What Is Pediophobia? Definition, Symptoms, & Treatments

What is Pediophobia?

Pediophobia is a type of specific phobia characterized by a fear of dolls. A person with pediophobia will experience anxiety when thinking about or physically near dolls. Pediophobia can impact a person’s daily life because this fear  may inhibit them from engaging in social settings where they may come across dolls or mannequins.

Pediophobia vs. Pedophobia

Although pediophobia and pedophobia have similar spelling, these are two different conditions. While pediophobia is the fear of humanistic dolls, pedophobia is the fear of children. A person with pedophobia may develop pediophobia as they begin to fear objects that a child might play with due to its association with children.¹

Symptoms of Pediophobia

Symptoms of pediophobia are similar to all other symptoms of anxiety, including panic attacks, sweating, and difficulty sleeping. A person suffering from pediophobia will be incredibly anxious around particular or all dolls. It is important for a person to monitor their symptoms and notice when they feel these to point out the triggers of the symptoms.

Common symptoms of pediophobia may include:

• Gastrointestinal issues
• Dry mouth
• Panic attacks 
• Shortness of breath
• Increased heart rate
• Sweating
• Shaking
• Intense feelings of dread or terror.
• Difficulty functioning when trigger is present
• Difficulty sleeping when thinking about triggernges they might be feeling due to medication.

What Causes Pediophobia?

Like any phobia, pediophobia can be caused by a variety of reasons. A traumatic childhood event, such as having a negative experience that included a doll, might lead to this phobia. Additionally, pediophobia is more prevalent today because the fear of inanimate objects is often showcased and seen in horror films that explore objects with human-like features to come alive and cause fear.

There is a relationship between pediophobia and the development of the “uncanny valley,” which was a phenomenon brought about in the 1970s when figurines were being made to look more humanistic and resulting in movies of fear and impacting more people to be triggered and diagnosed with pediophobia.²

A fear of dolls can be caused by the following:

• Traumatic events that involved dolls, ventriloquist dummies or mannequins
• Exposure to horror movies as a kid
• Genetic predisposition to specific phobias and/or anxiety disorders
• Other mental health disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Cultural influences

Impacts of Living With a Fear of Dolls

Pediophobia can cause immense anxiety and cause a person to isolate to avoid situations where they may encounter a doll or mannequin. Additionally, a person with pediophobia may develop other phobias, such as agoraphobia, to prevent exposure to a doll, or haphephobia, to avoid touching doll-like textures.

Untreated pediophobia may lead to:

• Avoidance behaviors
• Anxiety symptoms
• Depression symptoms
• Social isolation
• Physical health issues
• Decrease quality of life

How is Pediophobia Diagnosed?

Pediophobia is diagnosed as a specific phobia disorder via a clinical assessment with a licensed professional. A psychologist or psychiatrist will provide a diagnosis and treatment plan after assessing through questions, including triggers and daily functioning. An assessment is done to understand the level of impact on a person with this diagnosis so the appropriate treatment plan is created.³

To be diagnosed with pediophobia, someone must:

• Posses a fear of dolls that is out of proportion to any real danger
• Experiences significant stress due to their fear of dolls
• Has experienced this fear and its effects for at least six months.
• The fear causes a significant impact on daily functioning
• Exposure to a doll causes immediate fear or anxiety attack

Treatment for Pediophobia

The treatment for pediophobia may look like various interventions, including therapy and medication. Treatment targets the underlying symptoms of anxiety and depression and helps to work through this to better function. While there are no accepted medications specific to the phobia, medication might be prescribed to reduce the impact of symptoms.

Treatment options for pediophobia include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Through CBT, a person can take their thoughts and change their actions. Understanding the triggers and why they happen will help a person change their thought patterns.
• Exposure response therapy (ERP): When done safely and under the guidance of a healthcare professional, ERP will allow a person to begin to feel their feelings in the moment of their fear and how this relates to how they can react. Exposure therapy allows a person to recognize their reactions’ impacts.
• Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR): MBSR allows a person to tap into techniques that help ease stress so that reactions to dolls will not induce a panic attack.
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): DBT helps a person regulate their emotions and learn the tools needed to tolerate a moment of distress when faced with a doll.
• Medication: Medications can help address symptoms of fear and anxiety triggers. There are a variety of types of prescriptions that are typically used to help alleviate the symptoms of pediophobia. Often the prescriptions will be medications for anxiety or medication for depression.

How to Cope with a Fear of Dolls

Pediophobia can sometimes be alleviated by adopting healthy coping mechanisms. A person should look at their lifestyle choices to know what they can shift to reduce the potential of being triggered, thereby reducing the extent to which the phobia impacts them.

Here are some ways a person can cope with pediophobia:

• Breathwork: Breathwork, such as the 4-7-8 breathing, helps a person to keep in tune with being grounded and slow their breathing rather than continuously running ramped.
• Mindfulness: Mindfulness techniques help a person to become aware of their surroundings and get in tune with their own fears.
• Meditation: Meditation, such as a vipassana meditation, brings a person to a grounded state and place rather than working from a place of panic.
• Exercise: Some of the mental health benefits of exercise include feeling that there is control over one’s body.

How to Find Professional Support

The first step in developing a treatment plan for pediophobia is to speak with a licensed mental health professional. The clinician should specialize in phobias, and it is important to find the right therapist so that you can see the benefit of treatment as soon as possible. Each treatment plan will look different, even for the same diagnosis.

If you are wondering about medication, a person can learn how to get antidepressants and how to get anxiety medication by speaking with their doctor or psychiatrist. A prescription will be made to address a person’s specific symptoms rather than directly the phobia itself. A person must follow the medication guidelines given by their treatment provider and monitor the impacts of their symptoms to be aware of the changes they might be feeling due to medication.

In My Experience

While navigating pediophobia can be challenging, a person does not have to navigate this alone. Finding treatment options at the first signs of this phobia can help alleviate some symptoms a person might face and lessen the likelihood of becoming isolated. Finding appropriate support and treatment plans mean the potential relief of symptoms for a person to live a more fulfilling life. Having a balance of help and support and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can significantly impact a happier and healthier life.