Osmophobia
SpecialtyPsychology

Osmophobia or olfactophobia refers to a fear, aversion, or psychological hypersensitivity to odors. The phobia generally occurs in chronic migraine sufferers who may have odor triggered migraines.[citation needed] Such migraines are most frequently triggered by foul odors, but the hypersensitivity may extend to all odors. One study found as many as 25% of migraine sufferers had some degree of osmophobia. The condition may also be present in individuals in substance withdrawal, specifically opioid withdrawal syndrome, where it is usually associated with nausea and/or vomiting.

The term osmophobia comes from the Greek ὀσμή - osmē, meaning "smell, odour"[1] and φόβος - phobos, "fear".[2] Olfactophobia comes from the Latin olfacto, "to smell at".[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ ὀσμή, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  2. ^ φόβος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  3. ^ olfacto, Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, on Perseus