The fear of doctors is due to the fact that interaction with them in 90% of cases is associated with some kind of health problem, and this is a priori scary. However, it is important to trace cause-and-effect relationships. You go to the doctor for help, or for confirmation of your health status, and this should not cause fear.

The name yatrophobia (ἰατρός - doctor and φόβος - fear) denotes a strong, pathological fear of doctors. Most people experience anxiety before visiting the doctor, however, this is not a phobia at all. With iatrophobia, anxiety increases to such an extent that the person prefers not to see a doctor as long as possible. Sometimes it happens that jatrophobe is caused by " ambulance" someone else.

People suffering from fear of doctors prefer self-medication in any situation. This is an extremely ineffective way to behave. Firstly, self-medication in itself is harmful and dangerous in some situations. And secondly, fear is consolidated. A person experiences any negative symptom, instead of seeking help from a specialist, he begins to use remedies traditional medicine, seek advice from friends, study recommendations on the Internet.

It is not difficult to assume that herbal decoctions may not always help, and taking pills that were prescribed to your friend for the same symptoms is generally fraught. And instead of starting competent therapy in a timely manner, the disease “starts up.” And if the problem is serious, you will eventually have to see a doctor, and the treatment will leave the most negative memories. But this could have been avoided if the phobia had not forced the person to prolong the situation.

Causes of fear

Fear of doctors is most often formed as a result of personally experienced negative experiences associated with doctors. This could be either a memory from childhood or a encounter with a medical error as an adult, or in connection with difficult and lengthy treatment. Particularly impressionable people can develop iatrophobia after rude or inattentive communication between a doctor and a patient.

To its credit, a profession leaves its mark on a person’s personality. Some specialists may seem overly cold-blooded or cynical, however, this is understandable and in no way speaks of professionalism. Suspicious and anxious patients take some of the doctors’ words to heart and begin to feel fear of seeing them again.

Often the fear of doctors comes from childhood. This may be due to improper upbringing. For example, a parent scares their children with a doctor as a warning. “Put on a hat, otherwise you’ll catch a cold, get sick, the doctor will prescribe injections,” or “don’t eat so much candy, otherwise you’ll need to have your teeth treated.” In any situation where it is necessary to influence a child, an irresponsible parent can threaten in this way.

A phobia of doctors can also develop in another way. Anxious, overprotective parents who constantly call the doctor as soon as the baby sneezes “wrongly” force the child in the future to simply shy away from people in white coats.

And, of course, after a long illness, with all sorts of painful procedures, the child will automatically be in a panic from the doctors for some time.

Types of phobias

It is worth noting that in addition to the fear of doctors themselves, some experience fear of medical institutions; this type of fear is called nosocomephobia. For such people, the solution is often to call a doctor at home, if possible. They claim that fear is evoked by dull hospital walls, associated with something hopeless, the specific smell of medicines and sterilization, and even the sounds of metal instruments. Fear of hospitals also arises as a result of fixation of childhood memories.

Iatrophobia itself may have its own subtypes. Some people are afraid of one specific doctor (not a person, of course, specialization). The most “popular” doctor among phobics is the dentist. We described this problem in one of the previous articles about. It is inherent in both adults and children.

Another, less popular due to its narrower audience of patients, however, just like a dentist who requires regular visits, is a gynecologist. The fear of his chair covers many women. The fear of such a specialist may be associated not only with some kind of experience (they hurt during the examination, made inappropriate comments, etc.), but also with the character and personal characteristics of the woman. Demonstration of an organ handled by a gynecologist can cause a lot of psychological stress, feelings of shame and embarrassment.

Trypanophobia - panic. It is the most popular phobia of medical procedures.

Symptoms and diagnosis

Fear of doctors and hospitals can manifest itself in varying degrees. First of all, this is avoidance behavior. As we have already mentioned, jatrophobes seek professional help only as a last resort. And if such a case occurs, before the doctor’s office the person experiences all the vegetative symptoms: tremor, hyperhidrosis, rapid pulse, dry mouth, shortness of breath.

