What is it?What is it?
Emetophobia is a condition that is not widely diagnosed even though it is a fairly prevalent anxiety disorder. Furthermore, despite being a common anxiety disorder, not a lot is known about how many people it effects. What is known, however, is that more women have a fear of vomiting than men. An estimated 1.7-3.1% of males and 6-7% of females experience emetophobia.
Those with emetophobia have a fear of vomiting or seeing others being sick. They may also fear the feeling of being out of control while they are being sick or fear being sick in public which can trigger avoidance behaviours.
Emetophobia varies enormously in how it effects suffers; most worry excessively about being sick even though they are less likely than the general population to be sick because of all the steps they take to avoid being ill. For instance, suffers may be unable to leave home if there are any tummy bugs going around and they will avoid family and friends who have an illness. This can present quite a dilemma for mothers who can experience extreme panic if their child is ill and will feel terrified if they are actually sick. Many sufferers will also have a strict diet which is free from anything that might cause a stomach upset and some will avoid medications which list nausea as a side-effect. Many women will also dread the thought of being pregnant because of concerns about coping with ‘morning-sickness’.
How we can help
Anxiety UK is a user-led charity with more than forty years experience in supporting those living with anxiety. By becoming a member of Anxiety UK, you will have access to a range of benefits, including:
- Access to reduced cost therapy within two weeks of submitting your therapy request
- Access to our helpline (available Monday-Friday, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm) staffed by volunteers with personal experience of anxiety
- Receipt of four issues of Anxious Times, our quarterly members” magazine
- Access to the members only section of our website, featuring regular support surgeries facilitated by anxiety experts
- Access to specialist helplines, including the psychiatric pharmacy helpline and the psychology information helpline
And many, many other benefits that will help you manage your anxiety long term. To become a member of Anxiety UK click here or ring 08444 775 774 today.
Want to know more?
The Anxiety UK site has information on a range of resources to provide more detailed information and help.
Recommended reading
Living with Emetophobia is available to purchase from the Anxiety UK online shop. To find out more please click here.
Emetophobia, the extreme fear of vomiting, can affect just about every aspect of sufferer’s life, from everyday considerations (‘what food will be “safe” for me to eat?’) to matters that involve making huge, potentially devastating decisions (‘I can’t have this baby, I can’t face morning sickness’). Nicolette Heaton-Harris has first-hand experience of the phobia and its effects. She suggests strategies for coping with the high levels of anxiety that are intrinsic to the phobia, as well as pre-empting and avoiding anxiety attacks.
Louise, Anxiety UK member
Anxiety UK published a fact sheet, CD and audio tape which deals with Emetophobia and is available by clicking here.
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Personal experience
Do you suffer from emetophobia and want to share your experience with other people? Post your personal experience in the comments box below where it will be sent to our moderator for approval. Many people find this part of the site very useful when trying to understand their disorder so your comments really do make a difference. Please note, all comments submitted to the Anxiety UK website may be used by Anxiety UK for (but not limited to) publicity and promotional material.
I’m eighteen years old, and as far back as i can remember i’ve been deathly afraid of throwing up or being around anybody throwing up. It’s overwhelming and causes me the worst anxiety! It never effected me as badly until i got a stomach bug after christmas 2 years ago, and then diagnosed with acid reflux disease a year and a half ago. I’m always nauseated, i honestly forget what it feels like to be normal. I’ve searched the internet desperately looking for answers on how i could possibly get over this phobia, or if there is any cure out there. I haven’t attended school in years, i was home schooled because of the thought every day that i would witness someone getting sick. I’m tired of living in constant fear every waking moment of my life. I eventually want children and i don’t know how i’m going to be able to have babies with the chance of getting morning sickness, and when my children get sick. It’s taking over every inch of my life, i hardly eat and when i do i go to my safe foods. I can’t sleep at night, i can’t work, go to the movies, nothing. People tell me, that if i make myself throw up, maybe it’ll cure my phobia. I don’t want to resort to something like that! If anyone could give me their advice on what i could do WITHOUT making myself vomit, or to hear anyone elses stories i’d appreciate it. It’s a relief to know that i am not alone :)
Louise
im 17 and i am going through the exact same as you , everything you mentioned im the same , and i didnt think it was possible other people were suffering like me, i never realised it was so common. i never wnt to secondary school because of my fear and went through stages were i didnt leave the house , i refuse to go to the movies or anything like that , i find it hard to socialise or see my friends and dont go on nights out in the fear my friends will get drunk and throw up , which means i never drink. its caused me alot of isses with freinds and relationships an i have had this for my whole life and wish there was somthing i new that i coule tell you to help , but im affraid im still looking for answers. im sorry that you have had to go through this
Rosie
I am 21 years old and have gone through the exact same things as you Rosie. I would always try to stay home from school because i was so scared of being sick in front of everyone and would have rushes of adrenaline and increased heart rate/panic attacks. I would avoid cinemas and trains etc. The only thing i could advise is to join the International Emetophobia Society as it is free and you can discuss your feelings and possible treatments with many other sufferers (like me!). I wish you all the luck in beating this condition (i’m still on my way there).
