List of emet behaviors?

[GrammarGal]

Hi, all. I'm so glad I found this site! This is my first post. I have suffered from emetophobia since I was a child and have had a difficult time explaining my fears to others. I have recently begun seeing a counselor who is very helpful and inquisitive. A while back, I ran across a list on the internet of behaviors and rituals that emets do (only eating certain foods, checking your temperature when you feel ill, etc.) I have looked and looked and cannot locate this list again. I wanted to show it to my counselor. It was a rather long and thorough list. I was wondering if any of you have seen something similar. Most of the lists I have found contain only a few symptoms. That list was an "Ah-ha!" moment for me. It gave my phobia a name and let me know that I wasn't alone. My phobia affects every part of my life. I have a crippling combination of emetophobia, agoraphobia, panic disorder, social anxiety, and IBS. I only hope that I (and all of you) can find comfort and courage somewhere. Thanks for your help.

[KaydeeJayde]

Well, I know that a lot of people on here wash their hands fairly obsessively, as well as cleaning things (items around their houses, their possessions) more than perhaps others would. I'm not sure what else. I'm not afraid of myself getting ill, only others, and the things I do... Um... Picking things off other people's plates that might make them ill, obsessively asking people if they're okay, if they feel sick, if they're going to be ill.

[olschesky]

have you read the Information section on this site? i printed it off and gave it to my dr.....gives a pretty thorough description of how emet can effect people.

good luck ....glad you found someone you're comfortable talking with

[itbechelsea]

My emetophobia is off and on (THANK GOODNESS). It mostly strikes during the winter, particularly when a sv* is going around near me, like now.

The biggest thing for me is isolating myself. I keep in my clean little room all by myself. If I leave my room I open doors with my shirt covering my hand. Wash my hands if I touch anything. Suck on peppermints (which actually make my stomach hurt... so not sure why I do it...). I hardly eat, especially things that might taste gross coming up, and I chew my food really well so that it will be easier if it has to come up. I refuse to touch my face (kind of a good thing... normally I bite my nails, so now they're getting longer! :P)


But during the other times, like summer when sv* is scarce, I still avoid many things that might make me sick, like alcohol, carnival rides, etc.

[frankieanime]

Hmm... For me... When I was little, EVERY night before I would go to bed, I would pray, asking to make it so I don't throw up. I'm not religious either. I have NO idea where that came from.
I used to make this weird noise with my throat... Hard to explain, it seemed to slightly help the nausea (Both of these I stopped doing before I was 9) I was superstitious about dates, like, I thought I would throw up every March. I would open the bathroom door before washing my hands... So I didn't have to touch the doorvhandle full of germs. I'd obsessively carry a bottle of water around with me EVERY time I went 5 inches from my household. I'd ALWAYS make sure there was Gravol around, and Ginger-Ale... I had a lot.... Can't seem to think of them all

[anxious.amelia]

I have to be clean clean clean! ages ago i had anorexia and would just hide my school lunch somewhere in my room and chuck it out at weekends without mum knowing and eventually I got a stomach bug because of the bacteria which wasn't clever!
I have my own drugs box withs kalms aspirins etc
loads of cleaning products
i always leave my lights on and the bathroom light on and the toilet lid up just in case
When other people are sick around me, I have panic attacks, I run away screaming or i faint or numb or go through states of shock.
Having emetophobia is so painful and annoying I just want it to stop, it ruins everyday life for me.
You can imagine long car journeys in the back of a car with 2 sisters for about 3 or more hours is excruciating.
Generally , emetophobic behaviors are OCD with cleanliness and stuff
BUT YOU'D RATHER BE SAFE THAN SORRY!

[stefanie]

Here is a list I have found online and have used to share with family and friends to explain why I'm the way I am and to understand that this fear is very real nd not funny! I don't have every single behaviour listed but many of them

