Heliophobia
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Heliophobia (from Greek ἥλιος - helios, "sun"[1] and φόβος - phobos, "fear"[2]) has two meanings:
- in psychology, heliophobia refers to a morbid fear of sunlight.[3]
- in medicine, heliophobia (more commonly photophobia) refers to an excessive sensitivity to sunlight.
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[edit] Causes
Heliophobia is a problem that afflicts hundreds of people[vague], but one that suffers from a lack of true research. The Pacific Health Center suggested that many people have been staying away from the sun because of growing fears about skin cancer. This is not technically heliophobia, simply an unfounded and illogical solution. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (if it includes an intense fear of getting skin cancer) can also cause heliophobia. It should also be noted that any form of heliophobia that is based on fears can result in agoraphobia. Although most cases of agoraphobia are not due to heliophobia, some are.
Medical conditions such as keratoconus, which is an eye disorder that results in extreme optic sensitivity to sunlight and bright lights, and porphyria cutanea tarda, which causes the skin to be overly sensitive to sunlight to the point of causing blisters, can result in heliophobia.
Since heliophobia forces its victims indoors, heliophobia causes a Vitamin D deficiency problem. However, this can be corrected by taking Vitamin D supplements or consuming Vitamin D fortified foods.[4]
[edit] Hypersensitivity
In chemistry or biology the terms heliophobic/heliophobe refers to an organism or substance that is sunlight-sensitive or has an aversion to sunlight.
Heliophobous plants are commonly known as "shade-tolerant".
[edit] In culture
Heliophobia was considered a "telltale sign" of vampires.
There was a short-lived magazine Heliophobe (3 issues, 1994–1996), described as "a not-so-sexual fetish magazine exclusively devoted to pale-skinned women".[5]
Heliophobe is a 1997 album by a German rock band Scumbucket.[6]
This phobia is seen in the American sports comedy film The Benchwarmers.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ ἥλιος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
- ^ φόβος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
- ^ Morris, Christopher G. (1992). Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology. San Diego, California: Academic Press. p. 1005. ISBN 9780122004001. http://books.google.com/books?id=nauWlPTBcjIC.
- ^ "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D". National Institute of Health. 2011-01-13. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD/#h6. Retrieved 2011-02-21.
- ^ Heliophobe magazine webpage
- ^ Scumbucket albums
