Most, if not all, children are given a bedtime tale about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Because people like a good tale, it adapts to films and animations. However, some individuals just cannot tolerate such novels, not because they dislike the plot, but because they cannot accept the existence of dwarfs, midgets, and short people in the story. Such folks have a genuine and intense fear of dwarfs. This is a sort of phobia in which the fear of midgets known as Achondroplasiaphobia.

Achondroplasiaphobia is the phobia of midgets, albeit this name is no longer available because it is disrespectful to those with dwarfism. Nanosophobia and Lollypopguildophobia are other names for it. Fear of short people can be crippling, causing a person to refuse to visit circuses, casinos, fairs, or malls where small people are perceived to be present, at least in the phobic’s perception.

The fear of short people, also known as achondroplasiaphobia, has numerous names, including lollypopguildophobia and nanosophobia. It might begin as a little apprehension at the sight of dwarfs and progress to a full-fledged anxiety attack. We define Achondroplasiaphobia, its symptoms, causes, and treatment.

What is Achondroplasia?

Achondroplasia is a bone growth disease that results in dwarfism. Dwarfism is a disorder in adults of small stature. Achondroplasia patients are low in stature, with a normal trunk and short limbs. It is the most prevalent kind of disproportionate dwarfism.

What is Achondroplasiaphobia?

Fear of midgets – Achondroplasiaphobia is a fear of small people or dwarfs. Nanosophobia and Lollypopguildophobia are other names for it. Achondroplasiaphobia is taken from the medical term achondroplasia, which is a skeletal abnormality of cartilage formation during the prenatal period.

Who are Midgets?

Midgets are people that are abnormally low in stature and are harmful to some. Despite the fact that it is not a clinical word, it has been applied to persons of extremely tiny stature, commonly associated with dwarfism, particularly proportional dwarfism, as a medical condition. Smaller individuals are consistently mainstream performers, although they typically regard with disdain and aversion in public. Nonetheless, in the mid-nineteenth century, tiny people idealize the working class and venerate as creatures of guiltlessness, with a similar sympathetic loftiness extended to children.

Signs Of Achondroplasaphobia

Some most common signs of Achondroplasiaphobia.

People who have this fear flee or run from dwarfs.
Dwarf nightmares cause phobics to wake up screaming
Panic and anxiety episodes, even while thinking of dwarfs
Quick breathing
Mouth dryness
Shaking, shivering, trembling
Impossibility to relocate

Symptoms Of Achondroplasaphobia

Achondroplasiaphobia manifests itself in a variety of physical and psychological symptoms.

Many phobics will run or escape from little individuals. They experience small-person nightmares and frequently wake up crying.
Others may suffer a panic attack that necessitates the use of anti-anxiety medication to alleviate. This includes symptoms such as fast breathing, dry mouth, shivering, standing glued to the spot, sobbing, furiously yelling, and so on.
In other circumstances, the mere mention or picture of a little person might trigger a full-fledged anxiety attack.
Phobics may go out of their way to avoid situations where they could encounter little people.
Achondroplasiaphobia, like other particular phobias, can be severe and impair a person’s ability to function normally.

Causes Of Achondroplasiaphobia

The most common causes of Achondroplasiaphobia are the following:

The fear of little people is frequently the result of a negative traumatic experience with dwarfs in childhood. Many children’s phobia of small people begins with an experience with a dwarf janitor/worker at school/daycare who has mistreated the child.
Dwarves are also unusual because of their big features, humpbacks, or misshapen bodies. The dwarf phobia can therefore be evolutionary. Mankind is known to be afraid of anything unusual or “out of the ordinary.”
Many adult Achondroplasiaphobics think that dwarfs come from “other worlds” or have extraterrestrial origins. The notion of ‘little green men,’ a frequent moniker for Martians, might have originated from or been used interchangeably with small people.
Achondroplasiaphobia is frequently associated with other conditions such as ADHD, neurological problems, or anxiety disorders.

Treatment for Achondroplasaphobia

Psychotherapy is one of the most effective therapies for Achondroplasiaphobia. This treatment assists patients in talking about their concerns to justify them. Desensitization therapy is another effective therapeutic option. In this type of treatment, the patient gradually exposes to dwarfs, initially through photos and videos and then through physical touch. This incremental approach allows people to accept and engage with midgets without having anxiety attacks.

