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What Is Emetophobia: Its Symptoms and Management
Some people may suffer emetophobia - a fear of being sick and puking out. Learn about what is emetophobia, its symptoms, and its management.
Each of us has suffered nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea at some point in time, and we are well aware of the discomfort and stress it brings along. Though the problem itself can be treated with the right approach such as behavioral therapies and home remedies, frequent episodes of diarrhea may develop emetophobia in a few cases. Now, you may be thinking what is Emetophobia? It is a condition in which a person develops a fear of vomiting. The phobia or state of mind generally hits people who have experienced severe diarrhea in the past or are highly affected by seeing a sick person. It may also generate feelings of anxiety and take a toll on your quality of life.
Here, we will discuss all aspects of Emetophobia - its physical symptoms, who is at risk from it, how it affects your health, and tips to overcome such fears. Scroll down!
What Is Emetophobia?
Emetophobia is a mental health condition that is characterized by the development of a fear of throwing up in a person. This condition affects not only your physical but mental condition as well. People may experience a fear of vomiting often but not always. The phobia may become intense while the patient is in public where vomiting out can have a much deeper negative impact. You may also experience intense fear after spending a night of uncontrolled vomiting (1). Healthcare professionals also link emetophobia to worries about lack of control, panic attacks, and increased anxiety. 
How Does Emetophobia Affect People Who Have It?
People with emetophobia are likely to be repulsed by the feeling of experiencing frequent episodes of vomiting, which may make it worse than the actual vomiting. Emetophobia can affect anyone but women are more likely to suffer from this mental health condition than men. Apart from being fearful of throwing up, people suffering from emetophobia may also have-
- Fear of not finding washrooms in public
- Risk of being choked by the vomit
- Fear of embarrassment of vomiting in public
- Visiting a hospital
Just like other mental disorders, entomophobia starts at a mild level but grows stronger with time. While its impact increases, it may trigger stress and anxiety. It may further instigate unpleasant effects in the body like vomiting out for no reason.
What Are The Common Signs of Emetophobia?
While you develop emetophobia, you are more likely to rearrange your lifestyle to ensure that you don’t catch diseases and infections. Also, you may have feelings of anxiety while moving out, or heading to the workplace or college. Besides, you may spend more time planning for ways to avoid puking out in public. A few common changes/ signs of emetophobia include-
Alterations In Eating/ Drinking Habits: Emetophobia may cause you to make uncertain adjustments in your food choices. Besides, you may refrain from trying new foods and beverages due to the fear of throwing up. You may also ditch including foods that made you puke in the past such as alcohol (2).
To ensure that your food is fresh and safe for consumption, you may also check food items for mold build-up or other signs of unpleasant side effects such as foul smell and many others.
Behavioral Changes: As emetophobia develops a fear of falling sick frequently, you may avoid shaking hands with people or touching surfaces as you feel that the germs on them may make you fall sick. Also, you may try to visit crowded places to lower your risk of catching infections that may cause diarrhea. Moreover, people suffering from emetophobia may try to restrict their occupational and social activities to avoid the risk of getting sick (1).
Over-Preparing: As people suffering from emetophobia feel that they may get vomiting anytime, they often take special caution to manage the situation. Some of them may be pre-arranging antacids, while others may try to gather extra towels and plenty of other things they would need after an episode of vomiting. Also, a person suffering from emetophobia may check the body temperature frequently to make sure that they are not going to fall sick. Living with emetophobia may indeed be a traumatic experience.
Impact of Emetophobia On Health
The medical condition can deeply impact your physical and mental health. Here are a few ways emetophobia can affect your health negatively.
Anxiety: Emetophobia may make you stressed and you may develop symptoms of anxiety. This may also lead to an abnormal heart rate. When you first experience the anticipation of puking, you may look out for things or foods that cause it and may try to keep them out of your sight. Doing so doesn’t help control the vomiting but makes you miss out on indulging in activities that you once enjoyed.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Emetophobia is said to be closely related to obsessive-compulsive disorder due to the similarity in their symptoms. Avoiding things such as shaking hands and sharing things with others may further increase your fear of being sick. Also, washing your hands or sanitizing them frequently may disrupt your skin’s pH and may lead to skin problems (3).
Feeling Physically Exhausted: Anxiety and avoidance behavior not only impact your mental health but can leave you physically exhausted and make you feel sick. This can impact your physical activity and result in different comorbidities such as problems related to cardiac health and digestion (4).
Treatment Plans For Emetophobia
Treatment plans for Emetophobia include therapy, medicine, or a combination of both. Take a quick insight into these treatment plans which are known to help manage the symptoms of emetophobia.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT): Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is a medical therapy that aims at changing how a person thinks or behaves in particular situations. Such a therapeutic approach enables you to open up to your doctor and helps you to learn new ways of overcoming your fears. Though the research on specific treatments for emetophobia is limited, the first randomized control study shows that the effects of CBT on the management of emetophobia are highly effective (5).
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): It may also help manage the symptoms of emetophobia to a great extent. It mainly aims to manage the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. During this therapy, a person suffering from OCD or fear of puking is gradually exposed to different factors causing them, and carefully making the person more resistant to such factors using therapeutic techniques. ERP is an intense and challenging therapy and the person suffering from OCD and emetophobia should feel well enough to start the therapy.
Medication: Certain medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin neo-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are certain types of drugs formulated to treat depression and anxiety problems (6). Your doctor may prescribe you to undergo therapies or medication according to the symptoms and intensity of the medical condition.
Conclusion
Emetophobia is a disorder in which a person experiences intense fear of vomiting or seeing others puking. It is an anxiety disorder and its symptoms may become intense in someone suffering from generalized anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People suffering from emetophobia generally miss out on enjoying their daily lives as they tend to socialize less and avoid visiting crowded places and even their workplaces.
Though the research on the treatments for emetophobia is limited, certain therapies such as cognitive behavior therapy, exposure, and response prevention, and some medicines may help control and manage the symptoms. Now that you know what is emetophobia and the ways to manage the symptoms, reach out for help if you are suffering from such a problem seeking medical advice.
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