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Food Phobias

Alliumphobia – Fear of Garlic

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Alliumphobia: Garlic Scares More than Just Vampires

Do you run away at the mere mention of the word “garlic”? Even when it’s just a tiny amount sprinkled on a pizza, does the scent send you running in the opposite direction?

Are you terrified of eating out for fear you might find a piece of garlic in your food? Do you turn down invitations to lunch and dinner at your friends’ or relatives’ homes so you can avoid any encounter with the sight, touch, smell, or taste of garlic?

If so, you may be an alliumphobe or someone suffering from alliumphobia, a kind of food phobia. In this case, it’s the phobia of garlic.

But don’t worry, you’re not alone. There are many different kinds of phobias, and around 12.5 percent of Americans have some form or other.

If you’re tired of hiding from garlic, read on to learn how you can kiss your fear of garlic goodbye.

What Is Alliumphobia

There are many types of food phobias, and alliumphobia is one of them.

Allium in Latin means garlic bulb, and phobia means fear. People suffering from this phobia get anxious at the mere thought or mention of garlic. They don’t even like the smell of garlic or any other pungent odor. So, onions, chives, and shallots are all out of the picture.

Alliumphobes will not touch food that they suspect has garlic as an ingredient. And this aversion is not about disgust—it’s real fear. The person may start shaking or sweating profusely. Severe cases, although rare, may cause panic attacks.

Imagine, as an alliumphobe, what it would be like to have a sibling or a parent who is a fan of garlic bread or garlic chicken. And while you’re at it, imagine an alliumphobe on April 19, National Garlic day.

And if living in fear of garlic isn’t enough, there is the additional fear of being mocked by those who don’t understand. So, it’s no surprise that people with alliumphobia try to hide their fear and feelings from friends and family.

Many with the fear of garlic think their only choice is to avoid the object of their fear. However, avoidance is a short-term solution that escalates one’s fear when faced with it.

If you’re following this tactic of avoidance, why not start taking steps to liberate yourself right now?

Alliumphobia Causes

Alliumphobia usually stems from a combination of several factors. While some people may be able to pinpoint the exact onset of the fear and what caused it, in other cases, such details may not be possible.

However, most phobias can be attributed to one or a combination of the following causes:

1. Genetic Predisposition

Genetics is the major reason behind chronic illness, including those involving mental health. Besides hypertension, depression, or a myriad of other illnesses, phobias are also linked to genetics.

This means if someone in your family has alliumphobia or any other phobia, the probability of you developing a phobia increases. However, it usually requires a trigger that will act as a switch for turning on the phobia.

2. Experience

Someone who was once trapped in an elevator may never travel by elevator again, or a person attacked by a dog may never go near one. Similarly, if someone had a traumatic event involving garlic, they may develop a fear of it.

At times, even hearing a recount of someone’s horror story can lead to the development of fear. So, a person who was mocked for having bad breath after eating garlic bread or who had choked on a garlic clove may start avoiding it. This can develop into a full-blown fear.

3. Learned Behavior

If a child at a young age looks up to a parent, friend, sibling, or neighbor who is averse to vegetable smells or garlic, for example, they too may learn the behavior and develop an aversion to it as well.

4. Literature, Media, and Facts

Garlic is associated with the vampire, a well-documented mythical character. So, it is no surprise that from a young age, kids are exposed to vampire stories and their association with garlic.

Many experts believe this could be a casual element that may later contribute to the development of a fear of garlic. Research hasn’t managed to substantiate this, though.

 

Alliumphobia Symptoms

A person who has alliumphobia will have physical symptoms observable to people around them, as well as psychological symptoms.

Physical Symptoms

  • Loss of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Shaking
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Dry mouth
  • Feeling faint

Physiological Symptoms

  • Feeling of being detached
  • Panic attack
  • Fear of dying
  • Anxiety

 

Alliumphobia Treatment

No two minds are the same when it comes to phobia, so there is no definitive treatment. The precise treatment plan can only be decided upon following professional analysis.

However, if you are in the initial stages, you may not need professional support and may be able to help yourself.

Self-Help

As it is said, self-help is the best help. You know yourself better than anyone else.

People with irrational phobias generally recognize that the subject does not pose any real threat and that it is all in their heads.

It is this principle that they need to work on and convince themselves that garlic cannot harm them. However, if you feel your case is only worsening, seek professional help.

 

 

Professional Help

There are many treatment options available for alliumphobia, and the doctor is the expert on deciding who will benefit from which treatment. Some therapies available are:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Systematic desensitization
  • Exposure therapy
  • Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
  • Neuro linguistic programming (NLP)
  • Meditation
  • Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
  • Energy psychology
  • Hypnoanalysis

Medication

In extreme cases where self-help and therapy don’t work, the patient may have to be put on medication for a time. This is done concurrently with therapy, and the medication is gradually tapered off once the patient begins to benefit from therapy.

Anti-anxiety and antidepressants are the two classes of drugs that are usually prescribed for patients with anxiety disorders. They are only allowed with a prescription and must be discontinued as soon as possible following the guidance of your health care professional.

How to Cope with Alliumphobia

Alliumphobia, like other anxiety disorders, affects the normal day-to-day life of a person. It limits people from eating out and even socializing. The phobia may worsen to the point where sufferers isolate themselves and avoid social interaction.

Talk to your family and friends, and if you feel comfortable, join online groups to talk to people like you. These support groups not only assist you in overcoming your phobia but also offer advice on what to do next, the best doctors, and other tips.

 

Conclusion

Alliumphobia, or the fear of garlic, can be limiting, like many other phobias. With self-help and support from loved ones, you can free yourself from the fear. If that doesn’t help, approach professionals who understand what you’re going through and can expertly help you overcome your phobia.

FearAZ.com is looking for personal stories of any 'fear of' or phobia. If you have an interesting story you'd like to share, we welcome your submission. If the story fits with our content and guidelines, we'll add it to our site.
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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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