• excessive cleanliness
• fear of eating outside of one’s home, or eating food one has not prepared (in case it may lead to food poisoning which would cause vomiting)
• nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea a great deal of the time. (While these symptoms should be checked out, they are usually due to anxiety.)
• fear of taking any prescription medication that may have nausea or vomiting as a listed side-effect.
• fear of animals who vomit
• fear of all children (as they vomit more often, sometimes without warning, and they are more prone to viruses)
• fear of pregnancy (due to morning sickness, or vomiting at delivery)
• fear of anesthesia – due to vomiting as a side-effect
• fear of hospitals and nursing homes
• fear of traveling (in case they are motion sick, or someone else is)
• fear of alcohol consumption, or parties where alcohol is consumed
• fear of amusement parks where people may be sick on rides
• fear of television and movies (more and more, vomiting is becoming commonplace in the media)
• fear of psychotherapy (lest it involves exposure therapy they feel they can’t handle)
• fear of a number of jobs, limiting career choices. (Emetophobics also often have difficulty holding down a job, due to the number of sick days they take.)
• fear of sick or injured people no matter what they have, as vomiting can be a symptom of every illness.
• fear of public toilets (as someone may come in there and vomit)
• fear of others’ coughing, burping, touching their stomachs, looking pale, saying they don’t feel well
• nightmares – particularly about vomiting, but night terrors are common as well
• refusal or inability to actually vomit. Most emetophobics do not vomit at all but for exceptional circumstances.
• anger, frustration and despair at not being understood, believed or supported – especially about the severity of the feelings of terror and horror.

When emetophobics encounter someone who is vomiting, or feels ill, they will:

• panic immediately, often with incredible immediacy (The panic attack will not necessarily rise up slowly – so inserting cognitive “tools” is not always a possibility. Again, this depends on the severity of the disorder.)
• become dissociative and completely irrational, often crying, screaming, and sometimes harming themselves or others.
• feel nauseous themselves and be convinced they will also vomit
• run away at high speeds, despite risk to personal safety or the well-being of their children
• refuse to remain in the house, car or enclosed place with the sick person even if it is their own child or a family member who “needs their help”
• if trapped, close their eyes and plug their ears (sometimes for an entire night)

If emetophobics feel nauseous, or believe for some other reason they may vomit they will often:

• refuse to eat or drink (they think they can’t vomit if their stomach is empty)
• assume all gastro-intestinal feelings are nausea, which will lead to vomiting. (This may also extend to mistaken feelings about dizziness, headache, body temperature, etc.)
• refuse medical help (in case they are trapped in a hospital with more sick people)
• refuse medication (in case the side effects are nausea/vomiting)
• panic, and continue to have a series of panic attacks over long periods of time (as they are unable to avoid the stimulus which is their own body)
• assume (incorrectly) that a symptom of the panic attack itself will be vomiting3
• pace, cry, beg others to help, run from others, scream, become dissociative, self-mutilate (scratching skin, hair-pulling, cutting), bring harm to others.
• insist on being alone, or insist on having a significant other with them.
• refuse to go near a toilet or other receptacle, or refuse to be anywhere else for unusually long periods of time.
• try a number of over-the-counter medications to control vomiting (Pepto Bismal, Dramamine, Peppermint, Ginger). Some emetophobics ingest large amounts of these remedies over time.

[GrammarGal]

Wow, these are all great replies. Isn't it amazing how we share some of the same rituals? I plan to compile these behviors into a list and highlight the ones that apply to me so my counselor will understand my symptoms. Thank you so much for sharing such personal accounts!

[freedomfighter]

Well, I know that a lot of people on here wash their hands fairly obsessively, as well as cleaning things (items around their houses, their possessions) more than perhaps others would. I'm not sure what else. I'm not afraid of myself getting ill, only others, and the things I do... Um... Picking things off other people's plates that might make them ill, obsessively asking people if they're okay, if they feel sick, if they're going to be ill.

i wish i had this and not my version ! how do you feel ok with being sick?

[scottyd]

Great list. About 95% of this applies to me!

[wargerbil]

A lot of the things on the list are things that my brain feels compelled to do but I don't allow to have happen. For example, I'm not excessively clean, I do eat outside of the house, I do take Rx meds when prescribed, sick animals don't bother me much -- I have 3 cats. I don't want to watch them yak, but I don't have a problem with it, really. My husband does though. lol. I'm not afraid of children -- I've worked with them a ton (and that said, I don't have a problem with holding down a FT job, and I'm nearly a PhD, so I don't feel like my career choices were limited). All the unknowns of pregnancy freak me out, but I'm hoping to be pregnant later this year. I do hate anesthesia, hospitals, and nursing homes, but have been anesthetized several times, and will go to hospitals and nursing homes. I do hate traveling, I don't drink, I dislike the rides part of amusement parks, but I like games and minigolf! I watch TV/go to movies, voluntarily started therapy (then quit when the woman was a quack), I don't fear all sick/injured people, I do use public restrooms (does cause some anxiety, but I don't avoid them).... I think overall my symptoms/behaviors are pretty manageable.

