Trypanophobia Or Fear Of Needles
Trypanophobia or fear of needles is a very common phobia, which also receives other names, such as belonephobia. In fact, some authors specify more, and call the fear of needles belonephobia and trypanophobia the fear of injections. Despite this, in this article we will use the concept of trypanophobia to refer to the phobia of needles and injections.
What is this fear? What are your symptoms? And its possible causes? We will answer these questions and, in addition, we will talk about the two most effective psychological therapies when treating specific phobias.
Trypanophobia or fear of needles
Trypanophobia or fear of needles is a specific type of phobia (an anxiety disorder). It is characterized, mainly, by involving an excessive, intense and irrational fear of needles and injections.
While it is true that needles can cause harm if used improperly, the reality is that in this phobia (as in all specific phobias), the fear is disproportionate.
As we can see, one of the symptoms of phobias is this interference in daily life, or this incapacitation. In addition to this, the fear of needles also produces high discomfort to the person who suffers from it.
Phobic stimulus: what are you afraid of?
The phobic stimulus, in all specific phobia, is the one that causes the anxiety or intense fear so characteristic; in the case of trypanophobia, this is extrapolated to needles, but also to syringes or the possibility of receiving a vaccine. Also (in some cases), to the elements related to needles or syringes (for example: smell of hospital, stretcher, surgical material, etc.).
Symptoms
The symptoms of trypanophobia, according to the criteria of DSM-5 (2014) (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), are the following:
- Intense fear of needles or injections.
- Avoidance of situations where these objects appear (or resistance with high discomfort).
- Clinically significant discomfort or interference in daily life.
We can further specify the symptoms of this phobia and group them into three categories:
- Physical symptoms : feeling short of breath, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, stomach pain …
- Cognitive symptoms : catastrophic and irrational thoughts associated with needles, thoughts of death, confusion …
- Behavioral symptoms : avoidance of the feared stimulus (already mentioned above).
But when do symptoms appear? Basically when you think of needles, when they are visualized or touched, when visiting the doctor or dentist, etc. That is, as long as a situation appears (in our mind or in real life) related to needles.
Depending on the intensity of the phobia, the symptoms will or will not appear in certain situations (there will be people who will have symptoms just by thinking of needles, and others who will need a needle to touch their skin, for example).
Causes of trypanophobia
There are different causes that can explain trypanophobia or fear of needles. One of the most common causes is a traumatic experience related to needles (for example, that they hurt us when drawing blood).
This is explained by a type of associative learning -classical conditioning-, where our mind ends up associating a stimulus with a negative response. One of the key figures in this type of learning was the American psychologist John Watson; in the 1920s it caused a white rat phobia in a boy named Albert.
However, like all phobia, it can also be acquired by vicarious conditioning (for example, seeing that a relative suffers from trypanophobia, and that they suffer a lot from it). Finally, there are authors who speak that human beings are biologically programmed (or predisposed) to develop certain types of phobias (especially those that allowed our ancestors to survive).
According to these theories, we develop certain phobias in order to manifest the fight or flight response, which would save us as a species. In fact, fears are latent in very primitive areas of the brain.
Treatment of fear of needles
From clinical psychology, the two treatments par excellence (that is, the most effective) when it comes to treating specific phobias are, according to the Guide for effective psychological treatments by Pérez et al. (2010) and according to Caballo (2002):
Exposure therapy
It consists of exposing the patient to the phobic stimulus through a hierarchy of items (that is, progressively). The hierarchy is carried out by the therapist with the patient.
In the case of fear of needles, the person would be exposed to the phobic object in question: first by thinking about the needles, through images and videos, etc., so that little by little they could get closer to them, touch them, etc. , and until an injection could be given, for example. The ultimate goal is for the person to deal with the situation without anxiety.
Cognitive therapy
Through cognitive therapy, and specifically, cognitive restructuring, it is intended to modify the irrational and catastrophic thoughts that the patient shows in relation to their phobia. In the case of fear of needles, these can be of the type: “I will not bear the pain of the needle”, “they will hurt me”, etc. It is about replacing these thoughts with more realistic and functional ones.
The fear of needles and other related fears
Frequently, fear of needles is also associated with other phobias, such as: hematophobia (fear of blood) or aicmophobia (fear of sharp objects). That is, if you suffer from trypanophobia, it is likely that these other fears will also appear, because the association or generalization is very simple.
In the case of hematophobia or aicmophobia, the psychological treatments used will be the same as in trypanophobia, although adapted to this specific phobia.
On the other hand, although cognitive therapy and exposure therapy have proven to be the most effective therapies in these types of disorders, there are other alternatives that can also help us combat our phobias, such as psychoeducation, mindfulness , cognitive therapy -behavioral, etc. The important thing will always be to go to a professional who specializes in the matter (ideally, a clinical psychologist).
