The symptoms of autophobia vary by case. However, there are some symptoms that a multitude of people with this disease suffer from. An intense amount of apprehension and anxiety when you are alone or think about situations where you would be secluded is one of the most common indications that a person is autophobic. People with this disorder also commonly believe that there is an impending disaster waiting to occur whenever they are left alone. For this reason, autophobes go to extreme lengths to avoid being in isolation. However, people with this disease often do not need to be in "physical" isolation to feel abandoned. Autophobes will often be in a crowded area or group of people and feel as though they are completely secluded.

There has also been some connection to autophobia being diagnosed in people who also suffer from borderline personality disorders.

Below is a list of other symptoms that are sometimes associated with autophobia:

- Mental symptoms:

- Fear of fainting

- A disability to concentrate on anything other than the disease

- Fear of losing your mind

- Failure to think clearly

- Emotional symptoms:

- Stress over up-coming times and places where you may be alone

- Fear of being secluded

- Physical symptoms:

- Lightheadedness, dizziness

- Sweating

- Shaking

- Nausea

- Cold and hot flashes

- Numbness or tingling feelings

- Dry mouth

- Increased heart rate

Most people suffer from a form of fear of medical procedures during their life. There are many different aspects of this fear and not everyone has every part. Some of these parts include fear of surgery, fear of dental work and fear of doctors (involving fear of needles). These fears are often overlooked, but when a patient has one to the extreme it can be very damaging to their health.

Formally, medical fear is defined (by Steward and Steward, see Further reading) as "any experience that involves medical personnel or

procedures involved in the process of evaluating or modifying health status in traditional health care settings".

Fear of medical procedures can be classified under a broader category of “Blood, Injection, and Injury Phobias”. This is one of five subtypes that classify specific phobias. A specific phobia is defined as a “marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence (or anticipation) of a specific object or situation.” Often these fears begin to appear in childhood, around the age of 5 to 9. It seems to be a natural feeling to become squeamish at the sight of blood, injury or gross deformity, but many overcome these fears by the time they reach adulthood. Those who do not are more likely to avoid medical and dental procedures necessary to maintain health, jobs, etc. Research shows that when people encounter something that they have a specific phobia of many of them have a feeling of disgust which makes them not want to come near or experience that which is disgusting to them. This feeling of disgust, especially in the Blood, Injection, and Injury Phobias seems to be passed down in families. Women have been known to avoid becoming pregnant because it requires blood and medical examinations that they would rather avoid. Also, most phobic people have an increased heart rate upon encountering the thing they fear, but Blood, Injection, Injury phobic people also seem to have an increase of fainting after the initial speeding up of heart rate. Their heart rate will go up and then slow again, leading to nausea, sweating, pallor and fainting. This fainting can also lead to seizures, making life very difficult for those who have this fear. However, only 4.5% of individuals who have this phobia as a child will have this fear their entire lifetime.

For those who do experience this phobia in an extreme manner, specific coping treatments have been found to help them. Biological treatments, like medications used for other anxiety ailments, are generally found to be inappropriate for fear of medical procedures or other specific phobias. Psychological treatments are the treatment of choice because they are more accurate at addressing the problem. Some of these treatments used especially for fear of medical procedures include, Exposure-Based Treatments, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Applied Tension to react against fainting.

Individuals with scopophobia generally exhibit symptoms in social situations when attention is brought upon them like public speaking. Several other triggers exist to cause social anxiety. Some examples include: Being introduced to new people, being teased and/or criticized, embarrassing easily, and even answering a cell phone call in public.

Often scopophobia will result in symptoms common with other anxiety disorders. The symptoms of scopophobia include an irrational feelings of panic, feelings of terror, feelings of dread, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea, dry mouth, trembling, anxiety and avoidance. Other symptoms related to scopophobia may be hyperventilation, muscle tension, dizziness, uncontrollable shaking or trembling, excessive eye watering and redness of the eyes.

People with a fear of driving may experience trembling, sweating, accelerated pulse, loss of sense of reality, and thoughts of losing control while driving, even in situations that are reasonably safe. This fear will cause many to avoid driving, create excuses to not drive, or even refuse to get a driver's license for years.

Those with associated post-traumatic stress disorder may experience intrusive thoughts or dreams of the original accident—both when driving and not—lack of emotional responsiveness and irritability.

