Phobia Support Group

A phobia (from the Greek "fear"), is a strong, persistent fear of situations, objects, activities, or persons. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one's control, or if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disorders can be made.

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My rant about phobias

jackieisme
jackieisme
Since i was 10 (i am 25 now) i have been terrified of throwing up (sorry i know even just saying it is hard for some people) Yes as i have gotten older i have learned to deal with it better. I am no longer scared to eat or be around people, hell i can even stand to see other people sick (sometimes...not always) I had gone 10 years! Without being sick myself...till last year. I was sick. It only happened one time and you know what...i got through it, alone. It wasnt fun but it wasnt has horrible as i had made it to be. Fast forward a year later and im still terrified, EVEN THOUGH i remember that it wasnt that bad. I am curious...are these type of severe phobias something we can over come or do we just have to learn to deal with it. Yes i will admit, i feel strong when i make it through a panic attack..but id rather feel strong for lifting a heavy dumbbell if i had my choice. And thats the end of my rant.
kimmydm
kimmydm
I have the same phobia as you do, jackieisme - it's called Emetophobia. I think i've had it my whole life, but it only really started affecting me at the age of 22, when I started having panic attacks and anxiety about it on a daily basis. I fear other people getting sick, (especially the sounds!), but I also fear myself being sick (and I dread the thought of anyone having to hear me being sick). It has gotten better as i've gotten older, but my circumstances have also changed. I found it was at its worst when I was using public transport daily, and walking around in busy, public places. Now that I drive myself around, I feel more in control, and make sure I know where the closest toilets are in shopping malls etc.
I tried CBT for a while, but then freaked out when the therapist wanted to do Exposure Therapy with me - which involved me going to a hospital and holding people sick bowls - I mean, can you IMAGINE??