What is emetophobia?

Emetophobia is an intense fear of vomiting. You may just fear yourself vomiting, or just others, or both. This fear is so strong it is classified as a phobia. In many cases this fear is so intense it disrupts many aspects of a person’s life.  Sometimes people can develop other psychological conditions due to emetophobia such as panic attacks, depression and agoraphobia.

What are the symptoms of emetophobia?

Due to the extreme fear of vomiting, many people suffering from emetophobia will go to great lengths to avoid the possibility of getting sick. They will avoid people, places, and things that involve vomiting. This includes places such as bars, hospitals, and child-care facilities as well as anyone who may have a chance of being be sick. Sometimes they will limit how much food they consume or limit their diets to “safe” foods. Women suffering from emetophobia may put off pregnancy due to fear of morning sickness. Many sufferers may limit their travel due to fear of getting motion sickness or fear of being sick away from home. Each individual suffering from emetophobia is unique and may have their own set of symptoms.

How does emetophobia develop?

We are not sure on how emetophobia develops. There are some hypothesis that many sufferers experienced an early trauma (during childhood) involving vomiting, although not all people suffering from emetophobia report this. Some report having an experience of witnessing another person get sick, and some report no memories at all.  Whatever the cause, emetophobia can be successfully treated with therapy.