Spectrophobia (from Latin: "spectrum", n. specio, an appearance, form, image of a thing; an apparition, spectre) or catoptrophobia (from Greek κάτοπτρον "kátoptron", "mirror") is a kind of specific phobia involving a morbid fear of mirrors. This phobia is distinct from eisoptrophobia, which is the fear of one's own reflection.

When triggered, most people with a specific phobia experience an increase in blood pressure and an extreme amount of anxiety; however, an individual who has BII phobia experiences something different: first, the person’s blood pressure increases and then swiftly decreases the next moment. During this rapid change in blood pressure, a period of a vasovagal response occurs, which causes less blood and oxygen to be sent to the brain, resulting in loss of consciousness momentarily. The heart rate then slows down, due to the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic activation is believed to be associated with the disgust response, which is a characteristic of BII phobia, making it stand out from other phobias. Other symptoms can include extreme discomfort in the chest and tunnel vision.

Moreover, FMRI studies have confirmed that the activation level of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for controlling and regulating emotions, is lower in people with this type of phobia when exposed to a fear-inducing stimuli. This shows that people with BII phobia have less control over their emotions because of the lessened activity in their prefrontal cortex. This lessened emotional control could contribute to the high disgust reaction as well as less control over phobic symptoms, such as fainting.

The symptoms of Ablutophobia as well as many specific phobias are as follows:

- Feelings of panic, dread, horror, or terror

- Recognition that the fear goes beyond normal boundaries and the actual threat of danger

- Reactions that are automatic and uncontrollable, practically taking over the person’s thoughts

- Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, and an overwhelming desire to flee the situation—all the physical reactions associated with extreme fear

- Extreme measures taken to avoid the feared object or situation.

Feelings of shame are also not uncommon. Many cultures place a heavy value on cleanliness, and refusing to bathe can make someone the target of mockery or teasing, which can increase the severity of the phobia. It may also cause the sufferer to not seek treatment.

A childhood phobia is an exaggerated, intense fear “that is out of proportion to any real fear” found in children. It is often characterized by a preoccupation with a particular object, class of objects, or situation that one fears. A phobic reaction is twofold—the first part being the “intense irrational fear’ and the second part being “avoidance.”

Children during their developmental stages experience fears. Fear is a natural part of self-preservation. Fears allow children to act with the necessary cautions to stay safe. According to Child and Adolescent Mental Health, “such fears vary in frequency, intensity, and duration; they tend to be mild, age-specific, and transitory.” Fears can be a result of misperceptions. When a child perceives a threatening situation, his or her body experiences a fight or flight reaction. Children placed in new situations with unfamiliar objects are more likely to experience such reactions. These fears should be passing, a result of childhood development.

A childhood fear develops into a childhood phobia when it begins to interfere with daily living. “Acute states of fear can elicit counterproductive physiological reactions such as trembling, profuse perspiration, faint feelings, weakness in joints and muscles, nausea, diarrhea, and disturbances in motor coordination” It is not uncommon for frightened or anxious children to regress in a phase of development. For example, a kindergartener might begin to baby talk or wet the bed when faced with a threatening or particularly frightening situation. Childhood phobias exist in many different varieties and intensities and have a wide range from tolerable to incapacitating.

BII phobia tends to have an affect on people's health, since the individuals with this phobia, usually avoid needles, vaccinations, and blood tests, making them susceptible to diseases and other health-related issues. Women, in particular, suffering from BII phobia, reported to have avoided pregnancy in fear of injections, vaccinations, and the pain associated with labor. BII phobia patients suffering from diabetes or multiple sclerosis are often unable to get injections and are thus more likely to discontinue their treatment.

Gerascophobia is an abnormal or incessant fear of growing old or ageing.

Gerascophobia is a clinical phobia generally classified under specific phobias, fears of a single specific panic trigger. Gerascophobia may be based on anxieties of being left alone, without resources and incapable of caring for oneself. Sufferers may be young and healthy.

Symptoms include the fear of the future and the fear of needing to rely on others to do daily functions. Many also fear they will not play an active role in society when they get older.

The term "gerascophobia" comes from the Greek γηράσκω, "gerasko", "I grow old" and φόβος, "phobos", "fear". Some authors refer to it as gerontophobia, although this may also refer to the fear of the elderly.

