Social phobias have a high degree of danger to humans.
Phobic states of this category can become cause of death patient because of his obsessive fears.
One of the social phobias is the fear of doctors or jatrophobia.
Fear of a medical facility and white coat specialists can trigger inability to provide a person with timely medical care. The kind of doctors delivers not only internal discomfort, but also causes a panic attack.
What is the name of?
In medical practice, the fear of doctors is indicated by the term "Iatrophobia".
This phobic condition is among the most common phobias. Children and elderly patients are especially susceptible to the fear of doctors.
Psychological trauma suffered in childhood when visiting a specialist's office in a white coat, they can not only survive for a lifetime, but also turn into a mental disorder.
In older people, the fear of doctors is more often associated with the fear of death or the diagnosis of an incurable disease.
What are the manifestations characterized?
Fear of physicians may manifest in short-term or permanent form. In the first case, fear arises immediately before the visit to the specialist, in the second - anxiety is caused even thoughts about visiting a medical institution (without such need).
The manifestation of a phobia depends on the degree of disturbance of the emotional state. In most cases, a phobia is accompanied not only by internal experiences, but also by physiological signs.
Data About the fear of doctors in this video:
Varieties
The term "iatrophobia" is the generic name of a phobia, in which there is a fear of doctors regardless of their profileas well as medical facilities.
Exists many varieties of phobic states, implying fear of representatives of specific professions (dentists, gynecologists, etc.), as well as anxiety about the procedures that are carried out in hospitals.
Varieties of fear of doctors and related phobic states:
- dentophobia (fear of dentists);
- nosocomophobia (fear of hospitals);
- tomophobia (fear of surgery);
- hemophobia (blood fever);
- pharmacophobia (fear of taking medications);
- nosophobia (fear of contracting any disease).
Causes in adults and children
Provoke Numerous factors can cause iatrophobia. This type of phobia can be transmitted at the genetic level.
For example, if one of the parents is afraid of dentists, then the child may get a congenital fear of the representatives of this profession.
The following factors can provoke iatrophobia:
- Negative childhood memories (Not only visits to the doctor, which caused stress or physical pain, but also intimidation by certain experts from adults) can provoke jatrophic disorder.
- Effects mental injuryassociated with white coats and doctors (the cause of emotional turmoil can be a representative of any profession, implying the wearing of a white robe, and the phobia will spread to doctors).
- Fear of lack of control potential situation (a person cannot determine the scale of the upcoming procedure, he is afraid of not knowing the methods that will be used in the provision of medical care).
- Life examples long ill acquaintances or relatives (if for a long time a person becomes a witness of the lack of effect of medicine in the treatment of someone from his environment, then such situations provoke mistrust and fear of doctors).
- Medical errors in the past and their negative consequences (if medical error has caused negative physical or psychological consequences for a person, then the risk of developing iatrophobia reaches a critical level).
- Fear of death (fear of death is closely associated with the hospital, the negligence of doctors and the medical institution as a whole).
- Fear of diagnosing a fatal disease (if for a long time a person is visited by the fear of developing a deadly disease, then he will try to avoid visits to the doctor on a subconscious level).
Why are people afraid of the dentist?
Fear of dentists in medical practice is denoted by the term. "Dentophobia".
This phobic condition is among the most common phobias associated with doctors.
In childhood, fear can provoke a large number of incomprehensible objects used by representatives of this profession, as well as transferred during the procedure. pain.
In adulthood, the fear of dentists can develop against the background of fears from childhood or panic, covering the subconscious while waiting for severe pain.
Symptoms and signs of iatrophobia
Symptoms of iatrophobia manifested with varying degrees of intensity depending on the age of the person. In children, this condition causes an attack of crying, hysterics and moodiness.
In adults, physiological signs join emotional experiences. Severe iatrophobia can be accompanied by loss of consciousness and an attack of panic attack. A person loses control of his emotions, behavior and body.
The following can accompany jatrophobia the symptoms:
- intestinal and gastric cramps;
- bouts of nausea and vomiting;
- strong muscular tension;
- excessive sweating;
- the progression of hypochondria;
- symptoms of tachycardia;
- trembling in limbs;
- visual impairment;
- dry mouth;
- speech impairment;
- feeling of total torpor;
- high blood pressure;
- sudden weakness of the body;
- heart rate change.
