Balloon phobia or globophobia is a fear of balloons. The most common source of fear is the sound of balloons popping, but individuals can also be triggered by their texture and smell.[1]
Generally, people with globophobia will refuse to touch, feel, smell, or go near a balloon for fear it will burst.[2]
Globophobia originates from the Latin word Globus meaning sphere and the Greek word Phobos which translates to fear.[3]
This is a form of phonophobia.
Indications that someone suffers from Globophobia include:
Globophobia has numerous symptoms, and most of them overlap with anxiety.[4] Some symptoms of globophobia are:
Globophobia can be the result of a negative or traumatic experience with balloons, negative depictions of balloons, or a traumatic event somehow connected to balloons.[1] For example, a loud noise could sound similar to a balloon popping. These negative experiences usually occur during childhood, and globophobia is most prevalent among young children.[4]
Other factors that can increase the likelihood of someone developing Globophobia include:
Response prevention is a type of exposure therapy. When dealing with patients who have globophobia, a doctor roughly handles a barely inflated balloon in the presence of a patient.[5] The patient will eventually hold the limp balloon themself to understand that it is not full enough to pop.[5] The balloon will then gradually become more inflated, and once it is filled enough to pop, squeaky noises should be intentionally produced by the balloon.[5] The patients are expected to be frightened by this action, so they should stand a great distance from the balloon and then gradually move closer once they feel more comfortable.[5] The same process of patients moving closer to the balloon should be followed except the balloon will actually pop this time.[5] The purpose of this practice is to assure people with globophobia that the noises balloons make are not harmful.[5] Patients are expected to not be as tense and apprehensive around balloons and the sounds they produce following exposure therapy.[5]
This form of exposure therapy was performed on a college-aged student with globophobia.[2] Before the experiment, the unnamed male reports that he tries to avoid balloons at all costs due to the great amount of distress they place on him.[2] He claims that he cannot be any less than four feet away from a balloon without feeling intense fear.[2] The experiment is conducted over the course of three days and involves the subject being surrounded by hundreds of balloons that are simultaneously popping.[2] The researchers found no clear signs of emotional distress of the man but noted him attempting to avoid the popping balloons.[2] Following the experiment's conclusion, the subject states that he does not attempt to avoid situations that may involve balloons anymore.[2] He has also reported that no additional balloon-related problems have intervened with his daily life.[2]
Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT is a common practice used to treat phobias.[1] It works "by deconstructing negative thought patterns surrounding balloons into smaller parts which will be focused on one at a time".[1]
Hypnotherapy involves relaxation techniques that assist in reducing stress, fear, and anxiety responses.[1] The objective of hypnotherapy sessions is to alter negative thoughts and memories surrounding balloons to generate a less fearful perception on them.[1]
Neuro linguistic memory manipulations or NLP manipulations entail "seeing yourself and your fears as if you are a third party" to detach yourself from the fear and to minimize the severity of distress balloons might produce.[4]
Potential medications to use to treat globophobia include beta blockers, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), sedatives, and anti-anxiety relievers.[1]
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition (DMS-5) does not include every single phobia, so globophobia is not mentioned.[3] Mental health professionals can instead diagnose patients with a "specific phobia", like globophobia which is "an umbrella term that describes any phobia of a specific object or situation".[3]