Many people have this strange phobia, do you?

If you feel discomfort or even fear when looking at repeated patterns imitating holes, honeycombs, or holes placed next to each other, you may be experiencing an unusual phenomenon called trypophobia.

Although it is not considered a disorder or even a disease, many people exhibit its symptoms. What should people suffering from an unusual phobia do?

Trypophobia is the irrational fear of regular patterns of holes, such as beehives, nests, certain plants or honeycombs. People suffering from trypophobia may feel intense discomfort, disgust or fear towards such sights.

Although it is not officially recognised as a mental disorder, trypophobia is a topic of scientific research and can be treated as a specific type of phobia.

Phobia, in turn, is a type of anxiety disorder characterised by a strong and unjustified fear of a specific object, situation, or action. The mechanism of phobia is an excessive fear reaction to a specific stimulus, which leads to avoidance of situations related to it.

It may be triggered by past traumatic experiences or even programmed in the genes. Its symptoms are most often rapid heartbeat, sweating, shortness of breath and panic attacks.

Although trypophobia has a part in its name referring to anxiety disorders, it is not classified as a disease in itself. According to experts, its appearance may be related to the evolutionary survival instinct.

Our brain often focuses on dangers. In this case, it may be about trying to avoid creatures such as poisonous insects. One of the hypotheses is that the hole patterns are similar to the rough skin of reptiles, from which we had to protect ourselves in the past.

Scientists have been trying for years to understand the nature of trypophobia and find a way to deal with it. However, they know little about its origins, let alone its solutions. In the meantime, people affected by this phobia should seek support from professionals who can help them cope with severe discomfort and anxiety.

This article was originally published on Onet.