People Never Understand the Severity

[RachelGia]

My name is Rachel. I'm only 19 years old but I can always remember having emetophobia. I asked my family and they said the same, they've always remembered me having it. It wasn't set off by a certain traumatic experience involving vomit. It's just ALWAYS been there.
I do not so much have a fear of myself throwing up as I do OTHERS doing it. Although I won't take any medication given to me by doctors because I'm scared to feel nauseous from it. I try to stay away from people who have been drinking because it makes me too nervous. If a friend or family member tells me they don't feel good I will not speak to them or be around them at all for at least a day. I get nauseous at least 10 times per day and it upsets me very much. I RARELY actually get sick and vomit. Literally about once every 3 years. But sometimes I get so scared thinking about seeing someone vomit or me getting sick that I don't think I can live another day. I hypervenalate when I see someone throw up or gag, even hearing it is horrible. I cry uncontrollably. People do NOT understand it at all. They think I'm just exaggerating but I can't help it. I'd LOVE to be able to not care about it but my life revolves around it. I won't go to a university because the only thing I can afford is a dorm and I can't live in a room with someone for fear that they may vomit in front of me. Esp because a lot of people drink at college. I need help. I can't do this anymore. I can't stand being so stressed out and fearful everyday.
I'm currently looking for a doctor to help me with the support of my family. If anyone has seen a doctor for this please let me know how it went for you. Thank you.

[olschesky]

welcome to the forum........it is hard for someone who doesn't have a phobia of some sort to understand the sheer terror we can experience from them.

i have not been to a doctor for it.......well i did go like 25 years ago....but i didn't know this phobia had a name way back then so got no help. my regular doctor put me on prozac for anxiety and it really really helps me.

i'm sure you will find lots of answers and comfort here......

[lisalulu]

If your main fear is others being sick it will be easy for you to recover using exposure. I fear both and the 'others' aspect is going away quite nicely, it's me being sick that is the real hurdle.
Good luck! Try the anxiety and phobia workbook, it will explain what to do.

[Andrilla]

CBT is defiantly a good idea, especially because worries about others getting sick (while still difficult) isn't as difficult as when your main fear is about you getting sick, from what I understand.

I'm in college right now, and yes, dorm rooms suck. When I was in the typical dorm room (before switching over to apartment-style) it was never wracking not only sharing a room with someone, but also sharing a bathroom with maybe 50 other people. Yes, there were instances where I came across sick people, but it is hardly an every day event. In one year, I maybe came across them 3 times. 3 times in the whole year, I had been worries that I'd run into it 3 times a week! Even if it is a dry campus (yeah, like those exist in real life), check out if you can find "clean living" dorms, that is what I had. It is for people who pledge not to drink/do drugs. Some of them still do, but not often. It is also pretty easy to find out where the parties happen and simply avoid those areas.

There is no way to 100% avoid vomit at college, but there is no way to 100% avoid it anywhere else either! Do NOT let this phobia stop you from doing something that you want to.

[griffdiz]

My fear is mostly of others being sick in front of me as well. I also would like to get therapy. But everyone says it is this exposure therapy. But I feel like I get exposed to it all the time! It seems like I always end up being around people who vomit and I think it just makes me worse . Either way I still want help.

[Rebecca85]

Exposure therapy is different. You start off looking at pictures, at a level that does not make you anxious (it might be cartoons, or people looking unwell for example). You learn how to bring your anxiety levels down. So then you can look at more difficult things and make yourself not panic about them. So it's a gradual thing, and your anxiety should never go above 5 out of 10. Seeing people vomit makes you worse because it is too much at once.

[mooki]

If your main fear is others being sick it will be easy for you to recover using exposure. I fear both and the 'others' aspect is going away quite nicely, it's me being sick that is the real hurdle.
Good luck! Try the anxiety and phobia workbook, it will explain what to do.

I'm in the same camp. I hate seeing it on the ground or others doing the same way I'd hate seeing feces on the ground or watching someone defecate in front of me, but I no longer feel absolutely terrified in a life or death manner when I see it. I still however can't bring myself to watch those rate my vomit sights. I watched some kids drinking ipecac on youtube as a prank. I somehow got through watching it though barely. In a way, the OP is lucky. That's the easy variation of emet to cure. My main fear is me doing it. And I'm not sure how to cure this. Just when I think I'm making improvements, I have a major setback.

[Claire-]

I'm in the same camp. I hate seeing it on the ground or others doing the same way I'd hate seeing feces on the ground or watching someone defecate in front of me, but I no longer feel absolutely terrified in a life or death manner when I see it. I still however can't bring myself to watch those rate my vomit sights. I watched some kids drinking ipecac on youtube as a prank. I somehow got through watching it though barely. In a way, the OP is lucky. That's the easy variation of emet to cure. My main fear is me doing it. And I'm not sure how to cure this. Just when I think I'm making improvements, I have a major setback.

Hi
I'd like to let you know that the rate my vomit sites are very mild, if you know what I mean. Lots of people have taken a picture of a mess on the ground which just looks like vomit, and the pictures of people vomiting.. I don't know, they're just not scary in the same way that seeing it in real life is. Have you searched on youtube for something like 'v** choir'? Because they are actually really funny to watch if you can pluck up the courage. Saying that, I am VERY emetophobic, and other people v*** really scares me, which kind of goes to show that watching youtube vids of people is really not as bad as you might think. Think of it as having a laugh, or feeling sorry for that person, rather than thinking of it as disgusting xx