What is a fear of thunder?

The fear of thunder is called brontophobia, which can cause abnormal amounts of anxiety and agitation in individuals who suffer from this condition. Symptoms include heart palpitations, feeling sick, chest pains, difficulty breathing, dizziness, intense sweating, feeling faint and dry throat.

Brontophopia is closely associated with astraphobia, which is the fear of lightning. Panic attacks are quite typical in those who have these types of weather-related phobias. Treatment includes exposure to the storms, as well as watching the storms on television for small amounts of time and increasing the time gradually.

If the phobia is severe enough, professional help from a psychologist may be necessary.