Emetophobia Scotland

To help, support people with emetophobia in Scotland

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.