Almost everyone is disgusted by vomiting. However, disgust is particularly strong in people with emetophobia. The panic of throwing up or watching others throw up can be life-threatening and lead to eating disorders. How to overcome emetophobia?
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Emetophobia is a relatively unknown one anxiety disorder. Accurate data about the prevalence of the disease do not yet exist. According to the first study results, around 0.1 percent of the population suffer from the fear of Vomit, but the number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly higher. Both men and women of any age can be affected, but in most cases it is women.
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Emetophobia: what is it?
Experts define emetophobia as a pathological fear of vomiting or seeing other people throw up. It is a so-called specific phobia, such as the fear of injectionsspiders or public places (Agoraphobia).
Vomiting yourself or someone else is uncomfortable for most people and associated with feelings of disgust. However, in people with emetophobia, the revulsion of vomiting goes beyond normal levels. Release vomit – or even the thought of it Panic out. Phobic sufferers are often aware that their fear is irrational and inappropriate, but they cannot do anything about it.
Causes: how does emetophobia develop?
It is not yet clear why some people develop emetophobia. Experts assume that traumatic experiences could play a role. So it is assumed that, for example, a heavy Abdominal influenza in childhood can be a trigger for anxiety disorders. In addition, those affected often have an increased sensitivity to disgust.
Emetophobics often find themselves in a vicious circle: they suffer from constant nausea, which is probably a physical reaction to the fear. The expectation of having to vomit soon and the memory of past vomiting in turn reinforce the fears. If the catastrophe then does not occur, this acts as an indirect confirmation of the avoidance behavior.
What are the symptoms of emetophobia?
A strong fear is typical of emetophobia:
- before one’s own vomiting (alone or in the presence of others)
- witnessing other people (or animals) vomit
- before a confrontation with the topic (e.g. in conversations or media)
The idea or the actual experience triggers panic attacks, which are accompanied by heart palpitations, feelings of anxiety, dizziness, Tremble and sweating.
Restrictions in everyday life due to emetophobia
People avoid places or situations where there is a risk of vomiting or watching them vomit. This causes them to withdraw socially. They forgo parties and restaurant visits, no longer meet up with friends or travel by train, bus, ship or plane. In particular, contact with children or pregnant women is often reduced because they have an increased tendency to vomit. Affected women fear because of the typical morning sickness even before their own pregnancy and therefore sometimes remain childless.
In addition, people with emetophobia often suffer from selective ones eating disorder. They meticulously check products for their sell-by dates and only eat foods that they tolerate and that are classified as “safe”. This can lead to a very one-sided diet and thus to a nutrient deficiency.
They may also develop compulsive behaviors. For example, they wash and disinfect their hands very often in order not to become infected with pathogens that can cause gastrointestinal infections. For fear of viruses and bacteria, hospitals or doctor’s surgeries are not visited or absenteeism from school or work is accepted.
Diagnosis of emetophobia
A reliable diagnosis is important, since emetophobia can only be successfully treated in this way. If physical causes for symptoms such as nausea can be ruled out, those affected are usually referred to a psychological practice.
In Germany there are no fixed diagnostic criteria for the rare anxiety disorder. Doctors therefore mostly use questionnaires that were developed to diagnose other anxiety disorders. With the “Emetophobia Questionnaire (EmetQ-13)”, an English-language diagnostic questionnaire is also available, which experts in Germany can use for orientation.
Differential diagnoses in emetophobia
People with emetophobia are often misdiagnosed because the condition overlaps with other disorders.
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irritable bowel syndrome: Since those affected often go to doctor’s offices because of weight loss and constant nausea, a functional disorder of the intestine is often considered first.
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obsessive compulsive disorder: Many sufferers exhibit behaviors that are typical of OCD, such as washing their hands excessively or checking groceries. Therefore, obsessive-compulsive disorder is suspected in many cases. While the constant checks are annoying for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, they are considered useful in the context of emetophobia, as they can reduce the risk of vomiting.
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anorexia: Some doctors also initially diagnose anorexia nervosa (anorexia nervosa) because those affected eat little and lose a lot of weight. However, most emetophobic sufferers would like to gain weight again, so therapy for the eating disorder alone is not suitable for them.
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Hypochondria: In addition, emetophobia must be distinguished from hypochondria. The main difference between the two disorders is that those affected are not afraid of illnesses per se, but of a specific symptom – vomiting.
Treatment: How to overcome emetophobia
In the case of emetophobia, cognitive behavioral therapy has proven particularly effective. The so-called exposure therapy (confrontation therapy) is mainly used here. This means that patients under psychotherapeutic support are specifically exposed to situations that they fear. In the case of emetophobia, pictures, videos, smells or noises are mainly used. In addition, it can be helpful for those affected to visit anxious places, such as a restaurant, with therapeutic support. In this way, fears can be overcome step by step.
In addition, during therapy, patients learn coping strategies such as breathing or meditation exercises that help them to get their fear of vomiting under control. The biofeedback method has also proven helpful for people with emetophobia. Many sufferers tend to have a rapid, shallow breathing pattern, causing symptoms such as nausea and stomach pain can favor. At the Biofeedback learn to consciously perceive body reactions and to transform shallow chest breathing with a tense abdomen into deep diaphragmatic breathing.
Psychotherapy: What forms of therapy are there?
