What is it?What is it?
Many people fear injections to some extent, but once that fear becomes persistent, excessive and unreasonable, then the fear becomes a phobia. Injection phobia is the fear and avoidance of receiving various types of injections, and/or of having a blood sample withdrawn through venipuncture (pricking a finger). This is a specific phobia and is extremely common yet not very well recognised, and affecting 3.5 % to 10% of the population.
DIY self diagnosis
How do I know if I have an injection or needle phobia?
- If you have a marked, persistent, and excessive fear of needles.
- If exposure to needles almost invariably provokes in you an immediate anxiety response.
- If you recognise this fear is unreasonable.
- If needle-sticks are either avoided, or endured by you with intense anxiety or distress.
- The avoidance, anxiety or distress significantly interferes with your normal routine, occupational or academic functioning, social activities or relationships, or if there is severe distress about having the phobia.
Injection/Needle Phobia Downloads
To find out more information about injection/needle phobia click here for a copy of our fact sheet, or click here to download a copy of our booklet.
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.
Recommended reading
Smith & Nephew sponsored the production of an Anxiety UK booklet on needle phobia. This includes self help information, along with details of useful treatments.
There are a range of other helpful resources that will support you in your recovery from needle phobia. To find out more please click here.
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Personal experience
Do you suffer from needle phobia 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.
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I have had a fear of needles ever since I can remember.
I think it must have started when I was about 7 years old when I was living overseas. A young boy threw an old piece of wood at me which had a rusty nail in it – the nail went into the side of my forehead and I had to be rushed to hospital for several Tetanus injections. Ever since then, I can”t even think about needles because I start to feel dizzy, nauseous and sweaty and feel that I need to lie down. This fear is really debilitating as it has now morphed into a general fear of doctors and hospitals. I can”t stand the smell of hospitals or any place that smells like hospitals (a smell of a particular type of disinfectant). I can”t have injections or blood tests without practically blacking out and the other day I went to see an acupuncturist for a problem that I”ve been having with sinus infections (thought it might also help me to face my fear of needles) and as soon as she started putting those tiny needles in my legs, I had to be put into the recovery position because I nearly fainted. People without phobias have no idea how people with phobias feel. They think its irrational and believe me I know it is but I can”t be rational when it comes to needles. I am actually really worried that I won”t want to have children because I”ll have to have blood tests etc. This is a frightening thought as I am a real family person.
Lucy
I have suffered with a needle phobia all my life, and was increasingly fed up at how bothered I was by this; married, aged 39 and too scared to seek help about starting a family because of the blood tests I knew this would incur.
I have been having Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and whilst at session 8 I had a full-blown, grade-9 panic attack watching my therapist have blood drawn (I sobbed, howled, whimpered, panted, cowered and shook but stopped short of passing out, I watched again yesterday (session 9) and whilst I was anxious, I was nowhere near crying and watched the whole thing without even flinching. I realise now that I was only really anxious about whether I”d have another grade-9 panic¢â‚¬Â¦not really about the needle at all. Panic attacks of that magnitude are seriously frightening and unpleasant and I now realise that it”s THAT that I”m scared of experiencing, not the actual blood test. I have my own booked for a fortnight”s time, and guess what¢â‚¬Â¦obviously I”m nervous but I”m more worried that I”ll panic than worried about the blood test itself, and whilst it”s unpleasant, I know it will not kill me – so bring it on.
Heather
I have had this phobia for as long as I can remember. Like many sufferers, it is also coupled with an intense dislike of anything involving blood and gore. I don”t think I”ve had any particularly bad experiences that caused the phobia, although I know that my dad occasionally faints at injections, and my Mum would always dread blood tests quite loudly.
The funny thing is, I really know that the injection itself, or the blood test, or whatever, doesn”t really hurt, and I”m lucky that I don”t go faint. It”s just the thought of it that bothers me. In fact, I”ll often spend hours worrying about something that last for about 3 seconds. Nuts! But I know I”m not on my own.
I”ve definitely got better as I”ve got older. I remember dreading injections weeks in advance of the event- so much when I was a kid that I would almost be sick. I would try to get out of school if I knew we were due to get an injection, and when it came time for Rubella, I managed to convince my Mum that people had died after having the injection, so that she wouldn”t make me have it!
As an adult, I”ve taken risks by not taking injections that were advised. For instance I once worked in a job where I was advised to have a course of three Hepatitis B injections. I had two, but then because I was pretty low risk for infection, I never quite got round to going back for the third¢â‚¬Â¦.
Laura