What white coat hypertension and how to treat it? About this in the video:
How to cope with the fear of hospitals?
There are two ways to treat jatrophobia - psychotherapeutic procedures and drug therapy. Experts recommend trying to cope with fears on their own, and in the absence of effect, seek help from psychologists and psychotherapists.
Good results in eliminating obsessive states have methods of auto-training and self-hypnosis.
If psychotherapy cannot cope with the task of eliminating a phobia, then it becomes necessary to correct the patient’s condition by potent drugs.
Psychotherapeutic effect
Includes:
- Group and individual psychotherapy (classes are conducted by psychologists and psychotherapists).
- Neuro-linguistic programming (the procedure of influencing the subconscious, should be carried out by a qualified specialist).
- Hypnosis method (one of the most effective methods of combating phobias of various etiologies, helps to establish the cause of fear).
- Relaxation and breathing exercises (It has a general beneficial effect on the body and nervous system).
Pharmacological therapy
The main method of eliminating jatrophobia is qualified psychological and psychiatric care.
Drug therapy can be used as a symptomatic treatment or in the event of persistent mental disorders.
For example, during a panic attack, a person may hurt himself (anti-inflammatory drugs and antiseptics are necessary) or experience a strong emotional shock (soothing drugs and barbiturates).
To eliminate iatrophobia can be used the following drugs:
- drugs to correct cardiovascular abnormalities that accompany an attack of iatrophobia;
- sedatives (Persen, motherwort tincture);
- antihistamines (when allergy symptoms occur during an attack of iatrophobia);
- tranquilizers (in case of serious psychoemotional deviations).
Recommendations
Yatrophobia should not be confused with elemental alarm before visiting a medical facility.
In the first case, the condition is a phobia, accompanied by characteristic symptoms and having a danger to a person, in the second, fear brings discomfort, but coping with it is much easier than with a mental disorder.
Experts recommend first try to get rid of obsessive thoughts. To do this, you can use several tips.
Recommendations specialists:
- First you need to realize degree of importance timely medical care (the progression of diseases can deliver not only significant discomfort, but also cause disability or death).
- In some cases, a sense of fear may provoke the appearance public hospitals (lack of repair, old equipment, etc.), if the financial situation allows, then you can make an appointment at a private clinic, the interior of which will be radically different.
- Before a visit to the doctor it is necessary as possible think less about the upcoming procedure (you can watch your favorite movies, read books or take time to hobby).
- A good effect of changing opinions about doctors is reading positive reviews about treatment (the ideal option is the stories of acquaintances about saving the lives of doctors or the rapid cure of any disease, which has passed into a difficult stage).
Very afraid to treat your teeth: what to do?
Overcoming the fear of a dental office is one of most challenging tasks. Phobias associated with representatives of this profession, cause serious psycho-emotional abnormalities.
The unbearable pain aggravates the situation, which in most cases accompanies dental diseases. Emotional experiences are joined by physical suffering.
To cope with the fear to treat or remove teeth will help the following recommendations:
- It is necessary to realize the difference between past dental procedures and modern dentistry (advanced equipment, potent painkillers, etc.).
- It is important to understand the degree of danger of dental diseases (unbearable pain, the spread of the inflammatory process, infection of internal organs).
- You can try to use aesthetic factors (beautiful smile, eliminating bad breath, etc.).
- Using the visualization method (before the procedure it is necessary to carefully study the images of beautiful smiles, pictures of the format "before and after").
- If iatrophobia manifests itself in a child, then the task of the parents is a detailed explanation of the importance of the upcoming procedure and maximum psychological support for the baby.
Yatrophobia is dangerous phobic condition. Fear of doctors can cause not only the lack of timely medical care, but also the development of neurological as well as mental disorders.
Panic attack in this case, it can provoke not only the procedure, but also the appearance of the doctor. Excessive emotional experiences will lead to the emergence of persistent mental disorders, which will be almost impossible to get rid of.
How to get rid of the fear of going to the dentist? Psychologist tips: