By Derek Hornby

Phobia victims are being asked to come clean about their greatest fears.

Stress expert Michael Whitenburgh has identified 200 phobias among patients treated at his clinics in Liverpool and Harley Street.

One woman is terrified of buttons. When she buys a coat, she takes them off and replaces them with Velcro fastenings.

Another has a fear of bagpipes and has gone to bed early every New Year’s Eve for 35 years. Now Mr Whitenburgh has organised a phobia awareness week  so people can bring their fears into the open.

The commonest, he says, is monophobia- the fear of loneliness.

Then comes claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), agoraphobia (open spaces), insectophobia (wasps and creepy crawlies), animals, especially dogs (zoophobia) and thunder ( astraphobia). Arachnophobia, fear of spiders, is also common.

Eight out of every 10 adults have a phobia, says  Mr Whitenburgh. “Woman seem to suffer most, but that is probably because men tend to keep their fears secret.) he said.

Mr Whitenburgh, 41, stresses all phobias can be cured. Most stem from childhood and treatment involves taking patients through the root causes.
Phobia awareness week starts on November 30.