What is Emetophobia? Explaining the Phobia of Vomit

What is Emetophobia?

Understanding the Fear of Vomiting

What is Emetophobia and understanding the fear of vomit…

Emetophobia is a phobia of vomit and/or seeing other people vomit. It is widespread and, although research studies vary, it is estimated to affect around 4% percent of the population – which means there are probably more than 10 million sufferers in just the UK and USA alone.

Despite this, many sufferers don’t even realise there is a name for their condition, or even that their issues are related to a phobia of being sick. 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.

It is considered to be one of the most debilitating and frightening of all phobias, due to the negative impact it has on sufferers lives. There is a constant and pervasive anxiety around vomiting. Each new day poses new threats. Sufferers can go to extreme lengths to avoid encountering germs or contamination through restrictive eating and obsessive cleanliness, which can lead to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, eating disorders, intrusive thoughts, superstitious behaviours, phobias and paranoid thinking. Many have rituals and safety-seeking behaviours that take up significant time each day, for example one sufferer would wash her children’s clothes immediately after school every day.

Many sufferers also have anxiety and depression, and feel helpless and hopeless to change their fear.

Although your symptoms may not be as severe as this, your anxieties can still have a negative effect on your life. We explore some common symptoms below.

Emetophobia Symptoms

The severity of symptoms vary from individual to individual, but some of the most common indicators of emetophobia are:

Anxiety at the thought of being sick
Physically feeling nausea when reading certain ‘trigger’ words
Checking sell-by-dates once, twice, three times!
Mistrust of eating at other people’s houses or in restaurants
Avoiding pubs and clubs for fear of seeing others vomit
Avoiding intense exercise that could cause nausea
Excessive hand-washing and cleanliness around the house
Seeking reassurance about whether others are ill
Overcooking food, particularly meat
Taking ‘stomach settlers’ such as mint tea and chewing gum
Avoiding certain foods or whole food groups (such as meat and fish), often limited to a ‘beige diet’ of ‘safe foods’
Limiting alcohol consumption or being tee-total
Excessive use of hand sanitiser when out in public
Fear of eating in front of others
Fear of getting pregnant / anxiety during pregnancy
Increased anxiety in winter due to a higher prevalence of viruses. This can often be misdiagnosed as S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Anxiety being around children / extreme avoidance of your own children if they get bugs
Avoiding certain careers you might have otherwise chosen, in case you’re exposed to vomit e.g. primary school teacher, doctor
Avoiding public transport such as boats, cruises, trains, planes and long car journeys
Avoiding holidays abroad where you can’t be in control of your environment and the food/water you’re consuming
Sleep issues – fear of getting sick at night and nightmares about you or others vomiting
Fear of going into hospital
Avoiding medication or healthcare interventions that have nausea as a side-effect
Anxiety, panic attacks and depression

If you or someone you know experiences any of these symptoms, it’s likely they have some degree of a fear of being sick.

Causes of Emetophobia

Like many phobias, research indicates emetophobia is a combination of environmental and psychological factors. Many sufferers and therapists believe traumatic experiences such as witnessing or experiencing severe vomiting or illness as a child caused their condition, but there is not a case history anywhere in the available research that indicates a fear of being sick is caused by a specific event. If this was true, more people would have this phobia, and certainly more men (research suggests that 85-97% of emetophobes are women).

Instead, it is understood that certain beliefs, thinking styles, parenting and gender indicate propensity to develop emetophobia. People with this fear tend to have perfectionist traits, ‘all-or-nothing thinking,’ a desire for control, low self-esteem, social anxiety and ‘disgust propensity’ (a strong aversion and embarrassment about bodily fluids and functions e.g. farting).

Whether you fear both yourself and others vomiting, or only one of these, the causes and treatment are the same.

Treatment Options

Emetophobia is fundamentally a huge fear of losing control / being out of control. Uncertainty and grey areas in life aren’t tolerated. It is not just the act of vomiting (losing control) that the emetophobe finds terrifying, but the build up and uncertainty around it. This is why it’s essential for treatment to draw away from a focus on ‘sick’ ‘vomit’ and ‘throwing up’ – these are a veil for deeper issues around control and coping skills. Building coping skills are an essential part of treatment with The Thrive Programme – an evidence-based psycho-emotional training programme based on 30 years’ clinical experience treating thousands of emetophobes.

Our research study has outperformed research into the efficacy of emetophobia treatment worldwide, with all 62 participants recording a significant improvement in their emetophobia severity within the 6-week trial.

Conclusion
Emetophobia is a phobia characterised by an intense fear of vomiting and/or seeing others vomit. It can be a distressing and debilitating condition, but treatment is available. If you believe you may have emetophobia, it is important to seek specialist help with someone who really understands this fear.