About:
Nosocomephobia is the irrational fear of hospitals. The word has Greek and Latin origins. 'Nosos' is a Greek word meaning disease and 'comes' is a Latin word meaning companion or consequences. A similar word is the Greek word for hospital, 'Nosokomein.' 'Phobos' is Latin and means to dread or to fear.
A person suffering with Nosocomephobia is terrified of going to the hospital at any costs. Often a person with this phobia also suffer from similar cross over phobias like Latrophobia , the fear of doctors, Agliophobia, the fear of pain, Trypanophobia, the fear of needles, Carcinophobia, the fear of cancer, Hemophobia, the fear of blood, Mysophobia, the fear of germs and Thanatophobia, the fear of death.
A person suffering with Nosocomephobia is terrified of going to the hospital at any costs. Often a person with this phobia also suffer from similar cross over phobias like Latrophobia , the fear of doctors, Agliophobia, the fear of pain, Trypanophobia, the fear of needles, Carcinophobia, the fear of cancer, Hemophobia, the fear of blood, Mysophobia, the fear of germs and Thanatophobia, the fear of death.
Interesting Fact:
US President Nixon had Nosocomephobia and once famously said. "If I go to a hospital, I'm fairly sure I won't come out of it alive."
Causes:
Nosocomephobia is often developed in childhood because of a traumatic event within a hospital. Perhaps the person was seriously injured and needed to have a prolonged stay at the hospital, or someone close like a parent had a medical condition that required many trips to the hospital. The child may have had to watch their parents suffer at the hospital for a long time. Though the hospital was helping their loved ones, in a child's mind, they would interpret the hospital as a place where pain and bad things happen. If a parent develops Nosocomephobia they could also easily teach their children to be afraid of going to hospitals.
A person with a cross over phobia like Mysophobia, the fear of germs, or Agliophobia the fear of pain, could also easily additionally develop Nosocomephobia as well as hospitals are known to be perceived as places where germs are spread and pain is experienced. The fear of death, Thanatophobia is also a big cross over phobia that could be related to Nosocomephobia as people often die at hospitals. A hospital is a place that can remind people of their own limited mortality.
Nosocomephobia can also develop in people who have sensitive sensory issues, especially to smell as hospitals often have a strong smell of antiseptic or can smell of bedpans, sick, etc.
One can also dread the hospital because of a number of negative feelings associated with being at the hospital: Embarrassed by being forced to wear the backless hospital gowns, the humiliation of having invasive treatment, and generally having the fearful feeling of being out of control and at the mercy of doctors and nurses. If a person already suffers from high anxiety and other phobias this can be enough to develop Nosocomephobia.
The media also plays a role in Nosocomephobia, as medical disasters, unhygienic conditions, botched surgeries and malpractice often make front page news. This can all feed into someone's terror of hospitals as extremely risky and dangerous places.
A person with a cross over phobia like Mysophobia, the fear of germs, or Agliophobia the fear of pain, could also easily additionally develop Nosocomephobia as well as hospitals are known to be perceived as places where germs are spread and pain is experienced. The fear of death, Thanatophobia is also a big cross over phobia that could be related to Nosocomephobia as people often die at hospitals. A hospital is a place that can remind people of their own limited mortality.
Nosocomephobia can also develop in people who have sensitive sensory issues, especially to smell as hospitals often have a strong smell of antiseptic or can smell of bedpans, sick, etc.
One can also dread the hospital because of a number of negative feelings associated with being at the hospital: Embarrassed by being forced to wear the backless hospital gowns, the humiliation of having invasive treatment, and generally having the fearful feeling of being out of control and at the mercy of doctors and nurses. If a person already suffers from high anxiety and other phobias this can be enough to develop Nosocomephobia.
The media also plays a role in Nosocomephobia, as medical disasters, unhygienic conditions, botched surgeries and malpractice often make front page news. This can all feed into someone's terror of hospitals as extremely risky and dangerous places.
Symptoms:
Ultimately, no one likes hospitals as they are places that usually deal with illnesses and this could involve being in pain or watching someone else close to you in pain. It could even mean facing death! Hospitals can also mean extra financial expenses depending where you are from and what is covered and not covered by healthcare.
Though very difficult and scary, most people find a way to emotionally cope with going to hospitals as a necessary part of maintaining good health. A Nosocomephobic however simply cannot emotionally manage under the best of circumstances, even if the visit to the hospital is for something very trivial and routine that might not involve any pain or serious examinations.
Symptoms can include:
Someone suffering from Nosocomephobia could easily have a full blown panic attack at just the mention of taking a trip to the hospital. They could also refuse needed medical attention because of their fear of being in a hospital, even if they are physically suffering!
Though very difficult and scary, most people find a way to emotionally cope with going to hospitals as a necessary part of maintaining good health. A Nosocomephobic however simply cannot emotionally manage under the best of circumstances, even if the visit to the hospital is for something very trivial and routine that might not involve any pain or serious examinations.
Symptoms can include:
- Rapid heart rate
- Dizziness
- Anxiety attacks
- Hysteria
- Chest pain
- Feeling of choking
- Fainting
- Trembling and/or sweating
- Crying
- Nausea or other gastrointestinal distress
Someone suffering from Nosocomephobia could easily have a full blown panic attack at just the mention of taking a trip to the hospital. They could also refuse needed medical attention because of their fear of being in a hospital, even if they are physically suffering!
Why Should I Get Treated?
Even though hospitals can be deeply unpleasant places, they are the best place to get urgent and essential medical care that can save your life or help give you a longer and better quality of life due to important treatment. This fear is incredibly dangerous to your health if ignored and could even cost you your life.
You could also miss out many wonderful opportunities due to failing health not being addressed at a hospital. You could also miss out seeing people close to you who need your support and comfort who are in the hospital. You could miss seeing someone before they die and regret it for the rest of your life. This phobia could cost you both physically and emotionally in long and lasting ways.
You could also miss out many wonderful opportunities due to failing health not being addressed at a hospital. You could also miss out seeing people close to you who need your support and comfort who are in the hospital. You could miss seeing someone before they die and regret it for the rest of your life. This phobia could cost you both physically and emotionally in long and lasting ways.
Why See The Phobia Guru For Treatment:
I am often able to help people break free of their phobia in just one session, using the scientifically proven power of hypnotherapy combined with NLP and an immersive therapy option. My therapy skillfully combines these techniques uniquely to create the most powerful, effective and quickest way to beat a phobia. You will be in the hands of a trained phobia expert who will help you transform your mind and liberate yourself from even the most extreme fears.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.