Contents:
- Medical Video: Psychogenic Seizures — What are They, How Can They be Diagnosed and Treated?
- What is iatrophobia?
- Distinguish the fear of doctors who are still reasonable and who have phobias
- 1. Excessive anxiety
- 2. Refuse to see a doctor
- 3. White coat hypertension syndrome (white coat hypertension)
- How to overcome the fear of doctors?
Medical Video: Psychogenic Seizures — What are They, How Can They be Diagnosed and Treated?
For some people, going to the doctor really feels torturous. By just seeing a doctor, a person can get panic attacks, nausea, vomiting, and excessive anxiety. If you experience it, you might get iatrophobia or be afraid of a doctor. In fact, seeing a doctor is very important for health. Then how do you deal with a doctor's phobia? Here's the explanation.
What is iatrophobia?
Iatrophobia is a kind of senseless phobia that makes someone afraid of a doctor. This can be caused by several things. For exampleafraid of being injected, traumatized by a previous medical examination history, not liking hospital smells, fear of blood, having lost loved ones who were hospitalized, and so on.
Basically, fear of doctors is a natural thing. Fear arises as a form of self-protection from things that are perceived as threatening. However, the fear of the doctor can turn into a phobia if someone experiences panic attacks, nausea, and vomiting.
Sometimes the fear of an iatrophobia sufferer can be so severe that he refuses to go to the doctor even though he really needs a doctor's help. If not addressed immediately, this can endanger their own health, which makes the disease worse and causes death.
For example, someone feels there is a certain lump in the nose that is worried about being a symptom of cancer. Supposedly, this needs to be immediately examined by a doctor to ascertain the cause. However, because of iatrophobia or fear of severe doctors, he instead chose to just leave the symptoms or use herbs that have not guaranteed safety and efficacy.
Distinguish the fear of doctors who are still reasonable and who have phobias
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish nervousness when I have to go to a doctor who is still reasonable with those who are classified as phobias. Because the phobia can only be diagnosed by a psychiatrist through a number of certain examinations.
However, there are some symptoms of iatrophobia that are fairly easy to spot, including:
1. Excessive anxiety
Naturally, if someone feels anxious when they are in a threatening environment. In iatrophobia patients, someone will feel excessive anxiety and stress on the road to the clinic or when sitting in the waiting room. In fact, he could have cried and refused to enter the examination room, no matter how old he was.
While in ordinary people, fear of doctors is just a momentary anxiety that will disappear by itself and can be overcome immediately. As much as a doctor or medical procedure, he will still follow the course of the examination or procedure until it is finished.
2. Refuse to see a doctor
A psychiatric specialist from New York University Langone Medical Center, Dr. Charles Goodstein revealed on Everyday Health that iatrophobia sufferers will usually avoid various screening schedules. Whether it's immunization, medical check-up, check dental routine, and so on. Patients will choose to leave the disease rather than trying to treat it.
3. White coat hypertension syndrome (white coat hypertension)
Excessive fear of the doctor will usually make your blood pressure jump dramatically suddenly when you arrive at a hospital or health center. This is called white coat hypertension syndrome or white coat hypertension.
Uniquely, high blood pressure only occurs when you see a doctor. Once back home, the high blood pressure will go down and be normal again.
How to overcome the fear of doctors?
Phobias can generally be treated with a combination of drugs and therapy. Unfortunately, iatrophobia cases tend to be more difficult to treat. This is because iatrophobia sufferers are reluctant to interact with doctors or medical teams making it difficult to handle.
The good news is that now many mental health professionals are starting to offer telephone or internet services to help iatrophobia sufferers overcome their fears. Although it is more effective with direct examination, this method is quite helpful to overcome the fear of doctors who have been haunting.
To prevent the fear of doctors from arising, mental health professionals usually offer treatment at home, not in a hospital or clinic. In fact, some are willing to wear casual clothes and play soothing music to bring a warmer atmosphere. Thus, people with iatrophobia can get treatment without having to be hit by fear.
