Being sick — especially when it involves nausea — is highly unpleasant for everyone. But some people are so afraid of vomiting that they feel as though every aspect of their life is affected by their fear. This overwhelming horror of vomiting is known as “emetophobia.”
Being frightened of illness can lead to a lot of issues. Trying new foods is something that becomes extremely difficult. Eating the same kinds of foods that have previously been consumed before a bout of illness (even in the distant past) is almost impossible.
There are many people who do not have emetophobia and dislike trying new dishes. It’s also normal for people to avoid certain foods once they associate them with illness. Emetophobic people, however, take these things to extremes.
An example of this can be seen in children with emetophobia. After being violently ill even one time, a child may feel so afraid of being sick again that he or she may start to severely restrict his or her diet. In some cases, children may even refuse food altogether. Both situations are very serious, and parents often have to seek professional assistance at that point. Mental health specialists can help children (as well as teens and adults) with emetophobia to overcome their fear and slowly begin to incorporate healthy foods back into their diet.
One writer who has emetophobia was recently experiencing a sickness-scare and decided to write about how she felt. She also discovered a YouTube user who created some videos in which she talks about having emetophobia and how it affects her life.
To read the blog post and watch the videos, click on the link you see below.
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/panic/2013/05/emetophobia-the-ugly-fear-of-nausea-and-vomiting/
