Katsaridaphobia
Specific phobia towards cockroaches
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Katsaridaphobia is a specific phobia characterized by an abnormal or irrational fear of cockroaches.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The phobia triggers severe panic, physical distress, and avoidance behaviors far beyond normal disgust.[10][11][12][13]
| Katsaridaphobia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Art depicting the Madagascar hissing cockroach | |
| Pronunciation | |
| Specialty | Psychology |
| Symptoms | Anxiety, distress, and Severe panicking |
| Causes | Environmental factors |
| Treatment | Exposure therapy with cognitive behavioral therapy and virtual reality therapy |
If a cockroach is present near a katsaridaphobe, they may feel uneasy around the cockroach and experience difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, panic attacks, anxiety and disgust due to its greasy oily like body and the look of the insect.[10][14][15]
Description
The term katsaridaphobia comes from κατσαρίδα katsarída, the Greek word for 'cockroach', and the -phobia suffix, which comes from φόβος phóbos, the Ancient Greek word for 'fear'.[1]
Katsaridaphobia is related to entomophobia, a broader fear of insects.[16] Studies have shown that images of cockroaches evoke stronger negative emotions than those of spiders or snakes.[17] Katsaridaphobies may constantly clean their house due to cockroaches likely staying in moist, dirty parts of a house.
Causes
The fear of cockroaches is often disproportionate to the actual risks they pose.[18] Such fears may originate from negative experiences during childhood,[18] observing the fears of one's parents, or fear of infestations.[19][20] The feelings of fear and disgust evoked by cockroaches have also been attributed to physical characteristics such as their speed, greasy bodies, and odour, which is caused by uric acid stored in their bodies.[4][18][19][21]
Symptoms
Treatment
Notable katsaridaphobes
In 2025, Scarlett Johansson stated that her "greatest phobia is cockroaches".[30]