[GrammarGal]

wargerbil, I'm kind of the same way about animals. When my dogs get sick, I just clean it up and cuddle them. I think a big part of that is I know I won't catch anything from them. I feel a little better about being near a person who is sick if I KNOW that they are sick because of something non-contagious (like alcohol or meds). But I'm thrown into a panic if someone mentions a virus. My worst fear is getting sick away from home. I have problems traveling. As an agoraphobic, I can't stand to feel trapped anywhere. If I go out with friends, I drive separately so I can come home if I need to. I usually don't need to, but it's a comfort knowing that I have a plan B. I don't like being around children, though, or large groups of people. When I go to public places (like Wal-Mart) I'm always telling myself, "Do not touch eyes, nose, or mouth." And it's not that I fear all germs; just the ones that might make me v*. I have a master's degree in English and hope to teach college somday; but my social anxiety is so bad that I'm not sure if I can do it. Does anyone else have problems being in public places because of their phobia?

[JennyS]

Yes, the animals thing doesn't bother me really- well I can;t stand to watch... but I can happily clean it up...

[itbechelsea]

Hmm... For me... When I was little, EVERY night before I would go to bed, I would pray, asking to make it so I don't throw up.

I was the same! I would say, "God, please don't let me throw up ever again. You don't have to do anything else for me ever." :P I'd also wish that on the first star I saw every night, and when I blew out the candles on my birthday cake.

[JennyS]

I was the same! I would say, "God, please don't let me throw up ever again. You don't have to do anything else for me ever." :P I'd also wish that on the first star I saw every night, and when I blew out the candles on my birthday cake.

I used to count all the continents on a world map poster i had on the wall - since i was about 5 (28 now) and then ask and pray to them all that i didn;t get you know what.... this is where my numbers thing started i think... now i am obsessed with counting to odd numbers- number 9 is the best... nein in German means NO= no i won't be ill... if that makes sense.... it probably doesn't...

[itbechelsea]

I used to count all the continents on a world map poster i had on the wall - since i was about 5 (28 now) and then ask and pray to them all that i didn;t get you know what.... this is where my numbers thing started i think... now i am obsessed with counting to odd numbers- number 9 is the best... nein in German means NO= no i won't be ill... if that makes sense.... it probably doesn't...

It makes tons of sense. And it's very interesting.
Sometimes I will tap something (table maybe), or knock on the door for another example, and I must tap either once, 3 times, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, and so on. That way the number is always 3 or 5 numbers from or is exactly a 10, 20, 30, etc. I'm not sure why I do this... it's for no reason at all with me. Just a habit. But the number of letters in a word or phrase or sentence must be even or it's just. not. right.

Oh, and I've been living in Germany for a year and a half (headed home to the US in 17 days). Just saying, since you mentioned "no" in German.

[KaydeeJayde]

I don't know how I feel okay with being sick... I don't LIKE it, and I still get a little jolt of panic just before it happens, but it's just something that happens, I don't know how I deal with it. I don't get sick very much though, fortunately.

[JennyS]

god- i count everything to be odd- the volume on the TV/radio, number of mouthfuls, you name it is has to be odd... and if it isn;t it increases the risk of me getting you know what....

[GrammarGal]

Oh, and I've been living in Germany for a year and a half (headed home to the US in 17 days). Just saying, since you mentioned "no" in German.

I'm heading to Germany in April for three weeks! I'm nervous but really excited! How is it over there? Anything I need to know? Thanks!

[itbechelsea]

I'm heading to Germany in April for three weeks! I'm nervous but really excited! How is it over there? Anything I need to know? Thanks!

Sorry it took a while to get back to you. I'm getting over a sv*.

Anyway, Germany is sooo different than America. So many little things that I cannot even begin to name off, and I noticed those things just as soon as I got off the plane. But you get used to it. (I'm sure I'll experience REVERSE culture shock when I get back to the states because Germany is now the norm for me.) Don't worry about getting lost in the airports because the signs are both in German and English, and nearly everyone in Germany (except many elderly folks) speak English.

Not sure what else you'd like to know. There is so much to be said about this place. What part of Germany will you be in? I'm in northern Bavaria.

