Does This Picture Scare You? If so, You May Have This Phobia!

Are you ever sitting in your living room, bag of popcorn in hand binge watching some series on Netflix when suddenly a chill travels down your spine?

And you start wondering if somewhere, maybe right outside the window across from you, a duck is staring into your soul!

If this happened to you on more than one occasion, then by God you might be suffering from Anatidaephobia

People who suffer from Anatidaephobia fear that at any time, somewhere in the world, there’s a duck or goose watching them.

They are not afraid of an attack.

They simply dread the fact that there’s an avian out there keeping tabs on everything they do.

Judging and monitoring them throughout the day.

When they come across ducks outside, an intense fear is triggered.

The Anatidaephobia Comic

Anatidaephobia is a creation from cartoonist Gary Larson in Far Side Comics.

The word can be broken down into “Anatidae,” Greek for ducks, geese, and other kinds of waterfowl, and “Phobos,” translating to fear.

The comic shows that any object can become a source of fear.

Since its creation, Anatidaephobia worked its way into culture and is now considered a real phobia.

It has not reached official status, but it’s certainly not impossible since it is very similar to another phobia.

Are Anatidaephobia & Ornithophobia Related?

Ornithophobia is the fear of birds.

People who suffer from it could fear all birds or a specific type of bird such as pigeons.

Anatidaephobia can be an offshoot of ornithophobia.

Symptoms include shaking, sweating, chills, chest pain, upset stomach, confusion, dizziness, and nausea.

Treatment includes the effective Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and in severe cases prescribed medication.

So if you begin to fear any particular object, outside of waterfowl, to the point where it makes you feel ill, schedule an appointment with your doctor.