying mental disorder that is triggering the fear.
• Considering all these factors and depending upon the severity of the fear, the doctor then formulates an effective treatment plan and further refers to a therapist or a counsellor for recovery if necessary.

One must immediately consult a medical practitioner as soon as one notices that the fear is worsening and hampering an individual. The treatment of herpetophobia includes many therapies, and they are as follows:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Used along with exposure therapy, this form of treatment is immensely effective for people who have phobias. It assists in identifying and reshaping the negative thought processes that contribute to the fear of reptiles.
• Exposure Therapy: This is another effective method of treating phobias where a therapist exposes an individual to reptiles so that one can confront their fears. This helps a person learn new strategies for handling fears and negative emotions.
  • Imaginal Exposure Therapy: This process requires a person to vividly imagine there are reptiles and lizards around to cope with their fear.
  • Graded Exposure Therapy: In this method, therapists list objects and grade them according to the level of fear they instigate in the patient. Before progressing towards the hard ones, therapists introduce them to mild and moderate exposures.
  • Vivo Exposure Treatment: A doctor directly exposes a patient to objects of fear in this therapy. Doctors may also ask the person to hold a reptile in their hand for some time so that they know how to face the challenge.
  • Virtual Reality Exposure: In this different and advanced treatment procedure, doctors use Virtual Reality (VR) technology to help one experience the sounds, sights and smells associated with reptiles
  • Flooding Therapy: This is a similar treatment method where doctors use graded exposure therapy techniques but in a different way. Here, a therapist introduces a person to the most challenging tasks and then progresses toward less complex ones.
• Desensitisation Therapy: One of the most constructive treatment methods, desensitisation, allows the treatment to progress at its own pace and helps reduce the discomfort one feels while facing their fears.

Additionally, another form of treatment includes medications. Although there are no specific medications for phobias, doctors often prescribe anti-anxiety medicines, beta-blockers, and stabilisers to treat anxiety and panic attacks. Moreover, one should constantly monitor patients who are consuming medicines as there may be chances of prescription overdose.

The effect of any phobia entirely depends upon the severity of the disorder. For instance, if a child develops a fear of reptiles at a young age, it may fade away until the time one reaches one’s teenage years. Also, if the child's parents have a fear of reptiles and don’t realise it or are left untreated, the child may develop the fear for years and decades. 

However, for adults, one might not be able to recognise the fear of reptiles during childhood, which leads to them developing this fear in future. In that case, with proper treatment, they can live a normal life.

One must never fail to seek medical assistance if one notices suicidal tendencies in a person, which is one of the major effects. Apart from that, repeated panic attacks, stress, sweating, and trembling while watching scary movies on reptiles certainly require treatment. 

A medical practitioner will be the best person to guide and assist one in the right direction. It is mandatory to seek treatment at an early stage to prevent the fear from aggravating in the later years causing excessive harm to the mind and body.

Phobias are common in individuals, and so is herpetophobia. But one of the most effective ways to treat any fear is to face it with confidence and positivity. In that regard, practising mindfulness, eating healthy, watching motivational videos and adhering to positive aspects of life will help a person cope with their fears over time.

Here are a few tips you can consider for coping with this condition besides the routine medical procedure:

• Try relaxing techniques like yoga and meditation, which can be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety. 
• Avoid consuming stimulants like caffeine, as these can contribute to increasing the stress.
• Consider a healthy lifestyle, maintaining balanced and healthy diets, sleep routines and exercising. 
• Disclose your fear and problems to others, and take help from support groups. 
• Conduct your daily activities without letting fear come in the way. Being engaged in work can be beneficial to avoid thinking about it too much.