Fear of going to the doctor – one of the most pressing issues of our time. Often, patients seek help when they no longer have the strength to endure pain or discomfort. If your knees tremble in front of a dentist or therapist’s office, and a person in a white coat walks by is terrifying, most likely you suffer from iatrophobia.
Why does iatrophobia occur
It's hard to understand why we are afraid of people in white. After all, they do not pose any threat to our life, but on the contrary, they are called to save it. Each person suffering from iatrophobia has individual reasons for its development. Basically, childhood is considered the root: more than once children were intimidated and promised to be taken to the doctor for bad behavior. And although children grow up, the associations “doctor-shot-hurt” they just don't go through. It's no longer about the pain that health workers are associated with. Despite the safety and pain relief, many procedures are perceived with fear, and most often it is not the pain itself that frightens us, but the expectation of it.
Causes of iatrophobia:
strong, aggressive, pungent odors of medicines;
fear of contracting some disease in the doctor's office;
doctor's inexperience, negative feedback about his work;
knowledge about the upcoming operation, its complexities (for example, plastic surgery, cardio or neurosurgery); & nbsp;
fear at just one glance at medical instruments.
You can tell if you are susceptible to iatrophobia by the symptoms that occur at the time of the escalation of the situation: shortness of breath, excessive sweating, dry mouth (xerostomia), nausea, restlessness, heart palpitations. Hypertension "white coats", that is, an increase in blood pressure during its measurement, occurs only in the presence of a doctor or nurse.
How to overcome iatrophobia
Phobia must be defeated in one fell swoop, once and for all. But this requires great willpower. When a situation of possible panic arises, take advantage of some advice from our psychologists.
Try to set yourself up positively before going to the doctor. Repeat several times that this is good for you. Do not delve into thoughts about the upcoming treatment, as this will only aggravate the situation. Let the experts think for you.
Get to know the doctor better, be open, trust him. You can ask about his education, talk about abstract topics. It will be right if you tell the doctor about your problem, because communication skills – an important step on the path to trust.
Don't be shy and ask any questions that interest you, because we are talking about your health, and you have every right to know the results of treatment. It is undesirable to change doctors too often without good reason. It is better that one doctor knows all the details about you. If the fear is stronger than you, try to go to the doctor in a group, with friends, a girlfriend.
Take something to your doctor's appointment that distracts you. It can be a book, magazine, favorite music. This will help take the pressure off a bit. But the main – do not keep this problem in yourself, because close people will always help, support, you can rely on them!
Source estet-portal.com
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