The fear of trains is anxiety and fear associated with trains, railways, and railway travel.

A fear of receiving calls may range from fear of the action or thought of answering the phone to fear of its actual ringing. The ringing can generate a string of anxieties, characterized by thoughts associated with having to speak, perform and converse. Sufferers may perceive the other end as threatening or intimidating. Anxiety may be triggered by concerns that the caller may bear bad or upsetting news, or be a prank caller.

Fear of making calls may be associated with concerns about finding an appropriate time to call, in fear of being a nuisance. A sufferer calling a household or office in which they know several people, may be concerned at the prospect of failing to recognize the voice of the person who answers, with resultant embarrassment. Some sufferers may be anxious about having to "perform" in front of a real or perceived audience at their end of the line: this is a particular problem for those required to use a phone in the workplace.

Fear of using the phone in any context (for either making or receiving calls) may be associated with anxiety about poor sound quality, and concerns that one or other party will not understand what has been said, resulting either in misunderstandings, or in the need for repetition, further explanation, or other potentially awkward forms of negotiation. These fears are often linked to the absence of body language over a phone line, and the individual fearing a loss of their sense of control. Sufferers typically report fear that they might fail to respond appropriately in the conversation, or find themselves with nothing to say, leading to embarrassing silence, stammering, or stuttering. Past experiences, such as receiving traumatic news, or enduring an unpleasant and angry call, may also play a part in creating fear.

A variety of symptoms can be seen in someone suffering from telephone phobia, many of which are shared with anxiety. These symptoms may include nervous stomach, sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea, dry mouth and trembling. The sufferer may experience feelings of panic, terror and dread. Resulting panic attacks can include hyperventilation and stress. These negative and agitating symptoms can be produced by both the thought of making and receiving calls and the action of doing so.

The distinction between “normal” fears and phobias, a phobia (as defined by the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)):

- An irrepressible persistent fear of an object, activity or situation esp. when the subject is exposed to unfamiliar people or possible criticism. In children, subject needs to be able to show a capacity for normal social reactions for their developmental stage, and when reactions occur they should happen among their peer group as well as with adults.

- Any exposure to the object or situation cause some form of unrestrained anxiety. In children this may be revealed by tantrums, crying, hysteria, or freezing.

- The fear reaction is excessive and unwarranted. NOTE: Adults who suffer from anxiety disorders usually accept that their fear reaction was disproportionate to the situation; however, children may not have the cognitive abilities to make this realization depending on age and maturity.

- The situation is avoided or endured with large amounts of stress and anxiety.

- The fear reaction interferes with a normal routine e.g. if a fear of elevators cause a person to avoid taller buildings.

- The duration is at least 6 months.

- The origin of the fear reaction is not directly caused by the physiological effects of a drug or substance or origin of anxiety is not better classified by another disorder e.g. Separation Anxiety Disorder.

- If another mental or medical condition is present, it is unrelated to the origin of the fear reaction.

Hyperalgesic fear of needles is another form that does not have as much to do with fear of the actual needle. Patients with this form have an inherited hypersensitivity to pain, or hyperalgesia. To them, the pain of an injection is unbearably great and many cannot understand how anyone can tolerate such procedures.

This form of fear of needles affects around 10% of needle phobes. The symptoms include extreme explained anxiety, and elevated blood pressure and heart rate at the immediate point of needle penetration or seconds before. The recommended forms of treatment include some form of anesthesia, either topical or general.

Dental fear (also called odontophobia, dentophobia, dental phobia, and dental anxiety) is the fear of dentistry and of receiving dental care. However, it has been suggested that use of the term "dental phobia" should not be used for people who do not feel that their fears are excessive or unreasonable, and instead resemble individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder, caused by previous traumatic dental experiences.

Acrophobia (from the , "ákron", meaning "peak, summit, edge" and , "phóbos", "fear") is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort, that share both similar causes and options for treatment.

Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, known as the fear of falling. On the other hand, those who have little fear of such exposure are said to have a head for heights. A head for heights is advantageous for those hiking or climbing in mountainous terrain and also in certain jobs e.g. steeplejacks or wind turbine mechanics.

