Overcoming Trypanophobia or the Fear of Needles

Overcoming Trypanophobia or the Fear of Needles Phobias Types Print Overcoming Trypanophobia or the Fear of Needles By Lisa Fritscher Lisa Fritscher is a freelance writer and editor with a deep interest in phobias and other mental health topics. Learn about our editorial policy Lisa Fritscher Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on November 28, 2019 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD on November 28, 2019 kupicoo / Getty Images More in Phobias Types Causes Symptoms and Diagnosis Treatment In This Article Table of Contents Expand Symptoms Dangers Causes Treatment Needle-Free Medications Treatment Can Help View All Back To Top Trypanophobia is the extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. Despite the fact that an estimated 10% of Americans struggle with this phobia, it was not recognized as a specific phobia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) until 1994.?? Though specific to medical needles, this disorder is commonly referred to as “needle phobia” by the general public.?? Symptoms If you have trypanophobia, you may dread receiving medical care, particularly injections. When you are required to undergo a medical procedure, you are likely to experience high blood pressure and an elevated heart rate in the hours and days leading up to your procedure. However, at the time of the event, your blood pressure may rapidly drop. You may even faint.?? Dangers Aside from the physical symptoms that usually accompany this condition, trypanophobia has the added danger of potentially altering behavior. People  may avoid visiting the doctor or dentist so they dont have to have any injections. Although the actual phobia is of needles, it can lead to a more generalized fear of medical and dental healthcare providers. In extreme cases, the sufferer may refuse to receive even routine checkups.?? Causes Scientists are still unsure precisely what causes needle phobia. It seems to be inherited, as an estimated 80% of adults who have the condition reported having a first-degree relative that suffers from the same phobia.?? However, its possible that the fear is learned rather than biologically inherited. Some evolutionary psychologists believe that fear may be rooted in an ancient survival technique. Puncture wounds could be deadly, particularly in the days before modern antibiotics. Its possible that a fear of puncturing the skin was an evolutionary adaptation.?? Treatment Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been highly effective in treating trypanophobia. Through techniques such as systematic desensitization, a variation of exposure therapy, you can gradually learn to tolerate needles. Some experts have also found success using hypnotherapy  with their patients.?? The goal of systematic desensitization is to gradually expose you to needles in a controlled, safe setting, beginning with seeing a syringe without a needle, then a syringe with a needle, and eventually allowing you to handle the needle. Needle-Free Medications Of course, with new routes of medication distribution being developed all the time, a person with trypanophobia may be able to receive important treatment without being exposed to needles at all. For instance, jet injection forces medication through the skin using high pressure. Jet injectors not only reduce the pain and fear associated with needles, but they also eliminate some of the risk of accidental needle sticks.?? There are ways of testing blood sugar and performing other needed medical tests without needles. However, there are some medications and tests that need to be performed intravenously, making the use of a needle sometimes unavoidable. Treatment Can Help Trypanophobia is a serious condition that should be treated, as it could eventually lead you to miss out on medical care you need. And if a loved one has this phobia, take his or her concerns seriously. With the proper treatment, its possible to overcome this potentially serious phobic condition.