please help my daughter is 14 and wont go to school or uot because of the fear of being sick
Hello,
Have you had a look at our shop section? There is a book (that you can find here) that gives tips on helping an anxious child. Also, we do have therapy services available.
Thanks
Hey there Rachael, I am sorryy to hear that your daughter is emetophobe. You need to be supportive and explain to her that as long as she maintains good personal hygiene she should be fine. It may be comforting for her if you purchase some anti-viral foam / gel from a chemist. Make sure it is anti-viral. She could carry it with her in her bag and use it before eating. at 14 she is pretty safe from belly bugs – it’s infants and pre-school children who pick bugs up more. Tell her also that being emetophobe is a pretty good personal ‘firewall’ too. I’ve not been sick since I was about 11; I am now 29 years old. Please be in touch. x Kind regards Craig Haylett (i’m on facebook if you want to chat).
i really would advise you to go to the doctors. i know the thought of facing the fear is petrifying, but the way its affecting your life now is so much worse. its debilitating, stopping you from completing daily tasks. i also suffer from emetophobia and have had councelling, and hypnotherapy to help deal with my issues. it closely relates to other anxieties in my life and i realised i do use the phobia as a reason for my issues! a doctor or CBT therapist can help u put back together the jigsaw pieces in your brain that are scattered all over the floor, just like mine are and im here to support you if you need it :)
I’m 17 and I’ve had a phobia of sick for years now, everytime I feel sick I get myself so worked up I en up making myself really unwell. If other people around me are sick I get it into my head that I’m going to be sick and always talk myself into being unwell, this phobia is making me hate my life because lately I always feel sick, I would love to get rid of this phobia because it would make my life so much easier to live! Any ideas?
Im 16 this year, ive suffered for a fear of phobia for over 3 years now. It started when i was 13, i hadn’t been sick in years and i finally was, it came as a shock and i was worried that i could be sick in other places publicly which would be an embaressment. After that my phobia got really bad and i would hardly go out let alone eat out of home. I then found out i suffered from IBS, which causes the intestines to inflame when stressed. This can cause the feeling of nausia as i suffered from anxiety attacks. After going to the doctors and hospital to talk to a specialist about the phobia, i gradually got better. Even though to today when i get ill i do panick, i can happily go out and eat out. When i have these panick attacks when i feel ill, i drink water and mentally tell myself i wont be sick. Going to the doctors really helped me mentally and thats how i gradually got better. I also missed alot of time off school for this, but i did go to every one of my exams and did very well in my results. Remeber to also eat regulary, i found that because i didnt want to be sick i would eat less, which would make me feel sick because i hadn’t of eaten. Goodluck to you all :) This is the first time ive looked this up online and are still amazed to see this many people. Just remember to mentally focus on reality when feeling sick :)
From the age of about 3 or 4 I have always been scared of being sick and others being sick.