In addition, there is an interesting phenomenon that occurs with such “unstable” patients, which is called the “white coat” syndrome. The point is that the indicator blood pressure when measured by a doctor (nurse) is higher than if it was done by the patient himself or someone “neutral”. This is checked using 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, when it is clearly visible that surges occur precisely because of stress due to the presence of a health care worker.

How to overcome your fear of doctors

Iatrophobia, like other phobias, can significantly affect a person's quality of life. Doctors are those people who study for 8 years in order to then help us cope with diseases. It is extremely wrong to see them as a threat and to prefer the advice of neighbors or TV presenters to professional examinations and recommendations from specialists. If the anxiety before visiting the clinic is so strong that your health worsens, you should seek advice from a psychologist or psychotherapist.

For a jatrophobe, the nuance that a psychotherapist may have, how medical education, and humanitarian, which means that this is no longer a doctor.

A psychologist-psychotherapist (unlike a psychotherapist) does not have the right to prescribe medications and make diagnoses; moreover, a meeting with him may not be in a hospital, but in his cozy office with a sofa in some office building, for example. No medical devices or hospital smell. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that a session with a psychologist-psychotherapist can even take place online, when you are at home, in front of a computer monitor.

You can overcome your fear of doctors using various techniques. Cognitive therapy is aimed at “reflashing” some erroneous programs in a person’s thoughts. Behavioral psychotherapy is used to develop new, necessary patterns. Hypnosis works effectively with such phobias. Gestalt therapy helps to “complete” any painful situation that is currently developing into a phobia of doctors.

Psychoanalysis helps you figure out what exactly traumatized you in childhood so much that in adulthood it makes you afraid a day before going to the doctor. It doesn’t matter how the psychotherapist will work with you, in what method, personally or with a group - the main thing is that the specialist’s qualifications are sufficient.

Features of children's fears of doctors

Naturally, in childhood There are fears that may seem ridiculous to an adult. However, fear of doctors, as we found out, does not apply here; it can haunt a person from childhood to old age. To prevent this from happening, it is important in childhood to take seriously any fear your baby has, especially the fear of the doctor. You need to understand that the first 10 years of a child’s life involve more interaction with doctors than ever before, and it is better that this does not lead to hysteria every time.

To do this, it is important to treat everything your child tells you with understanding. If he's scared, don't shame him or falsely reassure him that nothing will happen. Find out what exactly he is afraid of: pain, the unknown, an evil doctor or something else. Explain in detail what awaits him, without deceiving or causing unnecessary drama. Explain that you went through the same thing at one time, and it was also unpleasant for you, but you didn’t get sick (if we are talking about vaccination, for example) or now have a beautiful smile (if you have to go to the dentist).

It is very good if you have familiar doctors whom you could sometimes visit with your child, thus teaching him that people in white coats are not dangerous.

It is important to distract your child while going to the doctor. For example, stock up on toys and books that can distract your child while waiting in line.

The baby should not languish in anticipation of the unknown under the office, also hearing someone else's crying outside the doors. And be sure to positively reinforce good behavior in the clinic: praise, encourage going somewhere, buy something.

Video

The psychotherapist talks about the reasons for a person’s fear of doctors, its symptoms, manifestations and treatment methods in this video.

conclusions

Fear of doctors and medical institutions is a very common symptom. It is interesting to note that sometimes doctors themselves experience such fear, having observed unprofessionalism and indifference in the environment. A specialist in the field of psychotherapy will help cope with severe jatrophobia.

anonymous, Female, 16 years old

Hello! I am 16 years old and I have been afraid of doctors all my life. When I watch doctors on TV or remember them, I just get goosebumps. And when I go into the clinic, my heart is beating so wildly, my head is spinning, I almost lose consciousness. I haven't had any tests for a very long time. Moreover, I am afraid of all the doctors, the atmosphere itself. I don’t know how to overcome my own fear, it’s somehow uncontrollable. I lead a healthy lifestyle, but I myself understand that I need to be examined by doctors and I want to do this, but when I think about it or go to the hospital, I want to get away from there as soon as possible. My family doesn’t support me in this, they just don’t understand, and say that I’m like a little child. But they just don't realize how serious it is. Even when I have to undergo a medical examination, I ask my friends to go for me, because I simply cannot overcome myself. And I seem to understand that there is nothing wrong, but as soon as I smell the hospital, I see the doctors, I go into the hospital, I lose my mind. This really bothers me in life, because... I myself am interested in medicine and really want to become a doctor, but my fear... It simply does not allow me to make it a reality. Is it possible to somehow reduce this fear, at least in order to check the tests?

