User:Scorchoran/sandbox

Chionophobia is an abnormal fear of snow, a type of specific phobia. More specifically it is a type of natural environmental phobia, the second most common phobia sub-type. It is often associated with Cheimaphobia and Cheimatophobia (the fear of of cold, being cold, cold things, cold air, frost or winter), Cryophobia (the fear of cold, being cold, freezing, ice, frost, or cold temperatures), Frigophobia (the fear of cold, cold things, being cold or freezing), Pagophobia (the fear of ice or frost) and Psychrophobia (the fear of cold or cold weather).

Word Origin
The word chionophobia comes from the Greek words chion, meaning snow, and phobos, meaning fear, aversion, and dread.

Causes
Snow itself is not considered dangerous. This phobia is usually brought on by a traumatic event that involved snow. A car accident, skiing accident, power outages, fallen trees, frostbite, any number of snow-related events could cause an onset of this phobia. For some it is an event in childhood though the phobia lasts into adulthood.

Symptoms
Like all phobias, chionophobia may cause a variety of symptoms. Common symptoms include sweating, trembling, dread or panic, fast heart rate, difficulty breathing, crying, screaming, fainting, sensing mind loss, and urging to flee or hide. Claustrophobia and taphophobia may develop as symptoms of chionophobia. Often times, people suffering from chionophobia, or other weather phobias, live in places where they will not encounter the thing they fear.

Treatment
People with natural environment phobias very often do not seek treatment and cope by avoiding the feared stimulus. This wprks well enough for people with mild smyptoms. When symptoms are more severe and people do seek treatments there are several options, including but are not limited to: exposure therapy, talk therapy, behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and prescribed medicines.