This phobia is hell. People didn”t really understand what I was going through and couldn”t understand why I was getting myself so wound up. I had a boyfriend who had a stomach complaint and was sick about once a week. I used to cry down the phone to my mum asking her to come and pick me up from his house for fear of getting a bug from him. Then I would wash my hands as soon as I got home. I couldn”t even sit next to him for fear of him saying that he felt sick. My friends did understand in the end as they would see me totally freak out when I was out and one of them would have too much to drink and then be sick or someone felt sick. My heart would race and I would feel like crying and want to go home. I still wash my hands when I get home from work or seeing my friends. I don”t eat at BBQ”s anymore for fear of getting food poisoning. I would like to get past this fear but I feel like there is no way. I have been to hypnotherapy and for me it did not work. I would like to hear from anyone who has this phobia. I would like to know other peoples experiences.
Hayley
hi am kennedy and am 16 years old. i have had this phobia for as long as i can remeber, and at the minuite there is the norovirus going round, this is the worst kind of sickness bug and is highly contagious and last night i was with my friend, she complained that she felt ill then that night she was sick so many times she passed out, now i am sooooooo worried i am going to catch this! i have washed my hands about 5000 times! am petrifed! my mum is like stop worrying what will be will be! i have had councilling and this may sound stupid but i believe in my angels soo much! they help me through a lot!
I have suffered with emetophobia my whole life.
I don”t know how it started. I can”t eat much for fear it will make me sick, which can be so frustrating. I can”t travel, and dread even when people cough violently for fear they will vomit. The worst is when other people are ill, especially in my household. I wash my hands an awful lot and can”t even sleep for fear I will wake up sick. In winter, the problem is particularly bad because of flu, colds and bugs. I have heard hypnotherapy is good so I”m going to look into this because living with emetophobia is very difficult and sometimes embarrassing. I want to be able to go out with friends, eat with them and live like everyone else. I am surprised at how common this phobia is.
Louise
Living with Emetophobia – fear of being sick.
For as long as I can remember I have had the fear of being sick or anything else associated with vomiting. I cannot be in the same room as anyone who feels sick for fear that they will do it in front of me. This fear has been debilitating to the point of avoiding nightclubs, pubs, travel on planes, boats. Although I managed to have three children and suffered nausea with all three for some reason I managed to handle my condition. With this phobia I have often missed out on holidays, going on nights out into town, travelling on coaches etc. I don”t remember the first time I was fearful of vomiting it seems to have been with me forever. I have tried at times to rationalise my fear but it always gets the better of me. I think I do associate it with dirty toilets because the whole thing about vomiting brings to me a dirty yukky smelly scenario. I can remember every single time in my life that I have vomited and if I can will avoid the situation happening. I will certainly avoid foods which may cause food poisoining. I have never been drunk and wouldn”t consider it either. I avoid drunk people if I am out and if I were to see anyone looking as though they were likely to end up being sick I would leave the place first. I don”t know how I handled my children”s early years looking back. I don”t know if it was because they were small and needed me, it was a truly testing time for me. My husband was always the one who would sit with them if they were sick; I would stand behind a closed door and put my hands over my ears so that I couldn”t hear them. And yet what was so odd I could clean up after them. I would use lots of hot water and disenfectant and bleach¢â‚¬Â¦.how odd is that??? But to this day I will avoid anyone who says that they have a stomach bug and if I have been in the same room I seem to be waiting to get it myself, working myself up about it until I do feel sick. I won”t eat much until I know that I definitely haven”t caught it!
This phobia has affected my life and my relationship with my husband, as I have been too embarrassed to tell him about my fear until recently. He has been asked to be best man to his friend in the States next year and wants to travel with me. I would love to go but I know that my fear will get the better of me. I do hope that one day I can get over this fear.
Mandy
Oh my goodness! This could be me! I am now 39 and have suffered with this all my life. At one point, it contributed to me becoming anorexic (which I managed to overcome). I did my nursing training and I found this helped because people were sick but weren’t “infectious” so weren’t a threat to making me sick. I also managed to have 3 children despite horrendous morning sickness (nausea though not actual vomiting). I have improved to the extent that I can look after my own children when ill because the impulse to comfort them is greater than my fear however, I still avoid nights out, alcohol, bbqs, food not cooked by me, travel on public transport, fairground rides, cinemas…the list is endless! And the panic when stomach bugs are going about!!! Like you, I avoid food for days on end until the threat has subsided! I am now undergoing CBT and hope for improvement in quality of life so I can enjoy my children’s dance shows etc. Until last week, I didn’t know there was even a name for this condition and have hidden it from friends and family for embarassment. My husband always just thought I was a bit OCD (we have been together 20 years!) I am glad I hide this from my children because I would HATE the thought of them “learning” my fear of vomiting. Good luck and seek help!