Iatrophobia - fear of doctors (nosocomephobia - fear of hospitals) is one of the forms of a huge list of phobias, and is simply less “popular” than, for example, agoraphobia or claustrophobia. Accordingly, the methods for overcoming it are absolutely the same as for any other phobia (or phobic, neurotic, anxious reaction): 1) situationally, i.e. to relieve fear in one specific situation - a single dose of any anxiolytic/tranquilizer, or, with a less reliable effect, a beta-blocker; if we consider a phobia as one of the symptoms of anxiety neurosis, then - 2) therapy with one of the SSRI antidepressants and/or 3) cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. There is only one problem - for this you need to see a doctor... However, a literate person is quite capable of adequately perceiving the peculiarities of the situation - holding a consultation outside a medical institution, coming to your home, at least taking off your robe, etc., and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy They are often carried out very well, and they are not doctors at all and receive them outside medical institutions. In order to “at least check the tests” (if in other cases the neurosis does not manifest itself), it is quite enough, as I already said, to take an anxiolytic: in most cases, the most effective is to take almost any of the benzodiazepine tranquilizers 1 hour before visiting the doctor.

What is iatrophobia, for what reasons does it occur and how does it manifest? Methods for treating fear of doctors in children and adults.

The content of the article:

Jatrophobia is a type of social phobia, increased tension and fear of doctors. Symptoms develop already at the stage of planning a visit to a medical consultation. Interestingly, a similar phenomenon was previously associated with the color of robes. But later it turned out that, despite the new uniform of medical workers (white coats were replaced by colored suits), the fear of doctors remained.

Description and mechanism of development of jatrophobia

Phobias do not develop out of the blue; for them to appear, hereditary factors are necessary that cause increased arousal nervous system, or negative, traumatic experience.

That is, phobias arise in people who have already encountered the adverse effects of a threatening factor on their own body. The inability to control the state of one’s own health, passivity during procedures accompanied by pain, is what causes fear among doctors. The possibility of developing a phobia is aggravated by innate suspiciousness, suspicion, and lack of trust.

The cause of the phobia is a kind of anchor and is deposited at the subcortical level. The less self-confident a person is, the deeper the problem that arises.

A phobia is not fear. Fear is a natural protective reaction of the body, in which the brain sends a signal to release adrenaline, a hormone that accelerates reactions. The person runs away, freezes, quickly calculates possible situations that help him escape from danger.

With a phobia, the same mechanism is activated - according to a signal from the central nervous system, adrenaline is released. But since the situation is imaginary, the risk is exaggerated, the body is not able to use up this adrenaline. Due to an excess of the anxiety hormone, symptoms appear that negatively affect health and cause a sharp deterioration in the condition due to disruption of the cardiovascular, respiratory systems and intestinal function.

This already requires treatment. However, with iatrophobia, the help of doctors is perceived as a threat, and therefore the condition worsens. A vicious circle arises: the need to see a doctor causes a deterioration in the condition, and the need for treatment leads to a deterioration in health.

Reasons for fear of doctors

How to get rid of the fear of doctors in each specific case can be understood only after the cause of the phobia has been identified. If you mobilize your own strength and concentrate on your feelings, apply methods of introspection, you can do this yourself. When the mere thought of encountering medicine makes you panic, in order to cope with your own fears, you should consult a psychologist. It is advisable to work with a private doctor who conducts consultations in his office and does not wear a traditional gown.

Causes of iatrophobia in children

Crying and increased moodiness when visiting medical institutions in children under 1.5-2 years old can hardly be explained by iatrophobia. At this age, children are often simply afraid of strangers and unfamiliar surroundings, which can explain changes in behavior.