Acrophobia sufferers can experience a panic attack in high places and become too agitated to get themselves down safely. Approximately 2–5% of the general population suffers from acrophobia, with twice as many women affected as men.

Fear of the dark is a common fear or phobia among children and, to a varying degree, adults.

Whilst witnessing procedures involving needles it is possible for the phobic present to suffer the symptoms of a needle phobic attack without actually being injected. Prompted by the sight of the injection the phobic may exhibit the normal symptoms of vasovagal syncope and fainting or collapse is common. While the cause of this is not known, it may be due to the phobic imagining the procedure being performed on themselves. Recent neuroscience research shows that feeling a pin prick sensation and watching someone else's hand get pricked by a pin activate the same part of the brain.

Driving phobia, also called vehophobia or a fear of driving, can be severe enough to be considered an intense, persistent fear or phobia. It is often great enough that people will avoid driving at all costs, and instead find someone to drive them or use public transportation, regardless of how inconvenient or expensive.

A fear of driving may escalate to a phobia during difficult driving situations, such as freeway driving or congested traffic.

Generally, an individual that deals with spectrophobia has been traumatized in an event where they believe they have seen or heard apparitions or ghosts. The individual could also become traumatized by horror films, television shows, or by nightmares.

This fear could be the result of a trauma involving mirrors. It could also be the result of the person's superstitious fear of being watched through the mirror.

Direct experience is the most common way people develop dental fears. Most people report that their dental fear began after a traumatic, difficult, and/or painful dental experience. However, painful or traumatic dental experiences alone do not explain why people develop dental phobia. The perceived manner of the dentist is an important variable. Dentists who were considered "impersonal", "uncaring", "uninterested" or "cold" may develop high dental fear in patients, even in the absence of painful experiences, whereas some patients who had had painful experiences failed to develop dental fear if they perceived their dentist as caring and warm.

The symptoms of heliophobia depends on the person. Mild sufferers may feel uncomfortable, shaky, nauseated, or numb. Severe sufferers may feel anxious or suffer panic attacks. Other symptoms include heightened senses, lack of focus, feeling trapped, irregular heartbeat, air hunger, rapid breathing, parched mouth, sweating, muscle cramps, and physical discomfort that is not actually caused by bodily injury, but is a physical manifestation of the panic and fear that the heliophobic person experiences when exposed to light. This physical pain may be expressed, for example, as a phantom sensation of their skin burning under direct sunlight, even when it is visually apparent that their skin is not actually burning any more than healthy skin would as a result of sun exposure, but nonetheless still feels like real pain for the sufferer. However, other differential diagnoses like the rare genetic defect erythropoietic protoporphyria characterized by a severe burning sensation of all exposed skin areas without leading to immediate visible signs have to be excluded.

Autophobia can be derived from social anxiety. When people with this phobia are left alone, they will often experience panic attacks, which is a common reaction in those suffering from social anxiety. This disease can also stem from depression because when people become seriously autophobic, they start to find certain tasks and activities almost impossible to complete. This usually occurs when autophobes are faced with a possibility of going into a public place where there are lots of people or simply a place that is uncomfortable or unfamiliar to them. This phobia can also be closely related to agoraphobia, which leads to lowered self-confidence and uncertainty of their ability to finish certain activities that need to be done alone. People suffering from this phobia tend to imagine the worst possible scenario. For example, they might have a panic attack and then think that they are going to die from this event.

Another experience that doctors believe leads individuals to develop this phobia is children being abandoned, usually by their parents, when they are very young. This first causes childhood trauma that then persists to effect them as they grow up. This turns into autophobia because they are now afraid that all of the important people in their lives are going to leave or abandon them. Therefore, this particular phobia can come from behavior and experiences that these people have had when they were growing up. However, abandonment does not necessarily mean being left alone physically, this also includes being isolated financially or emotionally. Having drastic, life-altering experiences, particularly causes more trauma which makes this phobia worse. People that have very high anxiety and in this case are more “high strung,” are more susceptible to this phobia.

Although this phobia is often developed at a young age, it can develop later in life as well. Individuals sometimes develop this fear with the death of a loved one or the ending of an important relationship. Autophobia can also be described as the fear of being without a specific person. Tragic events in a person's life may create this fear of being without one specific person, but this often will eventually progress into a fear of being secluded in general.