Emetophobia

EMETOPHOBIA

Emetophobia affects around 4% percent of the population

Emetophobia is a phobia of vomit and/or seeing other people vomit. It is widespread and affects around 4% percent of the population – which means there are more than 10 million sufferers in just the UK and USA alone. In this article, we will explore the definition of emetophobia, its causes, symptoms, and treatment options.

The phobia tends to start in childhood – at around age 9 – and around 85-97% of sufferers are women.

It is a widely misunderstood condition, with many medical professionals unaware of it. Because of a lack of understanding, sufferers aren’t given the correct medical or therapeutic treatment, or are made to feel like their issues are not valid.

When does a fear of being sick become emetophobia?

Around 8% of the population suffer from a fear of being sick, but to be diagnosed with emetophobia the fear needs to have a significant impact on the sufferer’s life: affecting work, school or relationships.

Mary overcame emetophobia after 75 years

This is Mary – she overcame the phobia after suffering from it for 75 years. She overcame it – completely – in just six weeks, with our programme. You can read more about Mary’s journey here

How do I know if I have emetophobia?

The symptoms of emetophobia can vary from person to person, but common symptoms include:

Avoidance Behaviour: People with emetophobia often avoid situations or activities that they believe could lead to vomiting. This could include travelling on public transport, long car journeys, school, work, eating out, fairgrounds, or being around sick people.
Excessive Hand Washing: Individuals with emetophobia may engage in excessive hand washing or other compulsive behaviours. They believe these actions help to reduce the risk of contracting an illness that could cause vomiting.
Panic Attacks: Panic attacks appear to be sudden and intense episodes of fear or anxiety when faced with a sickness-related situation. During a panic attack, a person may experience rapid heartbeat, sweating, shortness of breath, chest pain and nausea.
Generalised Anxiety: Sufferers may also experience generalised anxiety, which is a persistent and excessive worry about a variety of everyday events or activities.
Social Isolation: Emetophobia can lead to social isolation as sufferers may avoid social situations such as parties or going to restaurants for fear of getting ill. They may also feel embarrassed about their fear. There is a strong correlation between emetophobia and social anxiety.
Obsessive / Compulsive Thoughts: The phobia can cause obsessive thoughts about vomiting or illness, leading to significant distress and anxiety and impacted sleep.
Need for Reassurance: there is often an ongoing need for reassurance, despite the fact reassurance does little to minimise the fear.
Eating Issues: Eating only ‘safe’ foods (often a ‘beige diet’ such as crisps, pasta and cereal). Avoiding or overcooking meat, fish and eggs; checking and double-checking use-by dates; only eating food they’ve prepared themselves. There is quite often some paranoid and obsessive thinking around whether something is safe to eat.

Is emetophobia linked to other conditions?

Yes, there are several other conditions which people can have, which are often caused by emetophobia.

Emetophobia sufferers often also suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. They can be diagnosed with depression, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), social phobia, phagophobia (a fear of gagging, swallowing or choking) or a fear of pregnancy (tocophobia/tokophobia). Due to a lack of awareness about emetophobia many clinicians, and even sufferers themselves, don’t realise these conditions are related to a fear of being sick.

Emetophobia-free TQ Report

The picture on the right is of an Emetophobia-free ‘TQ Report’. Everyone who goes through our programme completes our purpose-built ‘TQ Quiz’ at the beginning and the end of their journey. The Quiz identifies the thoughts, beliefs and behaviours that are causing and maintaining the phobia, and then teaches you how to change them. At the end of the programme you’ll take the Quiz again to track your progress and see how much you’ve changed.

Most people with this fear restrict what foods they eat, but some go on to develop anorexia nervosa, ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), binge-eating disorder or even bulimia (usually using laxatives to ‘purge’). Emetophobia does have similar patterns of thinking to anorexia: perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, a fear of the body and a strong desire for control. It’s important for the clinician to understand that the drive is a fear of getting ill, rather than a need to be in control of weight.

Finally, some emetophobes also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, particularly around hygiene, cleanliness and hand-washing. This can be exhausting and distressing for the sufferer.

Treatment for Emetophobia

The first step to overcoming the phobia is recognising you have it, then seeking help from a specialist.

Research has found that many emetophobes have unsuccessfully tried a range of treatments for their symptoms, in part because clinicians don’t fully understand the phobia.

Exposure therapy is considered to be unsuccessful for emetophobia because it focuses on the symptoms rather than the underlying causes. Even if there is a reduction in their fear, sufferers will still maintain unhelpful thinking styles such as a catastrophising and perfectionism. If not managed correctly, it can even reinforce the belief that being sick is terrifying.

Some emetophobes take medication for their anxiety, such as beta-blockers or anti-depressants. Many though avoid any medication in case nausea is a side-effect.

The Thrive Programme’s Emetophobia treatment programme outperformed research into the efficacy of other treatments worldwide. All 62 participants recording a significant improvement in their phobia severity within the 6-week trial. It is an evidence-based, psycho-emotional training programme built upon 30+ years of clinical experience treating thousands of sufferers. See our emetophobia research study here

Conclusion
Vomit phobia is a common phobia characterised by an intense fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit. If you or someone you know is experiencing the symptoms we’ve outlined above, or similar, it is important to seek specialist help. Seeking help is the first step towards overcoming this debilitating phobia and living a healthier, happier life.