Lynne and Mandy
I could have wrote both your posts.
I am 39 – I also have 3 children (7, 4 and 2) – I am finding my phobia really hard to deal with at the moment and I just don’t know what to do :(( I have even kept my 7 year old off school today because there is a bug in his class at the moment – I am in such a state. I have had hypnotherapy (it helped but didn’t cure – I had that at 14), I have had CBT and found that although they talk sense it still didn’t help me.
I have a doctors appt on Friday and more hypno booked in for tomorrow as this morning I had a real breakdown about it.
Unfortunately my husband isn’t supportive of me at all. Yesterday I was so bad that I was just thinking how am I going to get through the next 16 years of life with my children at school – as I seriously just felt like dying.
I wish there was a cure – I am so so sad – I really want help to get over it :(( x x x
Living with emetophobia.
I am 20 and I have had a fear of being sick nearly all my life. I don”t know why I feared being sick so much but it totally took over my life. I used to go to extraordinary lengths to avoid anything to do with being sick. I would wash my hands abotu 5 times before eating. If I knew someone was ill, I would stay away from them for at least 2 weeks. There were even very irrational things I did such as avoiding the number 6 because it sounds like “sick”. After 9 years of going through this I went to my GP and was referred on to a programme of cognitive behavioural therapy. I was taught to challenge my thoughts and set tasks to challenge my beliefs. I remember having to write the number 6 down fifteen times a day for 2 weeks to prove that nothing would happen. I could never say that it was easy but it worked and now although I haven”t been sick again since having this phobia it has nothing to do with my life and I never even think of it. I just want to tell anyone that has this phobia, you may think you will never get over this fear, but you can. Go for it.
Sharon
How long did it take for u to get over this phobia, iv got it and its makin my life hell, iv quit my job because of it and everyday I feel so sick and like my stomachs in knots. I just don’t know what to do anymore iv tried everything
That is the first time I’ve read a post from someone who has worked hard and overcome this phobia. Reading some of the posts I am not as bad as some poor people, but when one of my kids gets sick it can leave me in a state of extreme anxiety and terror for a couple of weeks until what ever bug is going around finally stops. It is so tiring living like that. But you have given me hope that I can really overcome this. Well done, I fully congratulate you!
At this very moment I am having problems with anxiety, and have been searching the internet to help me get rid of it so I can just sleep! But to my suprise I found this particular disorder, which although I don’t encounter as regularly anymore i suffered with enormously as a child. I would have anxiety attacks every day, I washed my hands compulsively, stopped eating meat and eggs, sometimes even feeling uneasy about consuming tap water. It is still there but I only really worry with nausea, my advice though is to make sure that when this anxiety disorder finally dies away that it is not replaced by anything else, particularly eating disorders!
I have suffered with this phobia for as long as I can remember too, its taking over my life and I’m contantly worrying and scared of people being sick. I panic even if someone looks like they will be sick, mentions the word sick, says they don’t feel well even if they have something stupid like ear ache or headache. My mum suffers with migranes once a month and she is always sick with them but it doesn’t bother me as I know she is sick because of her migrane and I can’t catch anything off her. At work a couple of weeks ago a young boy threw up on the floor and I had to get out of the room, I was shaking crying felt sick scared and could feel my heart racing in my chest, everyone looked at me like I was a freak as I don’t think they understood that I genuinly had a phobia of sick, noone likes being sick and I havnt been sick for ages but if I feel sick I panic and make myself feel worse. My boyfriend says he understands but I know deep down he gets annoyed with me as I can’t go anywhere or go round his house see his family go cinema to restaurants. I don’t drink and have never been drunk because I asociate drink with being sick. If my friends go out for their birthdays I get myself worked up before iv left to go out and when I’m there I’m constantly looking around to make sure noone has been sick or looks like they will be sick. I just can’t see myself getting better or ever getting over this fear. I’m scared I will lose the people I love through me being a complete idiot and letting this take over my life!