Counseling, hypnosis, and cognitive behavioral therapy are some of the additional therapeutic options. All of these types of therapy try to address the underlying cause of the fear. Any traumatic occurrences are addressed, and any incorrect ideas are debunked so that the phobic can recover from Achondroplasphobia.

The following are some of the most frequent treatments for achondroplasiaphobia:

Psychotherapy is one of the most successful methods for addressing and conquering a child’s fear. Talking about one’s fears might help one justify them.
Adults that are Achondroplasiaphobic should educate themselves about little people. Dwarves are not usually malevolent or dangerous; these are stereotypes about them. They merely have a congenital issue that has resulted in their condition.
Family and friends should not mock the fear; instead, they should be supportive and urge the phobic to think positively when undergoing an anxiety attack.
Medication and pharmaceuticals may alleviate anxiety symptoms, particularly if the phobia is interfering with daily living. However, they should not be relied on because they have negative effects.
Another way for conquering this phobia is gradual desensitization treatment. It entails gradually introducing the phobic to little people in the form of photographs, videos, and so on. This can help you progressively accept them and eventually be in their presence without feeling anxious.

Help Yourself To Overcome Achondroplasiaphobia

Educate Yourself

The first and most important step in overcoming the fear of midgets is to educate oneself about short people. Dwarfism is a medical disorder caused by hereditary factors. Character is not determine by height. Not all dwarfs are bad, just as not all individuals of normal height are decent.

Support Groups

It is really good to put oneself out there and attend support groups. Support groups will make you feel less alone in dealing with your fear. If you don’t want to leave your house, you can join online support groups.

Self-Help Resources

Make use of the many self-help materials accessible on the internet. Many books have been written by various writers on how to deal with phobias. You may also check into classes for certain phobias run by organizations.

Ways To Conquer Fear Of Midgets

Researchers have proposed a drug, given once daily, that appears to promote bone development in children. Many people believe that a miraculous discovery might help thousands of people with dwarfism.
Psychotherapy is arguably the most effective approach to treating and overcoming children’s anxiety. Speaking openly about the dread might help one rationalize it.
For adults suffering from Achondroplasiaphobia, learning about little people is essential. Dwarves are not typically evil or dangerous; they are stereotypes. They just have an intrinsic problem that has caused their disease.
Relatives and companions should not laugh at the fear; rather, they should take a strong stance and encourage the phobic to think good thoughts when experiencing a mental breakdown.
Prescriptions and drugs may be used to alleviate anxiety symptoms, particularly if the fear is interfering with daily living. However, these should not be relied on since they have unintended consequences.

Example Of Achondroplasisphobia

The dwarfs are depicted to be pleasant and cheerful characters in the beloved Disney classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. They do, however, live in forests and work in mines, which is most likely related to their social exclusion. Similarly, other media involving dwarfs, such as movies, novels, and so forth, especially those that portray these characters negatively, might contribute to Achondroplasiaphobia. In the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, there are creatures called Oompa Loompas, who are essentially little humans with magical skills who play tricks on mischievous youngsters.

The Ending Note

Many individuals have fear of midgets (Achondroplasiaphobia), primarily because they do not understand what dwarfism is or how it develops. Midgets are people just like everyone else, only they are smaller. To be honest, having Lollypopguildophobia is similar to having a fear of people, which may be crippling.

Midgets don’t enjoy it when others are afraid of them because of their physical appearance, which is reasonable. As a result, it is critical for an Achondroplasia patient to work hard to overcome this anxiety. It is critical for someone who has this anxiety to educate oneself about little people. It was understandable for them to be afraid of smaller people when they were children, but now that they are adults, it is the ideal time for them to learn about midgets and why they are the way they are.

Not only must the individual experiencing this phobia seek moral support from their loved ones. Individuals who surround them should not laugh at them because they are afraid. In reality, they should be forceful and encourage the phobic to think good thoughts, especially if they are undergoing a mental breakdown. They also have the right to a daily living in which they can get things done more efficiently, cope with themselves, and, ideally, live a long life.

We hope that you liked reading this article “fear of midgets”. Let us know what are other ways to overcome this fear in the comment section.