Older children may develop a fear of doctors for the following reasons:

• The child “absorbs” the fear of “white coats” from adults. In the subconscious, conversations at home about how much you don’t want to be treated, a voiced reluctance to visit the dentist due to pain, and parents’ nervousness before injections or visiting a clinic are postponed.
• Individual characteristics of a developing personality. If the baby is afraid of blood, does not like the touch of strangers - especially those that seem intrusive to him - even a routine medical examination can cause panic.
• Low pain threshold - in this case, each manipulation causes pain that is remembered for a long time. After a one-time vaccination, it is difficult to persuade such children to go to the clinic in the future, even if they just have to undergo fluorography.
• Children are afraid of everything unfamiliar, they are accustomed to affection. An impersonal attitude, lack of information - all this can cause them to panic.

In most cases, the parents themselves are to blame for children's iatrophobia. If the mother behaves insecurely when the baby is examined, “suffers” along with the child, and does not try to explain the need for this or that manipulation, the baby feels defenseless. In the future, in similar circumstances, he may panic.

Causes of iatrophobia in adults

Iatrophobia in adults cannot be explained only by childhood fears. There are other reasons for fear of doctors.

Let's look at them in more detail:

1. Adults are used to controlling the situation, and when they fall into the hands of doctors, nothing depends on them. This situation causes fear, because you have to trust those you don’t know.
2. A medical error that was not necessarily experienced by the patient himself. It may be that someone you know was hurt, or someone simply told you about a similar situation. Stories have a frightening effect on overly impressionable people.
3. There is an abundance of negative information - movies about killer doctors, programs that talk about the mistakes of medical workers. Even if the stories are not confirmed by anything, the information is stored at the level of the subcortex of the brain.
4. Inferiority complex. A person is embarrassed about his body, imagines how repulsive he looks in the eyes of a doctor. It seems to him that because of this they are beginning to treat him negatively.
5. Bad habits - addiction to alcohol, drugs, overeating. The patient understands that doctors will talk about the harmfulness of such a lifestyle, and begin to avoid contact with official medicine, first consciously, and then on a subconscious level.
6. Fear of pain - unfortunately, most medical procedures are associated with causing pain or discomfort, and they try to avoid them.
7. Fear of death. The patient is afraid of dying on the operating table, from allergies caused by drugs, in the hospital ward, does not trust medical workers, and is sure that death cannot be avoided anyway. Treatment in this case is considered as an approach to death.
8. An impersonal attitude towards patients, negligence of medical staff, rudeness and rudeness in the hospital - all this forms a persistent negative attitude towards “people in white coats”.

Modern private clinics try to create conditions in which patients feel comfortable and treat people “like humans,” which allows them to cope with mental trauma. Unfortunately, the goal of many private clinics is to make money - patients are given non-existent diagnoses and forced to undergo unnecessary examinations, which in the future can also cause a fear of medicine.

All unpleasant sensations in combination associated with medical manipulations and the attitude of medical workers can cause the development of jatrophobia.

Manifestations of iatrophobia in humans

If in children the symptoms of iatrophobia are often limited to increased moodiness, hysteria and crying, then in adults the signs of fear of doctors are much more severe. In adults, in these cases, symptoms may develop that resemble those of a panic attack.

Appears:

• Headache and dizziness;
• Nausea and vomiting;
• Intestinal cramps and diarrhea;
• Muscle tension, even to the point of cramps;
• Trembling in the knees;
• Speech disorders;
• Increased blood pressure;
• There is a haze before the eyes or flashing of flies.

Possible patients develop hypochondria, insomnia occurs, the perception of information is impaired, and it becomes difficult for them to concentrate on work.

Patients who are afraid of doctors delay treatment until they find themselves in a critical situation. When dentists are afraid, they bring their oral cavity until the teeth completely decay, if they are afraid of manipulation, consult a doctor, when the pain becomes unbearable and oncological diseases cannot be treated.

Particularly severe forms of jatrophobia can cause death in the patient.

Ways to combat fear of doctors

Recommendations on how to overcome the fear of doctors depend on the patient’s age and state of mind. If she is so upset that no arguments work, then drug treatment will have to be carried out.

Actions parents can take to combat jatrophobia in a child

Parents of children who are afraid of people in white coats should take what is happening seriously and under no circumstances ridicule their behavior.