I am having trouble getting out the house!!
My name is Emma and I am 15 years old and I have a phobia of vomitting. The thought of me being sick makes me shake. I can’t remember the last time I was sick, I think I have buried every single time I have been sick from my mind. when eating at resturants I check every tiny piece of chicken to check for even a tint of pink and if there is I will refuse to eat it which is annoying for my parents but I will not eat it. If anyone I know has been in contact with someone who is sick I will not be near them in case I get sick. I hate going to social events with friends and family. Some of my friends sort of understand my phobia and others don’t get it and think that I just dislike being sick they don’t understand that I am petrified and would rather do anything than be sick. I always worry that I won’t be able to have children due to the possibilty of morning sickness, I am always asking my mum whether she was sick with me or my two sisters. I really dislike eating I don’t do it for pleasure I do it because I have to. I want to have my own family some day and have even thought about adoption to avoid the chance of morning sickness. I wish this phobia would just go away, my mum is beginning to understand which makes life a lot easier. Reading these comments it is good to know that I’m definatly not the only one with this phobia it makes me feel sort of normal!
I feel exactly the same!
I am 18 now and I have been scared of sick for about 11 years, i think it was due to food poisoning years ago..
My family do not understand and get annoyed with me! I really want to overcome this, and although this sounds silly I would love to be a nurse, I am fine with everything else, its just sick :( I Have applied to do nursing at Uni as I think it will force me to overcome my fear! If any one has any advice as to what has helped them, please share with me! :)
Hi, I have suffered from this for as long as I can remember and really wanted to be a nurse,got into to uni but had to leave as it escalated so much,i got ocd and depression!i really do believe,everyone,myself included can get over this,but my advice from personal experience,please make sure you are better 1st, you will ruin your dream other wise!sorry if this is blunt but I wanted to be honest!
I too suffer badly, am feeling very sick right now and do so most days at some point. I feel like I can’t cope with this anymore its spoiling my life.
Kate
Hi Kate, I Feel the same too, It is horrible isnt it :( Have you ever tried to get help with it, like hypnotherapy? I am unsure whether I should try it, I really want to get over this fear.
Alice
I have been emetophobic for as long as I can remember. Last Friday I persuaded my husband to take me away to a friend’s house for the night because my 18 year old step son said he was ‘going to have a few drinks’ at a party and last year I had to go away for a whole weekend because my daughter had her 18th Birthday party at home. My family are very understanding as they have witnessed my reaction (sweating, shaking, retching, crying) when someone says they feel sick and I have been known to shake for days if I feel sick myself – I rarely actually vomit since I stop eating whenever there is any chance that I might have come into contact with someone with a sickness bug or when traveling.
However, for those of you who are frightened of having a baby, don’t be; whilst I was pregnant I was still fearful if someone else was sick, but I was OK if it was me. As soon as I had had the baby I was also OK with my own baby’s sick.
Someone told me not long ago that this phobia is linked to a fear of not being in control. I think the pregnancy sickness was OK because it was my own decision about whether or not be be pregnant, and also the sickness wasn’t linked to an illness that I could catch. In the same way that Natalie is not afraid of her mother being sick with a migraine, I am fine if someone is sick as a reaction to, say, an anaesthetic and I know it might happen (i.e. not a shock)
I really hope that over time I might be able to overcome this fear but in the meantime I will keep up with the avoidance strategies!!
Hi, I have suffered for a long time and agree when I was pregnant although I stressed about catching a sickness bug as I always do! the morning sickness I could cope with. I am currently struggling with the school playground lots of bugs going around but I have to take my daughter to school, but there are many times I could hide indoors and avoid people but to ensure my daughter never picks up on it as I would be devastated if she got the phobia as I know how debilitating it is, I plough on and try my best to deal with the anxiety.
