Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. It is a type of specific phobia, which is an anxiety disorder that is characterised by a persistent and excessive fear of a spiders. People with arachnophobia may experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms when they encounter spiders, such as:

• Sweating
• Trembling
• Rapid heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Feeling faint
• Panic attacks
• Fear of being bitten
• Fear of being attacked
• Fear of being poisoned

Arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias in the world. It is estimated that up to 50% of people have some degree of fear of spiders.

There are a number of reasons why people might develop arachnophobia. Some people may have had a negative experience with spiders in the past, such as being bitten. Others may have learned to fear spiders from their parents or other caregivers. And still others may have a genetic predisposition to fear spiders.