Features of adjusting children's behavior:

1. You need to tell your children in advance what will happen in the doctor’s office and how important it is. You should not deceive your child that “it won’t hurt.” Cheating will have a negative impact on psychological state future patient. If young children understand how important certain procedures are, they do not resist having them performed.
2. Before visiting the doctor's office, you should talk with your child, get him to voice his fears, answer all questions and give the correct information.
3. In a hospital for children, we should try to create comfortable conditions. Children should know that while in line, if they want to eat and drink, their parents will feed and water them, and that there is a toilet in the hospital that you can always visit.
4. You should talk to your doctor with dignity. The child should see that his parents are talking to him as equals. Mom is not afraid - the baby is comfortable.
5. You can visit the doctor in advance and leave “gifts” for the baby. If after the examination the child is given a mirror, a piece of beautiful soap or even candy, he will even wait for a second visit to the medical facility.
6. Under no circumstances should you frighten your child with injections, calling a doctor, or the fact that if he “does not take medicine at home, he will be sent to the hospital.”
7. It is advisable to plan a visit to the doctor in advance so that the child can ask his questions and formulate all his concerns.

If you don’t scare your baby with the hospital, play doctor and patient at home, treat toys - animals and cars, it is possible to overcome the fear of the doctor.

Fighting the fear of doctors on your own

To stop being afraid of a medical professional, you need to believe that the goal of every doctor is to create conditions under which communication with the patient can be reduced to a minimum. And this can only be done if the patient recovers.

You should trust the doctor. To do this, you need to find a professional whose actions do not cause rejection. Currently, all conditions have been created for this - reviews about the work of a particular specialist can be read on Internet sites, or you can ask relatives and friends. Now patients can choose the medical facility where they will be served.

In private clinics you can not only find your own specialist, but also choose the time and create all the conditions for comfortable treatment.

You must learn to trust yourself. You should voice the available information about your disease to the doctor, talk about your own feelings, and correctly formulate questions. Partnership contact between doctor and patient - The best way overcome iatrophobia and speed up recovery.

You should get ready for the hospital in advance. Think about what to do if you need to go to the toilet or eat, take everything you need with you. In order not to be nervous in the corridor in line, it is worth preparing an interesting book, electronic media with games, knitting.

While staying in the hospital, you need to take a familiar thing from home - a pillow, a blanket. It is advisable to buy earplugs and an eye mask - at night they can put a new roommate in the ward, turn on the light if someone becomes ill. Sudden wake-ups have a negative impact on the nervous system and prevent you from getting enough sleep. If the patient has a good rest at night, he is less nervous during the day.

Help from specialists in the fight against jatrophobia

If you can’t cope with your fears on your own, but you understand that treatment is necessary, you should contact a psychologist who sees you in a private office.

In this case, hypnotic influence can be used to get rid of fears and help in mastering the auto-training method. A frank conversation with a specialist will help determine the cause of fears and eliminate it.

Patients with jatrophobia often develop somatic diseases, the treatment of which is quite difficult. Consultations with a psychologist can help get rid of these diseases, and then the help of official medicine may not be needed.

In some cases, the use of sedatives will help maintain the stability of the nervous system. They have the right to be prescribed by a psychologist, psychotherapist, neurologist - some medicines general action can be purchased and taken by the patient himself in recommended doses.

With increased anxiety, which provokes disorders of cardio-vascular system, insomnia and symptoms of a panic attack, it is recommended to take light sedatives: tinctures of valerian, motherwort, peony, Persen, Note, Herbion drops, Fitorelax tablets, Afobazol, Glycine.

If treatment is necessary, and each visit to a medical facility causes a worsening of the condition, sedatives and antidepressants are prescribed by the attending physician.

Treatment of jatrophobia with folk remedies

The range of traditional medicine includes enough recipes for sedatives that can be made at home.

These include:

• Tea made from valerian, chamomile, mint, linden blossom. Brew in the following proportions - a tablespoon of bio-raw materials per glass of boiling water.
• A tincture of equal amounts of chamomile, mint, valerian root, fennel fruit and cumin. Brew according to the same recipe.
• Tea brewed according to the following recipe has a quick calming effect: take 1 part St. John's wort and horsetail, 2 parts black tea, 2 parts green tea. Brew 2 tablespoons of herbal mixture with half a liter of water, infuse until intense color, add honey.
• The recipe for another soothing decoction is to combine 1 bay leaf, 1 clove bud, a small piece of ginger and a teaspoon of cumin. Pour boiling water over the bio-raw material, bring to a boil and boil for 5-7 minutes, then add a teaspoon of black tea and infuse.

