The term trypophobia was coined by a nameless participant posting to an online forum in 2005. It has since become a common topic on social networking sites.
Trypophobia is an aversion to the sight of repetitive patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps.
Trypophobia is not recognized as a mental disorder and thus is not associated with a specific diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). However, it may fall under the broad category of specific phobias when it involves excessive, persistent and possibly irrational fear, and is associated with significant distress or even impairment.
Whether trypophobia can be accurately defined as a specific phobia may depend on whether the person suffering responds mainly with fear or with disgust. Because phobias involve fear, a response to trypophobic imagery that is based mostly or solely on disgust renders its status as a specific phobia questionable.