--- In unusualphobias@yahoogroups.com, "meeshabeth" <meeshabeth@...>
wrote:
>
> I don't have the wrist phobia, but my phobia is also so unusual
that
> people try to scare me with it. I'm scared of sloths, as in the
three-
> toed marsupials that live in south america and hang from trees and
move
> so slowly that moss grows on them. I don't know if people think
I'm
> kidding or making it up to try to get attention or what, but they
will
> find pictures of sloths and show them to me, or send me videos on
> myspace. They don't understand that when I see them, I get
physically
> sick and hyperventilate, among other panic-attack type things. I
know
> that the object of my phobia isn't as easilly accessible as your
> wrists, but I just wanted to let you know that you're not the only
ones
> who have an unusual phobia that people try to take advantage of or
> tease you about. And for the record, if either of you told me that
you
> were afraid of wrists, my first reaction would be to cover mine up
> right away because I know how debilitating these phobias can be.
>

I know exactly how you feel! Several psychiatrists I've seen as well
as members of my own family think I'm making my phobia up. People
also try to scare me. My own grandmother left a people magazine out
(on purpose) with one of the actors I'm afraid of on it just to see
how I would react. I really find it disgusting how just because we
are scared of unusual things, people think it's okay to belittle us.
Like you, I would go out of my way not to scare someone if they were
afraid of something unusual.