You should start taking soothing tinctures 3-4 days before visiting the doctor in the morning and evening, 1/2 cup each. On the day of visiting a medical facility, you should take half a glass of soothing tincture immediately before leaving the apartment.

You shouldn't be led by your own fears. Jatrophobia can be overcome by finding out its cause. Having gotten rid of the fear of doctors, you can live a full life and not be afraid for your own health.

If, despite the fear of official medicine, you overcome the 55-60 year mark, then jatrophobia will become obsolete. However, the state of health can already become so threatening, and the quality of life will decrease so much that every day will bring physical suffering.

How to get rid of the fear of doctors - watch the video:

Treatment of iatrophobia should begin at a stage when the condition is still invisible to others. In this case, you will be able to get rid of it in a short time without causing harm to your own health.

Fear of doctors is one of the most common phobias. Children encounter it very often. If nothing is done, the phobia carries over into adult life, greatly complicating it and preventing you from properly monitoring your own health. It is necessary to understand in more detail the causes and manifestations of pathological fear of people in white coats, and also consider methods of dealing with the problem, since the phobia should not be underestimated.

Iatrophobia is the name given to the fear of doctors. The name comes from the Greek word “iatros”, which translates as “doctor”. Quite often you can come across the term “iatrophobia”, which will also be correct, because the transcription of the Greek word has two options.

Jatrophobia is one of the most common types of phobia. In ICD-10 it is not classified as a separate disease, so it can be designated by two codes: F40.1 and F40.2. The first code hides social phobia and anthropophobia, or fear of people. In this case, iatrophobia is considered as a special case of anthropophobia or fear of people of a certain profession. The second code, F40.2, is used to designate isolated phobias, that is, disorders that manifest fear at the sight of just one object or object, in this case a doctor or health care worker.

Reasons for development

The death of loved ones due to the fault of doctors can lead to uncontrollable fear of them

Jatrophobia is a fairly simple and understandable disorder, the causes of which are obvious. It occurs in a person against the background of any traumatic situations associated with people in white coats. The most common causes of phobia development:

• medical negligence;
• rudeness and inattention on the part of medical personnel;
• features of upbringing;
• dissatisfaction with your body;
• fear of pain.

Quite often, iatrophobia appears in people who were forced to undergo long time in the hospital and encountered medical errors. In this case, there is a fear of repeating the same situation, which gradually transforms into a real phobia.

Another reason is rudeness on the part of medical staff. Unfortunately, not all doctors are tactful. Situations often occur when a patient simply encounters a doctor with bad mood. Harshness in communication with a patient, rudeness or even ridicule on the part of a doctor - all this has a traumatic effect on the psyche of timid, fearful and insecure people. As a result, a person may withdraw into himself and refuse to visit medical institutions in the future due to fear.

Another fairly obvious reason is dissatisfaction with your body. If a person is embarrassed about himself and experiences severe stress when undergoing an examination, and the doctor is not tactful enough, it is quite possible to develop a real phobia.

Reasons also include fear of pain. This often leads to fear of doctors of a certain profile - dentists, traumatologists, gynecologists. Typically, a phobia arises from something the person has previously experienced. severe pain during examination or any manipulation.

Signs and symptoms

Just the thought of going to the hospital can cause a person to experience a migraine.

Iatrophobia refers to simple phobias with typical symptoms of an anxiety disorder. The first signs become noticeable already while waiting for an appointment. A person does not find a place for himself, feels internal tension and anxiety. As soon as you enter the office, a real sign of panic arises - the patient wants to escape as soon as possible, feels an increase in the pulse rate and the sound of his own blood in his ears. At the same time, other bodily symptoms may appear, for example:

• dizziness;
• lack of air;
• tremor of fingers;
• pressing headache;
• nausea;
• stomach pain, etc.

At this time, a person feels a strong growing fear that prevents him from thinking soberly. Irrational panic can lead to the patient literally turning pale, running out of the office and urgently leaving the medical facility.

