A rare case report of alektorophobia in an adult male

Abstract

Alektorophobia is a term specific to fear of chickens/hens. It is a type of ornithophobia (fear of birds) which comes under specific phobia, animal type. Alektorophobia is derived from the Greek word ”Alektor” which means ”rooster” and ”phobos” meaning ”fear.” Specific phobia is a type of anxiety disorder and is relatively common in females, children, and adolescents. Although specific phobias are common type of anxiety disorder, alektorophobia is a rare entity. In our case report, we discuss a 32-year-old gentleman with a specific phobia for cocks and hens, who presented with significant distress and socio-occupational dysfunction. He was successfully treated with a combination of pharmacological agent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and nonpharmacological strategies (systematic desensitization) and remained symptom-free even after 9-month follow-up. This is the first case of alektorophobia reported in adult male to the best of our knowledge. This case emphasizes the need for understanding the role of psychological processes in the development of phobia and role of nonpharmacological strategies in the management.

Keywords

• Alektorophobia
• chicken
• specific phobia
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
• systematic desensitization