About Emetophobia Scotland
To help, support people with emetophobia in Scotland
Emetophobia Scotland Description
Emetophobia, the fear of being sick is very common, though often hidden, phobia. Research has suggested that prevalence of a fear of being sick ranges from 0. 1 to 8. 8% percent of the population (Hout & Bouman, 2011) – these different figures probably depend upon whether the researchers assess participants for any sort of ‘fear’ of vomiting or a severe ‘phobia’. Emetophobia can involve a fear of vomiting yourself and / or of others vomiting. It is known by many names (emetophobia, specific phobia of vomiting (SPOV), vomit phobia, sickness phobia, fear of vomiting…) and is associated with other fears and disorders , such as phagophobia (a fear of gagging, swallowing or choking), a fear of pregnancy , social anxiety and obsessional disorders. Emetophobia tends to be a severe symptom and often significantly affects the sufferer’s ability to lead a normal life. People with this fear often go to great lengths to avoid encountering anything that could lead to vomiting, meaning that they live substantially restricted lives.