Emetophobes

[Coughisoff]

We don’t seem quite as irrational now do we 😀

All the hand washing, hand sanitiser, avoiding places and people, carefully preparing food etc.

The rest of the world just caught up with our OCDs and weirdness.

This is a tiny bit light hearted. Also a tiny bit not.

My child is emetophobic, and under the care of one of the country’s most eminent researchers & psychologists, an expert in this condition.

She pointed me towards recent research that emetophobia isn’t like other phobias (not even the medical ones like fear of blood or needles). It doesn’t react well to the kinds of therapies that are often very successful for other phobias- like CBT and exposure therapy.

She said it presents (and is insidious like) OCD and some eating disorders. She says it can be very life-limiting and needs serious attention, especially in kids and teens. She explained that emetophobia can quickly spread its tentacles into behaviours like avoiding contact with others (in case they have hidden contagions), avoidant issues with food (like needing solid proof of ‘best before’ dates on absolutely everything before it passes their lips), and more.

This hardly ever happens with ‘normal’ phobias. You don’t tend to ‘spread’ your fear response to birds, say, if you have a moth phobia. Or obsessively discuss hang-gliding if you have a phobia about heights. Emetophobia is just different, and they don’t know much about why, yet. It is rapidly increasing in many age groups, and still being mis-diverted into largely useless (and expensive) treatments/therapies.

I completely understand the OP’s relief that people are paying more attention to hygiene. It isn’t schadenfreud at all, just a courtesy that the public have arrived at through self-interest/fear of coved-19. They could have been doing it for years just as good manners and a basic understanding of science. Plus a little empathy for those with weaker immunity or emetophobia-type issues.

I have been actually very relieved that corona virus is "just" pneumonia and not vomit. If it were the latter I'd be in a bunker right now. As it is I feel like I don't really mind if I get it!

Ridiculous.

Sod "being kind". If you post something that doesn't make sense, or that people disagree with, they're going to tell you.

Nitpickpicnic yes it is very different and complex you’re right. I’m very sorry for your child and I hope they get some relief from it.

It is different. Ethically you can’t expose a patient completely to this fear as you would a spider, button etc. Maybe that’s what makes it so tricky. Who knows. X

how infrequently people without this phobia wash their hands and touch their faces

I don't think that's true, sure there's some gross people who don't, but many do. Just saying as that would make me even more anxious thinking that!

Emetophobe here. Unbelievable that some posters on this thread can't grasp what you're saying.

The first thing I say to my husband and children when they come home is "go and wash your hands please" and has been for years! Not much has changed in this house! I went to a gathering yesterday and took a bar of soap and flannel with me for handwashing in case there wasn't any soap in the toilets ... again, pretty standard behaviour for me.

I'm an emetophobe, and I understand OP. I've always been open about my hand-wipes and antiviral foams, using them in public even when my DH pulls a face and says I look like a lunatic - when he asked for my sanitiser in a cafe yesterday I said rather crossly, no-one thinks I'm a lunatic now do they.

All we are saying is - we've practised good (obsessive) hand hygiene for years due to our irrational and excessive fear of contracting stomach bugs, and now Covid-19 has temporarily induced similar avoidant behaviours in non-emetophobes.

Some of the comments in this thread suggesting that OP is "gloating" or "laughing at people who have died" - really, you took that from what they said? Nobody is laughing or gloating.

Very interesting post NitpickPicnic - thank you. That explains a lot!

Nitpickpicnic
My son and I both had CBT on the NHS and it was a total waste of time. I was hoping it would work for my son since his behaviours weren't so ingrained but we're both as bad as we ever were, worse in some ways

What does your psychologist suggest? I'd really appreciate any info because I can't bear to think of my son being crippled by this for the rest of his life.

I thought the same this week. I work in a school and we had an assembly on hadnwashing, there was no assembly when half the school were off with a stomach bug and we ended up so over run that we closed. They are doing handwashing before the kids get to class, before break, after break, before lunch...didnt do that for stomach bugs. I hope people begin to realise how poor somepeoples hygiene levels are.

@Nitpickpicnic can I ask which doctor and if this is NHS? Is it helping your daughter?

Also, you are a brilliant parent for taking this seriously. My parents just punished me and made it clear how annoying my unusual behaviours were. 🤷‍♀️

No one is laughing at people dying from coronavirus here.

It's just funny that our lives can be ruled and ruined by excessive behaviours to try not get ill, and we go through therapy after therapy to try stop them, and now these behaviours have suddenly become worldwide guidance for the general population.

The irony is funny. People think my excessive hand washing is stupid, and now they're bulk buying hand sanitisers and washing their hands the same as I do.

I don't like looking at vomit - it's unpleasant although I suspect that I share that with the majority of the population so I wouldn't call it a phobia - more a distaste. It's good that hand washing has been highlighted because it irritates me that people don't do it in even the most basic situations like after using the toilet. The amount of times I've seen someone use a public toilet and then walk straight out - that is disgusting. Yes, there aren't always great hand washing facilities in public toilets but even where there are, I've still seen people ignore them. So I get the OP's point that it has raised the issue but phobia or not, OCD or not, people should be practicing hand hygiene.