I have tried hypnosis but it only worked for the short term, I have also tried low dose anti depressants this did stop my brain from working overtime and reliving every possible sickness incident in my life, which was a welcome break. But nothing that has seen me cured – My worst fear is that if I carry on like this the only thing I will be able to say at the end of my life is I have survived when I want to be able to say I have lived – but I am always just glad to have got to the end of the day or woken up in the morning without being sick.
I agree with most of the moms on here. I have had 2 babies and though I felt nauseous I never actually got sick from the morning sickness. I was never worried about being sick with my pregnancies because I felt “in control” and I wanted to be pregnant. And I am ok with baby “spitup”. But now that my daughter is almost 3 yrs (my son is 4 months) I am paranoid that she is going to be sick. She goes to daycare and the stomach bug is going around her class right now and I am freaking out! I want to be there for her to comfort her when she gets sick but at the same time I want to run away and stay somewhere else until I know the chance of her getting sick is over. I get most anxious at night and if I think there is a chance of her getting sick I lay wide awake and listen to every noise or movement she makes thinking it could be her getting sick. I work full time and my 4 month old still gets up to eat at night so to lose that much sleep is absolutely horrible. I don’t think i get as anxious when it is me getting sick because I know I can make it to the bathroom but my 3 yr old cannot and I dread the mess and the chance of her getting it on me because she doesn’t understand when its going to happen. After it happens i can even clean it up without feeling too bad but the whole anticipation and not being able to control when and where it happens, KILLS me. My husband is awesome and he always offers to take care of the mess and to care for my daughter but I would almost rather clean it up myself so I can be sure every drop is gone and the spot is sterilized. plus my daughter usually cries for me and wants me to hold her. I do hold her and have never been v***ted on but i’m afraid if she did start getting sick i would drop her :( I want one more child but i don’t think i can go through this stage another 2 times. I want to get over it but not sure who to talk to about it.
Probably one of the worst phobias to have… because I feel like it effects me all the time.. If somebody says they feel even a little sick.. I cant be near them.. and if I know somebodys been sick in the past few weeks, I wont go near them. If I myself feel sick, I panic and shake..usually cry.. It’s horrible. I cant watch people being sick on the Tv, nor hear it happening, even if they are just actors. Even most cartoons.. Make me feel sick.. If there is vomit..
I hate it, my friends think I’m weird.. It’s horrible. I’m only 16 and I worry about it all the time.. thought I was the only person with this fear.
iv had this phobia since i was about 4 im now 16. iv got to the age where my friends and i go out to partys but im scared to drink in-case im sick, a couple of days ago my dad was ill, but he wasnt sure weather it was food poisoning or a bug, im not eating at the moment cause im scared i might get it. :(
I’ve had this phobia for 6yrs now. It is getting worse by the day. I too can hardly eat due to the worry eating too much will make me sick. I find it very difficult to go to cinema, haven’t eaten in a restaurant in over a year and don’t drink. I’ve just started cbt and hoping this will help with the anxiety. I find it difficult to leave the house alone- it’s creates more worry as I worry I’ll feel sick, won’t know what to do and panick. Having someone with me calms me down! This phobia has stopped me living a normal life and I will try anything to get rid of it!
Hi, I am 34 and now realise I suffer with this too. I’m not sure how long I’ve suffered from it but I know its got worse over the past few years, I never had children because of the fear of being sick, I’ve since been pregnant & suffered feeling sick but it was different. Sadly I lost my baby but during the time I was pregnant I was ok with the sick feeling, not sure why though.
I’m so bad right now, my sister & her kids have had a sickness bug, I’ve avoided her & told my mum not to visit her incase she catches the bug. Ive not slept properly since she told me she has a bug, I cant eat because I fear I will get it. I have been sick 5 times in the last 15 years, my mum swears I made myself sick due to the fear I have.
I don’t drink alcohol, I only drink tea or water, I won’t eat or drink anything whilst I’m at work. I wont go to the cinema, i pick at my food, i try to cook because im scared others miht not cook it peopely, i always watch over people if they make me food or a drink, I wash my hands so much they are always dry, I feel sick all the time, I’ve tried hypnotherapy & counselling but they didnt work for me. I’ve now got an appointment with my dr to see if I can go for CBT. I feel like I’m crazy & this is completely taken over my life. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
Emetophobia has taken over my life. Ive been emet for about 8 years now and I’m 16.
