What is ataxophobia?

What is ataxophobia?

Ataxophobia is an extreme fear of untidiness or disorder. People with ataxophobia feel intense distress in untidy settings. They may experience anxiety just thinking about being in a situation where disorder or messiness surrounds them.

Ataxophobia goes beyond being a “neat freak.” The fear of untidiness is a specific phobia. Specific phobias are irrational fears of specific situations, interactions, animals or people. Typically, people with specific phobias experience fear that exceeds any actual threat. They often know the fear is extreme but have trouble controlling it.