It is worth noting that anxiety while waiting for an appointment is normal, but only as long as the person is aware of his own actions and is able to control panic and anxiety. The emergence of an irrational, groundless fear that is uncontrollable and causes thoughts to become confused is a typical sign of a phobia.

Quite often, patients with a fear of doctors hide in a panic from any person in a white coat. This leads to the fact that a person neglects his own health, trying to heal on his own. Often patients with jatrophobia become adherents of traditional medicine and unconventional methods treatment (appeal to healers and sorcerers). Thus, it can be argued that phobia is potentially dangerous to human health and requires urgent treatment.

Causes of development in children

Fear of doctors is a very common phobia, and it often occurs in childhood. The main reason is the peculiarities of upbringing. The fact is that children largely copy the behavior of their parents, so if a mother or father is terrified of doctors, in 95% of cases this phobia develops in the child.

Fear of doctors or visiting the hospital in childhood may be the result of deliberate intimidation by parents for educational purposes. Unfortunately, many parents scare their children with injections, which causes fear of any medical institutions.

Children should not be told such phrases as “if you behave badly, they will give you an injection,” “if you cry, I will take you to the hospital,” “if you don’t eat porridge, the doctor will come to you,” etc. Otherwise, impressionable children may develop iatrophobia.

Iatrophobia in children can also be associated with pain and fear that the child experienced in medical institution. As a rule, this happens if the parents were unable to properly comfort the baby after visiting the doctor.

Types of phobias

The largest percentage of people on the planet are afraid to visit the dentist

There are several special cases of iatrophobia:

• Dentophobia – fear of dentists;
• panic fear of gynecologists;
• pharmacophobia – fear of taking any medications;
• Nosocomephobia is an irrational fear of visiting a hospital.

Perhaps the most common fear of dentists. About 30% of the population faces this phobia to one degree or another. As a rule, fear is caused by the fear of experiencing pain during dental examination and treatment. Young children often experience this phobia.

Fear of gynecologists does not have a separate name, but is very common among women. In the vast majority of cases, this fear is associated with the fear of hearing an unfavorable diagnosis. As a result, women prefer not to visit a doctor at all in order to protect themselves from the symptoms of this phobia.

Pharmacophobia is a serious problem leading to refusal of treatment. A person can quite easily visit hospitals and undergo examinations by doctors, but he will never take pills. Usually people with such a phobia become adherents of treatment with folk remedies.

Nosocomephobia and iatrophobia are very closely interrelated, and the patient develops both a fear of hospitals and a fear of doctors. This leads to the fact that a person greatly neglects his health, since he cannot find the strength to seek help. medical care.

Treatment of iatrophobia

Jatrophobia requires an integrated approach, but it is difficult to treat using professional methods. The fact is that the psychotherapist is also a doctor, so patients refuse to attend psychotherapy sessions to combat their phobia.

A way out of the situation can be found if you ask the doctor for an appointment outside the office, for example, in nature or in a cafe, and refuse the white coat. In this case, the patient will not perceive the psychotherapist as a doctor. Quite often, such a little trick bears fruit and helps to successfully overcome a phobia.

As a rule, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and the method of gradual rapprochement with the object of fear are practiced. The goal of psychotherapy is to change the negative associations that a patient has when seeing a doctor. For therapy to be successful, it is necessary to first find out the cause of the development of the phobia and work through it with a specialist.

Another way is hypnotherapy. The person is put into a trance, and the psychologist-hypnotherapist at this time works with incorrect attitudes that caused the development of iatrophobia.

In milder forms, the fear of going to the doctor can be resolved directly with the doctor himself when making an appointment. The patient should warn the doctor about his problem and ask him to give up his white coat during the appointment, since it is the type of professional medical clothing that most often acts as a trigger for the onset of a panic attack and the appearance of other symptoms of a phobia.

Medication methods, such as taking sedatives, can also help relieve anxiety, but before taking the drug, you should consult with your doctor, for example by telephone. This is due to the fact that during some manipulations the use of such drugs is prohibited, as they can distort clinical picture diseases.

