Common symptoms include feelings of intense anxiety or panic, an overwhelming need to escape situations involving blood, and feeling powerless over the fear. The psychological symptoms are often accompanied by physical ones, like shaking or trembling, palpitations, sweating, lightheadedness, and trouble breathing.
Experts in a 2014 analysis estimate that hemophobia has a prevalence of 3–4% in the general population, meaning that it is relatively common. Up to 80% of people with hemophobia experience a vasovagal response when they see blood.
Many phobias can be treated or potentially cured. Specific phobias like hemophobia can be treated through desensitization or self-exposure therapy. This involves a person with a phobia of blood gradually being exposed to blood or situations that involve being around blood.
Blood phobias are not actually that common in the population as a whole. About 5 percent of people suffer from some kind of blood phobia. This fear can be anywhere from mild to severe and will sometimes cause sufferers to faint or pass out at the sight of blood.
This is a physical response from your nervous system. It can be triggered by seeing the needle, seeing your own blood, or just feeling anxious about the whole thing. With vasovagal reactions, some people feel nauseated.
Vasovagal syncope (vay-zoh-VAY-gul SING-kuh-pee) occurs when you faint because your body overreacts to certain triggers, such as the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress. It may also be called neurocardiogenic syncope. The vasovagal syncope trigger causes your heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly.
There are also a number of reasons people may be nervous about getting blood drawn, including anxieties around needles, fear of the pain that they may associate with the procedure, or just seeing their own blood.
Noun. traumatophobia (uncountable) An abnormal fear of battle or war, or being physically injured during activities like sports.
Another word for fear of horses is hippophobia. “Hippos” is the Greek word for horses. In the English language, equine is more commonly associated with things related to horses. For instance, an equestrian is a person who rides horses.
Thanatophobia is an extreme fear of death or the dying process. You might be scared of your own death or the death of a loved one. Psychotherapy can help most people overcome this disorder. Appointments 866.588.2264. Request an Appointment.
Fear Is Physical
Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released. Your blood pressure and heart rate increase. You start breathing faster. Even your blood flow changes — blood actually flows away from your heart and into your limbs, making it easier for you to start throwing punches, or run for your life.
When you start feeling light-headed, you tense the muscles in your arms, legs, and trunk for about 10 to 15 seconds to raise your blood pressure and prevent fainting.
After reviewing the psychiatric history of 461 volunteers, researchers found that by checking for high levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a blood protein people release when under stress, they could identify anxiety disorders 90% of the time.
Pediophobia is a fear of dolls or inanimate objects that look real, and pedophobia is a fear of actual children. People can suffer from both phobias, so someone who fears children (pedophobia) may also fear the childlike features of dolls (pediophobia), and someone with pediophobia may also have pedophobia.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest words in the dictionary — and, in an ironic twist, is the name for a fear of long words.
Noun. plutophobia (plural plutophobias) An aversion to wealthy people.
Having blood drawn is different for everyone. Some people aren't bothered by it at all, while others worry that they may pass out at the sight of a needle. In the hands of a skilled phlebotomist or nurse, a blood draw shouldn't be painful, but you may experience some brief discomfort.
Wear clothing with sleeves that can be raised over the elbow. Keep your arms warm during cold weather to prevent your veins from constricting. Let the phlebotomist know if you have a preferred arm or vein that has been successful in the past. We use the smallest needle possible for each draw.
When someone is passing out with their eyes open, this may be caused by generalized tonic-clonic seizures, long fainting episode, or vasovagal syncope. Read below for more information on loss of consciousness causes and treatment options.
Your desire to cry may be related to the way your body is reacting to that system, with the intense emotions and stress during that time overwhelming the body. Fear is scary, and your “flight” mode may trigger your body to produce large amounts of tears as a way to let out that stress.
What Is Dysmorphophobia? Dysmorphophobia is a broad term that encompasses multiple specific fears. Some people are afraid of becoming deformed or disfigured, while others fear those who have a disfiguring condition.
Sometimes you may cry when you are extremely happy, scared, or stressed. Researchers at Yale University believe crying in this way may help to restore emotional equilibrium. When you're incredibly happy or scared about something and cry, it may be your body's way to recover from experiencing such a strong emotion.
Symptoms and Causes
But most believe it's caused by a combination of: Genetics: Some people have a family history of anxiety and specific fears. Learning disability: A learning disability such as dyslexia or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can cause stress and lead to fear of books.