Emetophobia Treatment

Emetophobia Treatment Options

Emetophobia is an irrational and overwhelming fear of vomiting and/or other people vomiting that preoccupies the sufferers’ daily life. Many people feel stuck with their fear and powerless to overcome it. In this article, we will discuss what emetophobia is and how you can find effective emetophobia treatment.

What is Emetophobia?

Emetophobia is characterised by an intense fear of vomiting and/or seeing others vomit.

It’s important to understand that, although it can be a distressing and debilitating phobia, there is support available.

What’s the difference between a fear and a phobia?

Research suggests 6-8% of females and 1.7-3.1% of males have a fear of being sick, but for around 0.5% of the population this is a significant phobia known as ‘emetophobia’ or a Specific Phobia of Vomiting (SPOV – it’s official title).

Both a fear and a phobia of being sick can be extremely distressing for the sufferer.

Individuals with a fear of being sick feel anxious at the thought of vomiting or other people vomiting, and often go out of their way to avoid exposure to it. They may restrict what they eat, thoroughly sanitise everything, and feel anxious when pregnant.

To be diagnosed with emetophobia, this fear needs to have a significant impact on your life, for example preoccupying your thoughts, affecting school, relationships, work, career choices or the decision to have children.

Generally, people with a fear of being sick can think in a calm manner about ‘worst-case’ scenarios in most areas of their lives, but not around being sick. In relation to sick they always worry and brood about what might go wrong – the current sickness bug going around, drinkers coming out of the pub late at night, levels of hygiene and whether the food they eat will give them food poisoning.

They imagine ‘worst-case’ scenarios e.g. being sick in public, and how awful and embarrassing that would be. This only further reinforces the belief that they couldn’t cope if they were ill, meaning they put more and more effort in to avoiding anything that could lead to vomiting. You can see how easy it is for a fear of being sick to quickly escalate in to a full-blown phobia.

Why have so few people heard of Emetophobia?

For effective emetophobia treatment, it’s essential clinicians and therapists understand the underlying reasons behind it.

However, given that millions of people worldwide suffer from it, it’s surprising how few people have even heard of it.

Let’s dig a little deeper into why this is…

Most people don’t necessarily LIKE being sick, but they aren’t that bothered when they are, and don’t feel anxiety around it. This means emetophobes often feel afraid to open up about their phobia, in case their concerns are minimised or they’ll be told ‘it’s not that big a deal.’ Many have experienced this.

Although they may appear confident and full of life, emetophobes almost always have some social anxiety. They don’t want to look stupid for having this fear, so often hide it from friends and family. The front they show to the world hides an inner turmoil of anxiety, body-checking, scanning the environment for ‘threats’ and worrying what people would think of them if they were to throw up.

Sometimes, emetophobes don’t even know there is a name for their fear. They may be diagnosed with other mental health problems, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Anorexia Nervosa, without even realising the cause is a fear of being sick. The fear is so normal to them, they don’t realise not everyone in the world shares it!

You can understand why it’s known colloquially as the ‘secret phobia,’ but there’s no shame or embarrassment for having it. In fact, it’s one of the worst fears to have, given the all-consuming nature of it. Think about it – if you have a fear of flying you can choose not to fly. But the emetophobic mind believes there is always a 0.01% chance of being sick. They’ve got through today, but what about tonight, or tomorrow? When you’re afraid all the time and don’t trust your own body, life can be full of anxiety.

What causes Emetophobia?

There are several predispositions for developing emetophobia: having particular thinking styles, beliefs and behaviours, your gender and parenting. For example, emetophobes tend to have high levels of perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, social anxiety, low self-esteem, a strong desire for control and some obsessive thinking.

It is this strong desire for control which is key. A fear of vomit masks a deeper fear of being out of control / losing control. If you know someone with this phobia, they are likely to be a very driven person who puts effort in to work, hobbies, school and their appearance. They’re powerful and happy when they’re in control, but struggle to cope when they’re not, so use a lot of avoidance and ‘safety-seeking’ behaviours to help them feel in control. This is why emetophobes restrict their diet, obsessively wash their hands, Google their symptoms, carry around anti-nausea medication and constantly seek reassurance.

What are the best treatment options for Emetophobia?

The safety-seeking and avoidance behaviours mentioned above give a temporary relief from anxiety, but only serve to maintain the emetophobia in the long term, leaving the emetophobe feeling even more powerless. When you have to always feel in control, you never give yourself the opportunity to learn to cope with the times in your life when you will, inevitably, not be in control.

Effective emetophobia treatment involves helping the individual gently build up their coping skills so they no longer feel they need to use safety-seeking and avoidance behaviours. This diminishes their fear of being out of control and subsequently their emetophobia. This is part of what The Thrive Programme for Emetophobia does. It is a specialist programme based on 30+ years’ clinical experience treating thousands of emetophobes. It helps educate emetophobes on the way their mind works and why they have this phobia, then offers a step-by-step programme to gradually overcome their emetophobia. There is no exposure therapy required to beat this fear.

Conclusion
Emetophobia can be a challenging condition to live with, but it is treatable. It is a widely misunderstood phobia, but understanding it is the first step to recovery. With patience, persistence, and the right support, you can overcome your fear of vomiting and live a healthier, happier life.

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