Blubbering Over Bursting Balloon: A Case Report of Globophobia

Abstract

Globophobia is an extreme, overwhelming, and irrational fear of balloons. This phobia often includes extreme fear, anxiety, or panic at the thought, sight, sound, touch, and/or smell of balloons. We report a case of a globophobic child whose fear of balloons started after a terrifying experience with bursting of a gas balloon. In the initial stage, fear was of balloons popping or, specifically, the sound of a balloon popping which was later followed by avoiding social activities. The patient improved on a short course of anti-anxiety medications and graded exposure therapy.