Radiophobia, a portmanteau of radiation and phobia, refers to a fear of ionizing radiation that exceeds its actuarial risk, leading to an overestimation of radiation's health risks relative to other risks. A 2022 definition by Lindberg and Archer describes it as the socio-psychological and cultural relationship between individuals and ionizing radiation, characterized by a clear disparity between the actual and perceived risks and health effects of exposure; measured against the clinical criteria of the DSM-5, the term is arguably a misnomer for a true phobia.
Facts
First Described YearThe term was used in a paper entitled "Radio-phobia and radio-mania" presented by Dr Albert Soiland of Los Angeles in 1903. Everyday Context Classification
Type of Phenomenon Diagnostic ChapterAnxiety or Fear-Related Disorders 2 Connections
In Branch
Source Radiophobia (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Radiophobia (Wikipedia)
- Wikipedia Radiophobia lead paragraph (w-bbfill-psych-diag-0926, keyword classification against phenomenon-kind enum definitions, hand-checked)
Wikipedia article text
The term was used in a paper entitled "Radio-phobia and radio-mania" presented by Dr Albert Soiland of Los Angeles in 1903.
Lead section
Radiophobia, a portmanteau of “radiation” and “phobia”, refers to fear of ionizing radiation exceeding the actuarial risk, leading to overestimating the health risks of radiation compared to other risks.
View the Source2. ICD-11 Browser (WHO)
World Health Organization- Diagnostic Chapter: Anxiety or Fear-Related Disorders
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