It is usually common for someone to have vomited at some point in their life, whether due to a stressful situation, having eaten spoiled food or to which they have an intolerance, stomach infections and dizziness. This type of reaction is a way for the body to get rid of some element that is bad for it. However, there are people who have a huge fear of vomiting and even suffer from it.
You may have heard about this or it may have happened to you, or you may know someone who has an intense fear of vomiting. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the Emetophobia: what it is, what are its symptoms, its causes and treatment.
What is emetophobia
Emetophobia is the intense fear of vomiting and/or to see other people vomit. It is considered an anxiety disorder characterized by a special situation that involves vomiting. It is for this reason that this clinical picture is framed within specific phobias. According to the DSM-V, it consists of a fear excessive and irrational that lasts over time.
Among the characteristics that emetophobia presents, it stands out that this fear appears in front of any related stimulus with vomiting such as being in places with people who may vomit or who have vomited, as well as the feeling of nausea associated with the specific possibility of vomiting.
Symptoms of emetophobia
We will divide the symptoms presented by people who suffer from emetophobia and are classified into three categories: bodily symptoms, cognitive symptoms and behavioral symptoms.
Body symptoms of emetophobia
Body symptoms are those physical manifestations that appear in the body. The most important aspects of emetophobia are:
- Increased muscle tension.
- Nausea and/or vomiting.
- Sensation of .
- Vertigo.
- Stomach pains.
- Gastric alterations.
- Incrise of cardiac frecuency.
- Elevation of respiratory rate.
- Headaches.
- Sweating.
- Feeling of lack of air.
Cognitive symptoms of emetophobia
Cognitive symptoms are a set of thoughts and ideas about possible situations that could occur. Here we will mention the most notable ones of emetophobia:
- Catastrophic ideas of the act of vomiting.
- Thoughts of .
- Altered beliefs about reality.
Behavioral symptoms of emetophobia
Regarding behavioral symptoms, we will say that these are those behaviors that people carry out based on the thoughts and physical sensations they have. Next, we will locate the most relevant behavioral symptoms of emetophobia:
- Avoidance of food intake: The person refuses to eat food for fear of possible vomiting.
- Avoidance of places: You try to avoid places where you can see someone vomiting or where some stimulus related to vomiting is present.
- escape attempts: We seek to escape from situations in which vomiting could occur using excuses not to witness said moment.
We must know that the presence of any of these symptoms does not necessarily imply emetophobia. He Diagnosis must be made by a health professionalsince he will be in charge of indicating an appropriate treatment taking into account the characteristics of each case.
Causes of emetophobia
Although there is no total consensus on the signs that determine emetophobia, there are some variables that could explain its origin. In this section we will describe the most important causes of emetophobia:
- Unpleasant experiences from the past: Situations may have occurred that have generated great discomfort. At a general level, they occur in childhood and are related to sensations of suffocation, choking or vomiting of great intensity.
- Genetic predisposition: Hereditary factors play an important role when taking into account the origin of this disorder. There are people who suffer from emetophobia who have family members with the same problem.
- Psychological factors: The fear of vomiting can also be related to some topic that makes you afraid to express it. Here we must consider that the mouth is an area of the body that gives us the possibility of expressing ideas and thoughts. From this point of view, vomiting may be the consequence of anxieties and inhibitions.
Treatment of emetophobia
This is usually the treatment with the best results for treating patients with emetophobia. This treatment consists of three important pillars:
- Cognitive restructuring: The patient is intended to modify their thoughts and beliefs regarding vomiting.
- Systematic desensitization: Another phase of this therapy consists of exposing the patient to the stimuli that generate the symptoms associated with vomiting, either by presenting certain situations or through the use of imagination.
- Skills training: The patient is given tools that allow them to relax to face stressful situations. This enables a decrease in the excitation levels of the nervous system.
The situations that we just described must always be coordinated by a health professional in charge of the corresponding treatment.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Emetophobia: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatmentwe recommend that you enter our category.
References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Arlington: Panamericana Medical Publishing.
Bibliography
- Manzuoli, A. (2019). Analysis of a case of specific phobia; Emetophobia in cognitive behavioral treatment. Buenos Aires: University of Palermo, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Psychology Major.
- Salgado, ME (2019). “Someone might throw up.” Cognitive behavioral therapy for a specific phobia of vomiting (Emetophobia): A case study. Argentine Journal of Psychological Clinic. Vol. XXVIII, (4), 325-338.