Who knows about your phobia?

[Caroline2000]

Who have you confided in about your phobia? Parents, spouses, friends? Have they been able to give you support when you need it most? Are you glad you told them? I'm pretty much all alone in this and need someone - other than my counselor - to be able to turn to when things get rough.

[Valen]

AW, I hate that u dont have anyone else... But hey, u got us here My parents obviously know, since they dealt with me when i was little..as i have always had this issue. Especially my mom, thank God for this lady! My best friend, and my ex husband and bf know all too well. they had to deal with me when i wasnt by my mom and feeling ill.. My daughter (she's 6) knows..but probably dont really understand. She will one day though..just hope it dont rub off on her and my other kiddos! But i will tell anyone if im ever in a situation where i need to. Im def not ashamed of it or anything. It is weird phobia to have, i guess..but everyone's afraid of somethin

[shell361]

I've got one really close friend that's also emet we usually text each other if we're having bad days other than that my ex knows but since we don't talk anymore it doesn't matter that she knows, while we were together I found I didn't panic as much if I felt sick because I knew she was there if I decided I wanted her to be

[JustHannah]

I think I've told almost everyone that I know. I want to warn them ahead of time in case they are sick and don't realize that I might freak the f*** out. haha But a lot of them forget and I've reminded people too many times. I'm not really embarrassed anymore.

[socitycourty]

my mom, sister, husband, therapist, and you guys

[SabreRed]

No one knows how bad it is for me, I tend to keep it to myself but I think that makes it worse.

[batmansgirl]

My Boyfriend. I have brought it up in conversation with a few people but the just tend to fob me off as if its a stupid little fear.

My boyfriend understands until its him being poorly and then he gets angry cos I don't look after him :/

Really grates me that people don't take it seriously.

[wendyt3570]

My 2 brothers, my boyfriend, my counselor, sister-in-law and my doctor.

[clbrooks14]

I really don't have anyone either. My family and close friends know about it, but dont understand and aren't people i can go to when i need them. Since my anxiety attacks usually happen at night they are all sleeping and i feel bad if i wake them. When times are rough i wake up my dad, but sometimes he gets angry at my irrational illusion of becoming ill. Ever since he started to get angry, i stopped waking him up. I just have all of you that understand where i am coming from.

[Ana Bellini]

Everyone knows, but next year I'll go to a new school ad I don't want to have more students knowing about my life. If they do, they'll act like I'm a freak. Now when my friends talk to me, they stop talking in the middle of a sentende because the v word is there. Like "Oh, well, last night I was *stop talking and look at me*". I'd rather know if they have v* so I can stay away from them.

So, my parents, teachers, terapistS, friends, family, everyone knows, but only a few knows that I suffer from GAD. I think it's because it is a new thing for me, and I hope I'll be free soon. I know my phobia will live with me forever, so I just warn everyone that I panic when I hear the v* word. They usually think it's something easy to deal with, and it's annoying, but at least they know why I eat so few things and why I'm always with meds.

[RosieRoo]

