Iatraphobia is the fear of going to the doctor or of doctors in general. It is classified as a social phobia and is especially serious because it may result in someone not receiving proper medical care.
There are many possible causes of Iatraphobia including a traumatic event involving doctors or in a doctor’s office, being intimidated by a doctor, the smell of medicine in a doctor’s office, emotional unavailability of doctors, fear of catching other illnesses while in the doctor’s office, fear of having procedures done, fear of negative outcomes and fear of pain from needles, resetting broken bones, etc.
As with most phobias, a person with Iatraphobia may experience the following symptoms when presented with a trigger: breathlessness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly and anxiety attacks.
I don’t have a fear of doctors; I’m just not too fond of them these days. I do know a few people though who wouldn’t go to a doctor if their life depended on it. Although going to a doctor isn’t always pleasant experience it is sometimes necessary to prevent or treat life-threatening illnesses. Many people go undiagnosed with serious ailments and suffer the ultimate consequence…death.
Do you have Iatraphobia? I would love to hear your story. There’s no better information on the subject of phobias than from someone who suffers from them.
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I have iatrophobia - it can be very dangerous. I had a very severe nosebleed in the middle of the night a few months ago. I tried to stop it, and even shut the bedroom door so that my husband wouldn't hear me. I was there for nearly 1/2 hr with blood streaming down both nostrils,& down the back of my throat, but I was too afraid to wake up my husband to take me to Emergency. Blood spattered all over the walls, and floor - I cleaned it all up while holding my nose but still I didn't go. I ONLY went when I'd lost SO much blood that I was feeling woozy. Fortunately we live near the hospital, but if I'd fainted on the bathroom floor I could have bled to death as the flow was so strong. I did faint after they'd packed my nose in the hospital and vomited up buckets of clots that I'd swallowed. This was a very frightening experience but it's taught me a lesson.
Also, if I'd gone to see the doctor when I had the first nose bleed 2 weeks prior to this attack this probally would never have happened. It took 6 wks to clear up as nothing worked. 5 to 10 days later it all started up again. I was hospitalised for 5 days as well. All this trouble because I was afraid to go to the doctor. Thanks for letting me tell my story. It's the first time I've written it down.
Jo
Hello Cristina Olvera, Could you please take my name 'Jo' off my blog as I wish to be completely anonymous. This episode is not something I'm proud of but I thought it would help others to know the dangers. bluepoppy
I developed a chronic pain condition after birth of my child, which was worsened as a result of a car accident.
I didn't receive the response from the doctors I expected. I was continuously bullied over an eight year period. This ranged from being forced to strip, being verbally abused, laughed at, physically assaulted, mocked and ignored, withholding medication,offering only one medication option, shouted at, taken into private rooms to be dressed down. And, I had my home and child investigated, but they had to conclude I was a good mother. It was horrific.
It took me six years to receive a diagnosis and treatment. Things just got progressively worse. I ended up in the hospital for the dammed, with more of the same treatment. I suffer from iatrophobia as a result of medical bullying and victimisation. I have nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks of the events.
The condition I suffer from is well recognised and understood now. Diagnosis is quick and treatment options are offered straight away. But, it's too late the damage is done.
The bullying was so inhuman and it was very difficult to get people to understand or support me because everyone trusts their doctor and doctor knows best. But, when doctor get's it wrong he/her and their colleagues can be monsters.
Both my husband and I have iatrophobia. He recently spent 4 days in critical care, a visit which was triggered by his terror response to "bad numbers" from blood tests. While in the E.R., his blood pressure spiked to 250, which is classified as "malignant hypertension," a life-threatening emergency. Not one doctor took his his iatrophobia into account, and that his fear and anxiety was triggering the event. All they did was terrify him with fearmongering. Now he is pumped full of meds that make him dizzy, whereas before he had absolutely no symptoms. We are also intensely fearful of the medical bill for this almost certainly unnecessary hospitalization that will be coming next. It sucks that people now have to decide between paying their rent and being healthy. I just don't have faith in traditional medicine anymore, because I have been harmed more than I have been helped, as has my husband.
I am 49 years old and have this as well. I have never been in a hospital(only when having my children)and have not been to a dr. since I was a teen I have been blessed withrelatively good health. I did have to have a thyroid biopsy done which thankfully was benign. I have an appt. tommorrow because my kids have been worrying because i wont go. its for a check up, but I know at my age they are going to want tests I have an overwhelming fear of breast cancer and live with it every day. Imagining myself having it and dying. my blood pressure does go up whenever I have it taken. I am already seeing a counselor for a lifetime depression issue,I am doing well with that but this fear has not been covered. my Dr is aware of my fear. it is in my file but still....dont know If I will be able to make it tommorrow. I am ashamed to say that when i tried this before I ended up locking myself in the bathroom until I knew it was too late for me to go! can anyone Imagine a grown woman being so ridiculous?? I feel so bad for everyone here I know what you are going thru.
I just discovered that I have Iatrophobia. At the beginning, I thought it was just a dislike towards doctors, but as time went by my symptoms worsened. After I had my child, I did not visit a doctor for 25 years, and the reason I went was because my blood pressure was so high I almost had a stroke. Every time I see the doctor as the bearer of bad news (I don't know why), and I experiment "all" of the symptoms of Iatrophobia. The other day I went for a mammogram and the nurse called me to tell me that I need another one because they could not read the first one. I was shaking so bad when I heard her voice that I could not get up from the chair. Every time I have any kind of test done, even regular labs I worry to death until I know the results to the point that I cannot sleep or eat or concentrate on what I am doing. Can anyone tell me what I should do?
I feel sorry for everyone who has this fear. At the beginning I thought that I had a deslike of doctors, but as time went by the situation worsened to the point that I now have "all" of the symptoms listed in the description of Iatrophobia. After I had my child, I did not go to the doctor for 25 years, and the reason I went was because my blood pressure went so high that I almost had a stroke. Every time I have my labs, I cannot sleep or eat until I get the results. The other day I had a mammogram (my first after thinking about it for years), and the nurse called me to tell me that I have to have another and a sonogram, because they could not read the first. When I heard her voice on the phone, my heart dropped and I was shaking so bad that I could not get up from the chair. I made the appointment for the second one, and I had to cancel it because I could not sleep for three nights thinking about it. I know I should go, but I cannot bring myself to it. I am thinking seriously about going to a psychologist for evaluation and treatment.
I have iatrophoba after being sexually assaulted by my family doctor as a young child. I can't go to see a doctor without vomiting before and after the appointment, otherwise I might end up vomiting actually in the doctor's office. I have put off medical treatment for years and years and only gone when requested to do so by my employers. I wish there was more awareness of this phobia as I fear being laughed at by people who don't understand what I am going through.
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