I am terrified of being sick and i carry around with me a hand santizer thing everywhere. I always over wash my hands so my hands are always so dry. I dont eat chicken or eggs because of salmanela.
I just got home and my brother has a stomach bug. When my mum told me i started to breathe so quick and i just burst into tears. I fear that the bug has already spread through my house through my mum clearing up after him. Im in tears. I was meant to go out tonight but now i dont want to. I have work tomorrow but am so wrorried to go. Im also so hungry but i dont want to eat because i might be sick. I dont know what to do. We only have one bathroom in our house so I will have to face the bathroom sometime.
I feel like im weird but im so glad that there are others out there.
Hi, I’m 26 yers old and have had this frear for as long as I can remember. My 4 year old was sick all ight last night, and my partner had to deal with it I had to run out of the room every time her started to retch with my hands over my ears. It is really upsetting as I could hear him calling for his mummy, and I just couldn’t go to him. He asked me for a cuddle and wanted to sleep in my bed, but I couldn’t touch him. I’m so scared that I’ll get his bug that I haven’t eaten anything all day.
My partner says he understands, but I dont think he does. He thinks I just dont like sick, but the truth is I’d rather go through anything else than be sick or have someone be sick near me. It is ruining my life and I have no idea how to stop it.
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I have a problem because i think about being sick or just think about sickness and as one of my relatives has been sick today i don’t know what to do as i have a real fear with this as im scared of being sick is this could be bug but this may not be a bug and another question, how can you stop being sick but even before you actually have been please comment on this i need some answers as this is life changing for me if there is someone out there who has an answer for me :/
My best friend, and housemate at uni has a severe fear of sickness. She cant eat most meats and she is really picky about the food that does eat encase she gets ill and is sick. If anyone in my house gets ill she has to stay at her boyfriends until she is fully sure that they are better and she cant catch anything, if anyone on her course has been sick she will miss lectures because shes scared of being sick. She also is training to be a Primary School Teacher where she will definitely get sickness. She said the other day that she would consider not having children because shes scared of having morning sickness. Please let me know if theres anything I can do to help her… its taken over her life!
Hi Hannah,
How nice that you want to support your friend – perhaps you could direct her to the information on this page as a starting point, also helping her to realise that this is a treatable problem. She might want to try something like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or clinical hypnotherapy which can be helpful.
Best wishes
Cat
(Anxiety UK)
i am 44 years old and i have been afraid of being sick for as long as i can remember it has ruined my whole life its got that bad now i wont evan go out the house just in case i see some one being sick or i fill sick my self and i cant get home before i am sick i cant be near any one that fills sick just in case it is some thing i can catch i am crying as i am writing this if some one said to me die or be sick i would choose die how selfish is that i shake from head to foot when i evan say the word sick PLEASE PLEASE if any nos wear i can get some help for this please let me no thankyou tracey
Hi Tracey:
You are so not alone with this condition. I want to point out to everybody really that as a man there are some male sufferers of this aswell. Speaking personally and somewhat crudely, I would rather be on the toilet than over it! I keep a constant supply of domperidone which helps me enormously. Reading all the comments it seems we all suffer with at least one if not more of every single persons comments and experiences. The condition is actuall more common than people think. We are certainly not alone and I would be happy to chat or help anyone if they want to get in touch. Hope this as helped and would love to start a group?
Hey Paul,
Have you managed to get over your phobia or found a way of managing it?
I’ve been trying to get over it for so long but nothing seems to work :(
Hi EL:
I still live with it, although there are many on here with worse levels than I. As I say the domperidone work very well for me as they work in 2 ways. 1. They move any food through faster and 2 they are a “blocker” to the brains “vomit centre” Any other things anyone would like to chat about feel free!
Hi Paul is domperidone easy to get hold of? Do u have to go to doctors and get prescribed it? My doctor just wanted to put me on anti depressants but Im not depressed. I think if I knew it wasn’t physically possible for me to be sick then It would start to help.