My Mom, Dad, Granny, and therapist know. A couple of my aunts and uncles, and a few family friends know I have panic attacks a lot and have a serious aversion to sick people of any sort but not to the paralyzing extent that it is. My sister kinda gets it, but she's 11 so it doesn't all make sense to her yet, or hardly at all. She understands that it freaks me out, and the poor thing, last time she had an upset stomach she kept telling me she was trying not to throw up because she knew it scared me so much..... My Mom is no longer accommodating at all, about five years ago when this circus started, she'd help me, go along with it, I'd fall asleep in her bed in the middle of the night when I was too scared to be alone. After a while, she could care less. A couple nights ago I was scared, it was midnight, her and I were both still awake and I was sitting on her bed telling her I felt sick. She told me that she's surprised that my anxiety hasn't seriously made me throw up by now, because according to her, the brain is so powerful that it can make you throw up if you worry about it enough. (Which is a scary thought all its' own, I worry about worrying too much because if I worry too much it might make me sick too! Agh!) She told me to get some ginger ale, and go to bed because she was tired. She's done playing into my problems and helping. My Dad, god bless him, he's so confused and tries his best to help, but usually it just turns out with him telling me to munch on a tums or pepcid ac with a glass of water and watching some old tv shows with him until I have the shakes and get all the nervousness out of my system. When my Grandma was here for the summer she was the best, she did absolutely whatever I wanted or whatever she thought would help me. She's a mother of five and a grandmother of six, she knows what she's doing and seems to have the answer to everything. Often times when I was panicking over the summer, she'd drive to my house, and we'd take a walk to the store down the street for a half gallon of ice cream and a box of cones and talk on our way there, sometimes we'd go to the park around the corner and just watch kids play or listen to the birds and relax, she'd talk to me about her personal experiences with stressors and such, and if it was bad enough, we'd sit and pray because she's fairly religious. As for my friends and other family members, they get it to an extent. Most of them know that if they've been sick recently that I wouldn't want to come over or interact with them, but a lot of times, they think it's in their best interest to NOT tell me if they or their kids have been sick, when actually it's the most crucial fact of the day... So, with my grandma on the other side of the world on her yearly missions trip in Africa, my Dad being sweet but clueless, and my Mom not putting up with a damn thing, all I have is you guys on here in the forum and chat room, and I have my therapist every week, but even my therapist doesn't really know about the emetophobia, he just knows that I'm terrified of throwing up and ties it into the cataclysmic panic attacks that I have. It's hard doing things alone, it really is. Slowly though, unless it's one of those possible exposure emergencies, I have been learning how to work my way through the problem

[g6princess]

I used to keep it on the low, just my family and doctors knew.. but as I got older and the phobia worsened I really didn't care who knew. I kind of started just telling people so they could understand fully that it's not just a made up illness, but a true fear that so many of us have. Not to say I'm a "proud" emetophobe, but I have come to terms with this being who I am and the people can take it or leave it!

[sunnyskies]

I've hinted at it casually with people, like ugh, throwing up is so gross/ I hate throwing up, etc. And more often than not, people just agree with you and feel the same. But I don't go any further to explain not only just a dislike but the fear of it. I don't think people want to hear that and not to say NONE of them would understand, but most of them wouldn't. Because they are of a more 'normal' sort that does actually v* and doesn't actually freak out about it like me.

Only person I've told directly is my mom, but I don't feel it really registered. I got the same, 'yeah, I don't like either' response.. but the fact that it's sort of an obsessive phobia for me has remained secret and unrealized by others. No one exactly knows that it's the root of my social anxieties and the fact I enjoy being a hermit at home as much as I can. And they don't realize in times that I have had panic attacks that it is in fact emet that caused those.

It's just too hard a thing to explain to people, even when you aren't looking for sympathy or understanding you at least would hope they could just accept it but I don't know that they can. At least more often than not. I think they would just use it as a way to criticize or insult me which they do plenty enough without me voluntarily giving them ammo.

[RosieRoo]

Yo Rosie, you need to explain it fully to your therapist.

I am explaining weekly how bad things really are for me.... He gets it to an extent. He's never heard of emetophobia, I'm teaching him about it as I go. And I'm seeing him for a billion other reasons so I can't fully highlight on it every single visit. Oh, and my doctor knows about it too, but that should be a given....

[asianeko]

Anybody that knows me at all knows. No, I don't parade it around when I meet somebody, but having my friends and co-workers know means they make sure not to do it in front of me, and they give me a heads up on films and such.

[jennjt]

The only people who truly know how bad it gets for me is my husband, mom & my best friend-- my husband being the only one who is living it day-to-day with me, so he DEFINITELY sees it as serious and very real. He is my biggest support, even if he does (lovingly ) think I'm a weirdo . I have told a few other people, like JustHannah said, to "warn them," but they don't really get it so it doesn't count, in my opinion. I have also told my former psychiatrist who didn't know what it was, nor did past therapists. My sponsor (I'm in a 12 step recovery program) also knows, but has no clue what it really is.

