Fear of frogs

Fear of frogs and toads has been recorded in the history of many cultures. For example, seeing a frog may be a bad omen or frogs and toads may give a person warts. At the same time in other cultures frogs are considered as good omen. A survey carried out by researchers from the Johannesburg Zoo have shown that in modern times old supersititons play less significant role and modern children are more concerned whether frogs are poisonous or harmless.^[1]

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An irrational fear of frogs, a type of specific phobia, is called frog phobia or, sometimes, ranidaphobia, from the word ranidae, the most widespread family of frogs. Psychiatry specialty literature uses the plain English term, "fear of frogs"^[2] The term batrachophobia has also been recorded in a 1953 psychiatric dictionary.^[3] A clinical case of a severe fear of frogs has been described in Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry in 1983: a woman developed an extreme fear of frogs after a traumatic incident when her lawn mower ran over a group of frogs creating a bloody mess.^[4]

References

1. ^ "What do kids think about Frogs?", an Johannesburg Zoo atricle
2. ^ "Psychiatry Specialty Board Review for the Dsm-IV" (1996) Psychology Press, ISBN 0876307888 p. 97
3. ^ Jacob Shatzky, Leland Earl Hinsie (1953) "Psychiatric Dictionary: With Encyclopedic Treatment of Modern Terms", Oxford University Press, "Fear of frogs"
4. ^ Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, vol. 14, 1983