Thanks Carl
hello. I am sorry about how you feel I can not imagine not being able to leave my house because of a phobia like this. one thing to look at is that how lucky you are to be alive although this little phobia is getting in the way you only have one life to live and you should think about making the best of it their are worst things in life than just being sick and stuff that will make you happy. I wake up in the mornings and thank god he has given me this day to live and feed the animals talk to people and breath the air. most people don’t ever really think of being sick I never do and if I run into a sick person chances are that I will more than likely not get their illness the thing is you have to live life day by day and try and clear your mind of any negative thoughts like being sick. the way I look at it is if it looks bad chances are everyone in a crowd will agree 100% with you just like everyone else on this forum that has this same feeling. the bottom line is out of site out of mind don’t ponder on the negative stuff that bothers you because most everyone else will likely feel the same way. kinda like changing the channel on your tv set.
I have been very scared of sick since i can remember, im now 22 with a 2yr old son, i had no sickness during pregnancy, my son has had 3 sickness bugs, the first 2 i had people to help me with, the most recent i dealt with on my own, and i think the fact tht there was nobody else to help him made me strong for him, i was able to sit with him and rub his back but i was petrified i would get it and ended up making myself feel sick, i wont go out clubbing in fear that someone is sick near me, i wont drink in case im sick, i wont cook raw meat or have takeaways in case of food poisoning. im forever taking antacid, gaviscon, rennie etc and eating ginger to avoid feeling sick. its ruining my life to be honest, i went to see doc and all he did was give me a leaflet on dealing with stress! can anyone offer me any advice please?
Hey Kerry
I feel for you dear. I’m 29 with a diabetic wife to be (who has been very sickly since I’ve known her) and a 3 year old son who is at nursery, where bugs seem to party.
I’ve tried, EFT, CBT, NLP, and Hypnotherapy and I can honestly say I am no further forward. It think it is soomethign which I (and we) are going to have to deal with in our own way. For me, it means doing what I can to prevent sickness. We have anti-viral / bacterial foam for cleaning our hands when our boy is sick. We’re also purchasing some surgical face masks to use when cleaning up sick. It is a nightmare but we CAN cope!
Something we’re considering doing is making a special ‘sicky’ medical box which will contain, bleach spray, rubber gloves, plastic bags (to line a bucket), face masks, ant-viral/bacterial spray and anti-emetic medication.
Also Kerry, just keep yourself healthy, get plenty of zinc and vitamins in yourself. Wake up each morning to a picture (or montage) of something which makes you smile or laugh; straight away you’ll start the day in a positive mood.
Please let me know how you are.
Craig
I hate my fear of sick it influences so many aspects of my life, for the most part i can usually get by but certain situations really make it worse again. Im always so hyer- viggilant about how much people are drinking in case they are going to be sick. Im always staring at pavements being so careful about where to step and avoiding all unusual foods and would never dream of having anything after the best before date – far too risky. The other day my boyfriend had too much to drink and was sick all over the bathroom, it was so disgusting and terrifying I have not been able to sleep properly since it happened and i have to drive to shops etc to go to the loo i dare not go in the room just walking past it fills me with so much fear. I know no one likes being sick and i will always think drinking to excess is irresponsible but i hate how much this disrupts my life, even though it was days ago im still paranoid that my boyfriend will be sick again so i have to sleep in a different room now.
Any advice would really be appreciated.
My boyfriend was in hospital a few months ago- severely ill. And I sat talking to him then he started gagging, just as I got up and walk away I heard it and ran out of the ward. Every time he coughed or gagged I ran away because I could not bare to see or hear it again. However, he is fit and well not and not being sick. Phew!
hi i have suffered from this phobia all my life im now 36 and passed it on to my daughter who went through extensive therapy. This left me feeling like the worst mother ever. I struggle to hold down jobs because vomit bugs seem to be everywhere, I feel a failure as a wife because i don’t eat in restaurants and don’t try new foods. I am on high medication and anti emetic drugs daily. Its great to read peoples stories that are going through the same i don’t feel so alone.