[stopthissong]

I've mentioned it to two or three of my friends and my parents but not to the full extent because I much rather do this on my own. I don't want them to see me suffer and if they don't know, then I can put on my brave face which usually helps me to actually feel happier when I'm anxious.

[indie.star]

Only my Mum knows about my phobia. She thinks it's ridiculous even though she herself finds being sick upsetting.

[AmericanAdam]

Mom, dad, sister cousins, grandma some friends

[Spenser]

My girlfriend, and my mom has kind of known for a little while. Earlier today while in the car with my mom, dad and girlfriend I brought it up (we were talking about germs or something) and my parents weren't really surprised. They sympathized with me though, and my dad reassured me that v* can't hurt me. My mom even said she wants to look up my phobia.

Anyways, I felt great after telling them!

[Arkham_Patient]

Every single person I know knows about my phobia. I think it might be one of the first things I tell people especially when I'm on a date with a new person. I want them to understand and to not judge or make fun of me. I also tell them because if they were recently sick I will ask them and I need them to be honest. My family knows but the only one I turn to is my mom. My stepdad does not sympathize with me. My boyfriend and all my exes know/knew. Most of them claim my fear is why they broke up with me. They couldn't handle it so they say. I don't know. But my current boyfriend is so supportive and just wants me to get help and he wants to be with me every step of the way.

[blupup19]

My whole family and a few of my really close friends along with a few guys in my firehouse. I'm a firefighter and EMT its a little hard to hide when you walk in on a patient v*ing than walk back out. I had no choice but to tell them so they didn't think I was leaving and being a bad EMT. Other than that not many people know. I feel like a freak telling people and normally if it does come up they act like they understand and in reality they don't. So most of the time I don't even waste my time trying to tell anyone.

[Grace47]

Wow, this would be tough to deal with as an EMT. My immediate family knows, my psychologist and my stepmom. The rest of my family doesn't know and I'm glad or they would just try to scare me. They really don't understand when someone is afraid of something they are not.

[Jdpillow]

I don't really keep it a secret. If it comes up, I will discuss it with anyone. I don't feel ashamed like a lot of emets do. No one really understands it and my immediate family is not very understanding but I just try to let it go. My boyfriend is very supportive though, which is nice.

[JessicaVictoria]

Most people in my life know about my phobia, mainly because it effects me so much people wonder why i can't come in to college some days or go ou with the family. I'm not ashamed of it though, i didn't ask for this. My parents and boyfriend are the people i confide in most!

[jennjt]

My husband and mom, grandparents, psychiatrist, gastro dr, and a few close friends. I have told a few other people, but they don't really get it... at all. Got the whole, "Well, nobody likes v*" bit...

My husband tries his best to understand; my mom minimizes it; every one else basically just stares at me when I tell them lol. Like, "Okaaaayyyy....."

Even my psychiatrist was like, "I don't understand... you're afraid of dirt?" Not quite, there doc

My gastro dr just said, "That stinks! To have that phobia AND have gastrointestinal issues!" Couldn't agree more...

[DeadxxInside92]

My boyfriend, some close friends, family, my managers lawl.

[Jackiek31]

I have not told anyone about my phobia. My husband, friends, and family know about my anxiety and panic attacks but they don't know what it associated with. For some reason social anxiety problems are more acceptable than phobias for them. They all just think I have weird quirks with germs and food.
This forum is the first time I have ever opened up about my phobia.

[KrisGirl34]

My parents know, but they don't know how much of an issue it is, they kinda brushed it off as nothing. My big brother knows, thank the Lord for him! He has helped me so much, it seems he is the only one who can truly calm me down. I firmly believe he is the only one who can help me if I do v*! My best friend knows and my husband of 4 months know! I'm glad you had the courage to open up here! I am always here if you need anything or someone to talk to!

[Skittles04]

pretty much everyone knows thanks to public panic attacks -_-