Emetophobia

The Fear Of Vomiting

Emetophobia is an irrational fear of vomiting

We all know it’s not nice to vomit, but for people who suffer from emetophobia it’s much more than “not nice”.  In fact it’s horrifying to say the least, it’s like being scared of spiders, and then having a giant tarantula crawl over your face (but much worse).  Your not always in danger of running into spiders, you can a least control it to some degree, by avoiding cold and damp places or sealing a room then completely cleaning it so you know it’s spider free.  But with v****ing, you can’t control it, anytime, anywhere, it can happen, all you can do is reduce the risks.

Many people with this phobia wouldn’t even pick up a book with a title like this, I know I wouldn’t have, because even the title strikes a jolt in the old stomach. “Avoid anything to do with it”, that was my motto, but I found it ever increasingly harder to steer clear of, TV, going shopping, traveling, there was just too much of it around. The only way to avoid it was to go out as little as possible. don’t drink alcohol, don’t travel, and last but by far the least, don’t EAT.

This phobia has a tendency to get worse the longer you have it, but on a lighter note, people who suffer from this tend not to vomit very often, sometimes many years.  This is because the person with this fear is generally careful with what is eaten, and is very hygienic.

It’s not like any other phobia, such as Arachnophobia, it consumes you day by day, stopping you from living a normal life, it IS more serious than people think.

When you start feeling better (which you do after time), something knocks you down, like feeling sick or seeing someone be sick, it’s like climbing a ladder and falling off.

You can’t take a job, or go to college, you can’t go shopping or travel, through fear of seeing, smelling, hearing something you don’t want to.  You miss out on so much of life, because you limit yourself to invisible boundaries, to keep yourself safe from the risks that may cause you to vomit, such as, smells that make you feel sick, things you see, things you hear, situations that make you feel uncomfortable, etc.

Emetophobes fall into four categories:-

1. Ones who fear themselves vomiting.

2. Ones who fear other people vomiting.

3. Ones who fear both of the above.

4. Ones who fear people seeing them vomit.

Emetophobes can be divided into two sub-groups also:-

Anxiety: 

Those who suffer from an underlying anxiety disorder, often accompanied by panic attacks and mild to moderate agoraphobia. In these emetophobes their anxiety leads to symptoms of nausea, which then induces further anxiety.

Nausea: 

Those who have physical illnesses which can cause symptoms of nausea. This triggers a phobic reaction to the nausea leading to anxiety and possible further symptoms, including more nausea.

Emetophobes behave very strangely and have many ways of doing everyday tasks such as: 

1. When sharing a drink from a cup, sip from the opposite side.

2. Opening doors using their sleeves as surgical gloves. 

3. Flushing public toilets with their feet.

4. ...more can be found here

Many emetophobes avoid using public transport and, if traveling, often insist that travel by car and that they are the driver. Where this isn't possible, emetophobes have been known to travel in their own car while the rest of a group will travel by rail, or even trail behind a mini-bus in their own car. Few emetophobes will travel by boat and fairground rides, particularly those that rotate, are most unpopular.

Most emetophobes adopt meticulous food hygiene standards and are very careful about the types of food they will eat, especially when eating out. Sandwiches and similar packaged foods might be eaten direct from their wrapping without being touched at all.  Fries can be held between fingertips and the touched end of the fry discarded.

Often, emetophobes will avoid having necessary medical treatment or investigations, including surgery, anesthesia or even taking prescribed medication without first checking potential drug side-effects.

Many emetophobic women will avoid pregnancy due to the risks of 'morning sickness'.

When a member of their household, or a close acquaintance, suffers a stomach infection - they will be extremely anxious that they might contract it themselves. Many will virtually starve themselves for the following few days until the likely incubation period has passed without them becoming ill. Some emetophobes are misdiagnosed as suffering from anorexia nervosa or another eating disorder (click link button for further information relating to eating disorders)

In more extreme cases, emetophobes become socially isolated in order to minimize the risk of catching any infection and will adopt a 'safe' diet to minimize the chances of contracting food poisoning.

Emetophobes often have a morbid obsession regarding their fear. For example, an emetophobe who fears others vomiting will constantly be on the lookout for others who may be vomiting or about to vomit. This can include closely watching people in social situations to ensure they look well and healthy - e.g. while in a theatre or cinema, such an emetophobe will be checking those in the neighboring seats are laughing at appropriate moments, ordering refreshments at the interval and, when traveling by road, will strain to look at the car pulled off the road with the nearside door wide open - just incase somebody should be ill. Although they strongly dislike seeing others vomit, there is a strange compulsion to actually look and observe briefly their worst fear being confirmed! This morbid obsession can even lead to a smaller number of emetophobes monitoring the progress of a 'stain' on the pavement being washed away over the following few weeks!

Emetophobes will normally sit far away from other patients in hospitals and medical centers (and will only even attend when absolutely necessary), often beside a door or open window, and hardly dare to lick their lips or pick up a well-thumbed magazine, to minimize any risk of contracting any infection from other patients.

On the rare occasions that emetophobes eat out, you may spot them looking through their meal with their fork, especially meat, to ensure they are adequately cooked thorough.