Preventive measures

After going to the hospital, you can buy something for your child

Having figured out what methods of combating and getting rid of fears are used and how you can independently combat the fear of doctors, it is important to know how to prevent the development of this phobia in adults and children. In the case of irrational fear in an adult, the cause is usually general exhaustion of the nervous system. Thus, severe stress makes a person especially susceptible to various factors, so any situation is perceived especially acutely and vividly. There is only one way out - strengthening the nervous system, the ability to independently deal with stress and control your emotions.

To prevent the development of a phobia in a child, parents should monitor their own behavior:

• do not show the child that parents are afraid of doctors;
• do not punish or intimidate with injections and doctors;
• After visiting the doctor, reward your child with a treat or gift.

The incentive method is considered the most effective. So, even if the baby bursts into tears in the doctor’s office or is afraid of an injection, but after visiting the hospital he will receive a new toy that he has long dreamed of - positive emotions the negative ones will be supplanted, and over time the fear will be forgotten.

It is important to remember that any phobia must be treated on time. Jatrophobia is a potentially dangerous development serious problems with health due to avoidance of doctors and neglect of preventive examinations, so it must be dealt with in the early stages of development.

Iatrophobia is the fear of doctors - it is a “blood-needle” phobia. The disorder occurs quite often in young children, but also occurs in many adults. The word "Iatrophobia" comes from "Iatros", which is Greek for "healer", and Phobos, which means "deep fear". Another term given to this anxiety disorder is “white coat hypertension.”

Patients suffering from a disease tend to put off visiting a doctor, no matter how much they suffer from the health condition.

They suffer from pain, but do not seek professional help. Many people are afraid to get vaccinated or go to the laboratory for routine blood work. When they have the courage to see a doctor, they feel panic attack with high blood pressure, rapid breathing, nausea or other gastrointestinal distress.

Most cases of iatrophobia occur in childhood, although adults are often afraid to visit a doctor.

• Doctors are associated with needles or vaccines and tend to give “bitter pills.” A specialist is usually needed if a person is not feeling well physically or mentally.
• Medical professionals typically work in hospitals and other settings that deal with trauma, accidents, death, etc. During childhood, sufferers may have experienced a negative or traumatic incident that may have triggered their disorder.

• Many people with iatrophobia have problems with authority. Doctors are the authority on medical health. This leads to the fact that the phobic does not like or is afraid of them.

• Alcoholics or drug abusers are afraid of doctors because they believe they will force them to confront such problems.

• A recent study found that nearly 40% of patients in the United States believe that doctors today do not care about the well-being of the patient as they did several decades ago. Distrust in the profession is growing.

• Medical movies, news reports about botched surgeries or abuses, etc. can also instill negative images leading to fear of doctors.

Symptoms

Patients suffering from iatrophobia may speak confidently in front of thousands of people, but when faced with a doctor's visit, they tremble or are unable to speak coherently. Other physical symptoms include:

• Trembling and muscle tension
• Nausea
• Children try to run, scream, cry or run away
• Sufferers often do not show up for routine check-ups and continue to postpone medical/dental appointments

• They have normal blood pressure at home, but it rises to the level of hypertension in the clinic (white coat hypertension)

• Many people suffer from illness and injury (or become hypochondriacs) and worry about a minor cough or cold for fear that they need treatment.

Iatrophobia is often associated with dental phobia, which is the fear of dentists. Both disorders can occur in the same person.

Treatment

Overcoming the disease is often difficult because most people refuse to visit a doctor for timely diagnosis.

Visiting a doctor may temporarily increase anxiety, but it is vital to seek medical help rather than worsen a condition that can sometimes become more complicated.

Discussing the phobia with a doctor helps. The phobic must tell him which part medical examination causes concern. For example, if you don't like the way the doctor touches your neck when examining your thyroid, point that out. Most doctors will take this into account and try to calm you down and help you relax.

If you think that a medical examination will reveal negative results about your health condition, discuss the problem with your health care provider.

It also helps if the specialist can visit the patient at home in a familiar setting, rather than performing tests in an intimidating hospital or clinical setting. Today, many doctors give advice over the phone or online.

A combination of medications and psychotherapy has been proven to help those suffering from fear of doctors. Listening to soothing music or watching TV has beneficial effects when dealing with jatrophobia.