22 Things You Only Understand If You Live With Emetophobia
Warning: Symptoms of emetophobia — an extreme fear of vomiting — will vary from person to person. Hearing about people’s experiences may be triggering.
People who live with emetophobia have an extreme fear of vomiting or seeing/hearing other people vomit.
Dr David Veale, a consultant psychiatrist in cognitive behaviour therapy at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and the Priory Hospital in north London, told BuzzFeed: "A fear of vomiting is quite common in about 7% of the population but a specific phobia of vomiting where there is significant distress and avoidance is less common, about 0.5% of the population, and mainly in women." That 7% figure comes from a study done in the Netherlands, but Veale says the figures "are likely to be similar around the world."
Living with emetophobia can be extremely debilitating.
Symptoms of emetophobia can be mental, emotional, and physical. The anxiety and fear associated with the phobia can vary from mild feelings of apprehension to a full-blown panic attack.
Emetophobia often leaves people in a constant state of worry.
An emetophobic who wished to remain anonymous told BuzzFeed: "I worry about anybody in reaching distance of me looking pale, or looking unwell. If they are, for the rest of the day and night, it's all I'll worry about. It causes serious anxiety and sometimes depression."