[ssjj]

Some brief ones I can think of are:
- Obsessive cleaning
- Obsessive hand washing
- No eating with hands
- No eating meat out
- No chocolate before bed
- No eating non-cooked food made by other people
- No going to the toilet during the night (bad memories)
- Always wear gloves on public transport
- Avoid public toilets and, if I use one, use my sleeve to open and close the door

[GrammarGal]

itbechelsea, I will be in Bremen. I've done some research, and it looks very pretty. My boyfriend is having disc replacement surgery at Stenum Hospital. It's going to be intense, but I'm very excited. Thanks for the info! It's very encouraging! I hope you're feeling better!

[GrammarGal]

Suzie, may I ask why you don't eat chocolate before bed? Some things make me have heartburn, and I was wondering if that was one of them. Do you wear latex gloves on public transit or just leather ones? I've worn my leather ones to Wal-Mart on many an occasion. I would probably get some stares during the summer, though.

[ashleynichole92]

Emetophobia is causes by, but not always, a very, very unpleasant past experince with vomiting. Or you could have it because of something totally different. Each person tends to manifest their symptoms in different ways, but particularly the common signs would be:

developed certain behavioral patterns or even obsessions in an effort to keep yourself safe from sickness
an unusual number have people have reported not vomiting since childhood
many sufferers suffer from daily/chronic nausea and digestive upsets because of the anxiety that Emetophobia brings.
extreme avoidance measures are taken, always
of course, and irrational fear of vomiting
an overwhelming feeling of anxiousness or fear when being confronted with someone who is sick (stomach flu, food poisoning etc.)

basically, you hate throwing up! like me!

[claire43]

Stefanie: What a brilliant list! So many of the things listed described me completely I was amazed. There were a few that didnt, for example, I did have one child and my emet was better than ever during the years she was small. As for hospitals, well I do visit people when I have to but I spend the whole time Im there worrying that someone will v* or I will catch something!! Like I said Ive never seen such a comprehensive list, it described things I thought only I experienced. Thanks

[Chandler]

I won't go near someone that has v*d for an unknown reason.
I don't eat out of date food! (it's dated for a reason I dont care how ,LNG it's been frozen )
I drink but have only ever done it. To the point of being il *held back*
I don't go on rides

[hairyfairy]

Fortunately I`m not so affected that I have real problems with everyday life, but I shudder with horror when I think about the risky stuff that I used to do, like eating takeaways, drinking loads of alchohol, & not avoiding sick people. I got away with it 99 per cent of the time, but vividly remember the times that I did get sick as a result of being so careless.

[GrammarGal]

I know what you all are talking about. When I was a kid and the first star of the night would come out, I would wish that I would never be sick again. If I had three wishes, that would still be the first one. I've always been scared (I sucked my thumb as a small child and have been an avid handwasher since), but it didn't really start to get bad until my late teens. I knew I had a problem after I caught a bug my senior year of high school. Just thinking of how I felt when I was sick would throw me into a panic. I just try not to think about it now. The obsessive thoughts have gotten a lot better since I started Zolft, but I still have my "rituals."

[leeannc28]

Me personally... these are the symptoms I had when I was severly emet. Now Im extremely mild and only relapse when I get s*.

- Agoraphobia (especially of restaurants and food markets)
- Obsessive checking of dates on food (refusal to eat food past date)
- Limited diet to "safe" foods (The BRATY diet, etc.)
- Being wary of wearing anything white or light colored (in case I got S* on it because then the world would know it.)

- Overcooking food
- Overdoing just about everything when it comes to cleaning
- Never touching hands to face, mouth, or eyes
- Avoid sick people
- Freak out if someone even coughed
- Plug ears with fingers and pump fingers in and out to blur out sounds of someone V*ing
- Fear of flu seasons
- Anxious during cloudy or rainy or just plain yucky looking days (I associate it with sick days, b/c thats usually the sort of day I used to get s* on)
- People talking about being S* (thinking I would get S* if I thought about it too much)
- Avoid drinking more then one glass of alcohol


You get the idea. That's the bulk of the quirks I developed. Now I hardly have too many of them, and if anything I have a healthy respect for cleanliness and hygiene. I still check food dates and have a preference for foods that have a lot of preservatives and last a long time, but I do eat a lot of produce now too. I generally just keep away from raw food like sushi. I still avoid going out sometimes, but I make myself leave the house and do things I dont like (and realize I deal with them way better then I originally expected).

[GrammarGal]

It's amazing how the same "symptoms" of emet can manifest themselves in nearly everyone who has the phobia. I haven't met any of you, but we still have the same rituals. This would make a fantastic study for a psychology student.