Love that you're using my MH condition as a joke. Thanks OP. FYI despite having actual OCD I'm not worried and other than hand washing don't have any clean compulsions 🤷‍♀️

She hasn't laughed at people who have died Bumblebee. She is simply commenting that those who might have previously commented on Emetophobic cleaning behaviours; are now having to adopt a lot of the same behaviours.

Whataroyalannoyance Sun 08-Mar-20 07:22:15
I thought the same this week. I work in a school and we had an assembly on hadnwashing, there was no assembly when half the school were off with a stomach bug and we ended up so over run that we closed. They are doing handwashing before the kids get to class, before break, after break, before lunch...didnt do that for stomach bugs. I hope people begin to realise how poor somepeoples hygiene levels are.

Agree with this ^

CorianderLord, I have several symptom-types of extremely severe OCD and didn't take that the OP was mocking our condition? Calling emetophobic behaviours 'OCDs' is problematic but the OP has OCD herself and just meant that compulsive cleaning behaviours are the norm now. People do need to be aware that OCD is about distressing, recurrent intrusive thoughts and that it can have a debilitating impact on all areas of life and cause a complete functional breakdown but I don't think the OP was saying anything about that.

PS. As I said I've previously spent months in hospital for OCD and many of the other patients at the specialist OCD unit had never had issues with compulsive handwashing or germ-fears.

OCD is about intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviours.

For goodness sake! Lighten up! The OP was being 'lighthearted'! No of course they didn't mean to make light of people dying from Coronavirus, and they didn't say that. I'm sure the OP is as equally sympathetic and feels as much for the victims of this virus as anyone else.

For what it's worth OP, I completely get you. I'm a therapist and have worked with people with emetophobia. It can get so bad it leads to suicide and self harm for some. Why not make it a little light hearted to cheer yourself and other emetophobes up. It's a tough illness to live with.

And to those on about the OP making light of OCD, no they r not. Emetophobia shares many of the same traits as OCD and many emetophobes have both conditions. They are linked and also comorbid with anxiety and depression. Emetophobia is more than just worrying about being sick. It completely takes over a person's life in many cases, stopping them eating and leading them to compulsions such as repeated and excessive handwashing.

Leave the OP alone!

OP, hope your recovery journey is over soon, keep going, listen only to positive messages and supportive people, and you will overcome your emetophobia. Keep smiling, stay positive, keep laughing

She hasn't laughed at people who have died Bumblebee. She is simply commenting that those who might have previously commented on Emetophobic cleaning behaviours; are now having to adopt a lot of the same behaviours.

well to be fair.. washing hands is on most people routines... certainly mines ... and I've never heard of anyone criticising or commenting on such behaviours .. I'm more likely to comment on those not hand washing ... so lighthearted as the thread may be.. it's also a very weird thread...

I get you op.

But as someone with severe ocd who's had a panic today as a product I regularly use a lot was unavailable due to panic over covid 19 it's causing me quite some anxiety.

I'm ok for most items but this particular one which I use for a particular task which I can't not do being short stocked is a major problem for me.

I'm hoping people generally calm down soon, yes maintaining what to me is normal good personal hygiene going forward - like a pp I've been repeatedly shocked the number of people who don't wash hands after going to the toilet! Not just in public bathrooms but in their own homes where there are absolutely good facilities for doing so. No excuse for that In my opinion and I've noticed too over the years people who claim they have certain conditions which I KNOW they have poor personal hygiene and I strongly suspect if they just bloody washed their hands they'd suffer much less.

Prices have shot up too, I've today seen a pack of 3 standard antibacterial sprays being advertised for sale at around £40! Insanity!

@Coughisoff thanks for starting this thread as it’s something I’ve been thinking of a lot! I’m a fellow emetophobe and so grateful that COVID is a flu style disease vs stomach bug. If it was a vomit bug I don’t think I could leave the house.

Hoping that people’s hand washing hygiene will be maintained as it’s important to stop all bugs.

I’m interested to hear from people who have had CBT and therapy for this and that it hasn’t helped. I too have tried a few therapies and I can’t shake it. I try and stay rationale with hand washing and food checking but it’s hard. Anyone have any other positive stories to share how they’ve overcome or reduced their fears? Any support or advice is much appreciated

Hoping everyone stays well x

I get it. when there's a bug in my household, I follow all the current corona virus guidelines and have been doing so for years. Hand washing, wearing gloves , never letting my hands anywhere near my face. it's exhausting. CBT has never worked for me. If coronavirus caused vomiting, I'd believe I'd be suicidal by now

I've been referred for EMDR for mine, just waiting for an appointment to come out in the post. The lady who did my initial assessment to see if I qualified for it said there's been a lot of success in using it for emetophobia.

JKD1982, CBT didn't work for me either. I did manage to get through the the final stages (i.e. watching youtube clips of people throwing up etc.) of Exposure and Response Prevention and all it did was re-traumatize me and makes things worse!!

I've had EMDR too but it didn't help and I think it made me more anxious and on high alert.

@Coughisoff

So you take the piss out of people, and mock their afflictions, but it's OK, because you said

LIGHTHEARTED

ha ha ha LOLOL!!! You are sooooooo funny!

Jog on eh?!