Haematophobia

In simple words, the intense fear of blood is known as haematophobia, inhibiting those who live with it. The diagnostic and statistical manual of disorders (DSM-5) lists it as a blood injection injury. 

People often cannot complete even the tiny appointments just because they dread the sight of blood. If any such thing happens with you, like you delay the regular checkups, this may be due to anxiety caused by haematophobia.

Some might feel uneasy at the sight of blood, while others may have a phobia. Even a few drops of blood are enough to create discomfort. This is an extreme situation where even the sight of blood is unbearable, and people even skip their essential appointments, which can affect their life drastically. 

If any of these things are felt by you, you must know that you are not alone. According to the research, 3-4% of the population is affected by haematophobia. Appropriate treatment helps to overcome such anxiety.

Causes of Haematophobia

This is manifested in several ways in the lives of homophobic persons. They may have experiences like avoiding blood-related situations, including sight or even mentioning it. 

Moreover, they skip necessary medical procedures or sports activities that might result in an injury. They might have a sense of nausea, dizziness, sweaty palms, or rapid heartbeat at the sight of blood. 

There is still research on this topic, so we cannot pinpoint the exact cause of haematophobia. Haematophobia may occur due to the following reasons:

• The aversion to fear may be due to traumatic events that might have occurred in childhood and had a profound impact on the mind.

• It might be a genetic component, that is, any family member passes on it during childhood.

• Studies also show that haematophobia may be a reason for any other underlying fears like:

Dentophobia

Iatrophobia

Illness anxiety disorder

Mysophobia

Nosophobia 

Risk Factors

Some studies estimate that approximately 3-4% of the entire population suffers from haematophobia. The risk factors that are associated with the haematophobia include:

• Genetics – Some people are emotional and sensitive by birth. They develop phobias that may be due to genetic links. 

• Anxious parent or caregiver – A person learns whatever he sees. A child might observe the behaviour of a homophobic person and develop the same. 

• Overprotective parent or caregiver – Sometimes the most undesirable causes of such phobias are overprotective parents who develop an environment where the child may have generalised anxiety levels for something.

• Trauma – Any serious traumatic condition or long stay in hospital due to some illness affects the mind of the person. They might feel stressed and even develop a phobia.

Symptoms of Haematophobia

Most phobias have similar types of emotional as well as physical symptoms. Haemotaphobia symptoms indicate that the body reacts in two phases. The first includes anxiety causing an increase in heart rate, muscle weakness, etc. followed by the second phase of vagal discomfort. All this discomfort leads to unconsciousness in the person.

• Physical haematophobia symptoms include

Increase in heart rate

Trouble in breathing

Pain in chest

Shaking or trembling of the body

Feeling of nausea

Lightheadedness 

Extreme sweating

• Emotional haematophobia symptoms include

Feeling of panic or anxiety due to intense fear

A feeling of dying out

A feeling of losing control over yourself

The extreme need to escape the situations that involve anything related to blood

Feeling powerless or detached from itself

Treatment of Haematophobia

If you suspect a situation of haematophobia, then make an appointment with a doctor and discuss the seriousness of the issue. 

• When to See a Doctor

If the situation of haematophobia causes panic attacks in you and hampers your routine lifestyle.

If you recognise that your fear of blood is irrational.

If the time duration of facing these issues has crossed six months or a year.

• Treatment options include

Exposure therapy – Here the therapist will assign the patient with several visualisation exercises that will give exposure to them on an ongoing basis. Small sessions are conducted in which the patient is exposed to blood and tries to overcome the fear.

Cognitive therapy – In this, the therapist may try to put realistic thoughts in the person’s mind so that he can identify the feeling of anxiety around blood.

Relaxation – Exercise is the solution to most problems. Relaxation, yoga, exercises, and meditation proves effective in overcoming phobias. It eases physical symptoms and diffuses stress.

Medication – When the situation goes beyond control, it is necessary to rely on education with the right prescriptions from the doctor.

Conclusion

The major takeaway is that if the extreme fear of blood takes over your life, it should be dealt with seriously. Talk to your doctor about the issue. Get necessary psychotherapies or other treatment options. Try out to face your fears. This will help overcome your weaknesses and prevent your children from developing the same worries. So with the proper treatment, one can deal with haematophobia.