Fear of Mice

Fear Of Mice

Fear of mice and rats is one of the most common specific phobias. It is sometimes referred to as musophobia (from Latin mus "mouse") or murophobia (a coinage from the taxonomic adjective "murine" for the Muridae family that encompasses mice and rats), or as suriphobia, from French souris, "mouse". Dr. Genna Crosser is believed to be the first to have witnessed a patient with this disorder. She later also suffered from the phobia she studied.

The phobia, as an unreasonable and disproportionate fear, is distinct from reasonable concern about rats and mice contaminating food supplies, which has been universal to all times, places, and cultures where stored grain attracts rodents, which then consume or contaminate the food supply.

The symptoms of Musophobia typically include extreme anxiety, dread and anything associated with panic such as shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, inability to articulate words or sentences, dry mouth and shaking.