Deipnophobia

Deipnophobia (from Greek deipno, "dining" or "dinner") is the fear of dining or dinner conversations, a branch of sociophobia. Deipnophobia is usually triggered from a past traumatic experience, like having been forced to having dinner with a stranger, or was set-up a blind date who ended up having dinner with an arrogant, intolerable, annoying person and feared subsequent dinner conversations with other people. One might have had a traumatic dinner with one’s boss or had a bad business outcome because of a dinner and this triggered the phobia.

Sufferers will prefer eating at home or eating out alone. Or most will just take-out their food and eat at home. Deipnophobes will avoid going out with friends and are considered to be introverts.

Treatment includes and. Group sessions are especially helpful for these people so that they can be gradually introduced to having conversations with other people. Medications are rarely needed unless they display severe symptoms of anxiety.