subject: Indications Of Emetophobia [print this page] Emetophobia consists of an irrational fear of being sick and vomiting. It is known as the fifth phobia that is most common in the world. A person who has this condition avoids various situations that may be part of a daily routine, just out of the fear that he or she may vomit otherwise.
This phobia is further divided into other types, such as those which include the fear of vomiting in public, coming across vomit, experiencing vomiting and the feeling of nausea.
The basis of most phobias is buried in a person's childhood. Such is the case of emetophobia, as it develops mainly as a result of an unpleasant stimulus or undesirable event that an individual must have come across as a child, for example, seeing a loved one being severely ill.
The intensity of emetophobia may differ from person to person, as for some, it may require a specific situation to become obvious and problematic. For example, a person who suffers from this condition may only get affected when he or she comes across a stimulus related to the phobia. While for the rest, it may be a cause for bother all the time, without requiring a need for a specific trigger.
This phobia can be one of the hardest ones to live with, as it makes numerous things a source of fear for the sufferer. As vomiting may occur by travelling in an aircraft or going to heights, one may avoid all such things such as driving up in the mountains, and travelling in an airplane. Moreover, the person may also avoid eating with the fear that he or she may vomit.
This fear has got more to do with what would happen if they vomited. For example, the person gets worried about his or her image in the eyes of other people, and how embarrassing it would be to vomit in front of others. The fear of appearing "disgusting" is what causes the most stress.
Psychological interventions in the form of therapies can be greatly helpful for this condition.
