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Atychiphobia
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Atychiphobia is the abnormal, unwarranted, and persistent fear of failure, a type of specific phobia. As with many phobias, atychiphobia often leads to a constricted lifestyle, and is particularly devastating for its effects on a person’s willingness to attempt certain activities. The term atychiphobia comes from the Greek phóbos, meaning "fear" or "morbid fear" and atyches meaning "unfortunate". Persons afflicted with atychiphobia considers the possibility of failure so intense that they choose not to take the risk. Often these persons will subconsciously undermine their own efforts so that they no longer have to continue to try. Because effort is proportionate to the achievement of personal goals and fulfillment, this unwillingness to try, that arises from the perceived inequality between the possibilities of success and failure, holds the atychiphobic back from a life of meaning and the realization of potential. By definition, the anxiety of any particular phobia is understood to be disproportionate to reality, and the victim is typically aware that the fear is irrational, making the problem a largely subconscious one. For this reason there are no simple treatments for atychiphobia, and in an inherently competitive society, they find that it is best to avoid the problem altogether. The person more strongly motivated to avoid failure, rather than to achieve success, tends to be more unrealistic in aspiration. Because the modern society places so much emphasis on perfection in every aspect of life, a person with atychiphobia will often not risk trying until perfection is assured. In essence the atychiphobe seeks to avoid at whatever cost the same experience he or she may have endured that triggered such a potent and irrational fear of failure. Symptoms Those suffering from atychiphobia may experience physiological symptoms typical of phobias such as: * Irregular heartbeat * Shortness of breath * Rapid breathing * Nausea * Overall feelings of dread * Diarrhea * Stomach disorders * Flushing of the face * Perspiration * Muscle tension * Tremulousness * Faintness which can lead to depression. Treatment Atychiphobia can often be treated with SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) which is designed to raise the levels of serotonin in the brain which impacts a person’s anxiety level, making it more manageable. Medication alone is not encouraged however, as this is perceived to simply mask the problem. Rather most physicians recommend a combination of behavioral/cognitive and medicinal therapies. 
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