Getting one, however, is still a ordeal for Walker, who has needle phobia. “I’ll get really wet and then get cold sweats,” she said, describing her reaction to routine injections. “Then I’m going out.”
Walker has been living with fear of getting injections for years. She remembers being terrified at the age of 12 or 13 when she got a flu shot from the doctor.
Fortunately, experts say that treatments for needle phobia can be very effective. If you leave the condition untreated, it can have a fear that becomes even more intense over time.
What is a phobia?
“Phobia is a fear and anxiety about a specific stimulus,” said Dr. Jeffrey Geller, president of the American Psychiatric Association, and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts medical school explained.
About 30% of people will experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetime, Geller said. Of these, between 7% and 9% of individuals have a specific phobia.
What’s more, a fear of needles goes beyond vaccinations. People with severe phobias can avoid medical care altogether, even if it means deteriorating health.
Can you handle the fear on your own?
For needle-phobic people who get injections despite their fears – like Walker – the experience can be unpleasant. Common symptoms include dizziness, fainting, insomnia, sweating, muscle tension and increased alertness.
People with a relatively mild fear of needles can cope with their anxiety by practicing relaxation techniques themselves, Geller explained.
“There are many meditation techniques that one can teach,” he said, pointing to meditation and yoga as useful practices.
Or you can invite a trusted friend or family member to join you, Geller said, even if they can not accompany you to the procedure room. “Come after the injection with a support person,” he said, adding that practicing relaxation techniques with your support person can strengthen the coping mechanism.
Anti-anxiety medication is another option. Although most are only available by prescription, diphenhydramine is an antihistamine that the brand name Benadryl refers to.
Although the drug is usually used for allergies, it can have a calming effect that can help reduce anxiety. (Even for over-the-counter medications, it is essential to consult a primary care provider before using them, Geller said.)
When to seek help for needle phobia
Although the above techniques can make a big difference when it comes to the nerves that are calm about needles, professional phobias can ask for professional help.
Some of the most popular approaches are cognitive behavioral therapy, a collaborative process where individuals work with providers to change their thoughts and behaviors.
Of all the methods he uses to treat phobias and anxiety in his practice in Southern Pasadena, California, psychologist Jeff Prater said CBT is the most common. Prater teaches patients to use relaxation techniques during a series of sessions as they gradually face their fears.
“The general approach is to create a hierarchy, starting from something that does not make them anxious at all, and then constructing the hierarchy to the most frightening situation they can think of related to their needle phobia,” Prater said. .
In the beginning, he said, it could mean relaxing in a room where a needle is locked inside a drawer.
“As soon as they can think of it without any anxiety, I will open the drawer,” he said. ‘Then I’ll put it on the desk. They will see it. And then we gradually move closer to the point where they pick it up. ‘
Why is it important to deal with your needle phobia now?
Between four and ten sessions is enough to treat most people with needle phobia, Prater said. As vaccinations for Covid-19 are available in the coming months, it is important to seek help for needle phobia as soon as possible.
If you ignore the problem, you may experience more years of anxiety. If your phobia is not treated, it can have symptoms that get worse over time. While many children lose their fear of needles as they move toward adulthood, full-fledged phobias get worse over time, Prater said.
It’s a kind of feedback loop. “What drives anxiety is avoidance,” Prater said. “If you avoid the situation, your anxiety decreases temporarily. But when you face the situation again, your anxiety increases again. And it does not just return to the same level – it actually increases.”
Only by addressing concerns can an individual stop the progression of the feedback loop, Prater said.
This is what Walker, the fourth-year medical student, did. When she gets flu shots every year, she will surely inform the person giving shots that she may faint afterwards. But she always goes through it and has found that deep breathing techniques can help.
“I say every time ‘OK, I’m getting better, I know what to expect, I know how it works.’ It got better, ‘she said.
As part of her training, Walker also does regular injections, and she said she views the work as a form of exposure therapy. The insertion of intravenous needles caused her needle phobia, but she persisted. Because Walker’s education requires her to constantly face her phobia, in some ways it resembles the therapy Prater offers to his own patients.
Walker plans to become a pediatrician, and she has been working with many young patients who are afraid of getting their annual vaccinations. Her own experience of needle phobia, she said, is a source of empathy she can use to better connect with them.
“Usually I say to them, ‘It’s good, I’m getting very nervous, too. But I’m still going to be a doctor. ‘If I can be a doctor, you can get this one injection,’ ‘she said. “It’s OK to be scared.”
Jen Rose Smith is a writer based in Vermont. Find her job at jenrosesmith.com, or follow her on Twitter @jenrosesmithvt.