The phobias have their own names and we must not commit the lightness of confusing them with fears, shyness, insecurities and stress that are part of common life and that, indeed, make all of us more “human”, drawing individual peculiarities.
For phobiain general, we mean a “accused and persistent fear which is excessive and irrational, unleashed by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation”; In other words, an inexplicable, extreme, disproportionate and persistent fear towards certain situations, objects, activities, living creatures (animals or human) or even the only thought of them; Although not in itself a real threat, the object of the phobia can trigger real impetuous and dysfunctional behaviors by those who suffer from it, which thus tends to be overwhelmed by terror without an apparent justification.
Probably anyone of us find themselves reading this article will think that it is normal to try fear in seeing yourself attacked by someone with a knife or other sharp object, or that emotions are in the face of violent scenes in which sharp objects are used; Just as it is quite frequent and “normal” to have a minimum fear towards objects such as syringes, scalpels or other tools that we associate with situations in which our health or life are in some way to be considered in danger.
All this, in itself, can be considered as one physiological reaction of the organism in the face of a frightening situation, of threats or danger.
But there is one specific phobia which makes it unthinkable to be able to even imagine living one of the situations mentioned above; We are talking about the Belonephobia (also known as tripanophobia), otherwise called fear of the needle, which is defined as a persistent, abnormal and unjustified fear of needles and pins and, in the most important cases, also of scissors, knives and other sharp or sharp objects.
The symptoms of these patients are in most cases represented by strong anxiety And they may include fainting, palpitations, tachycardia, increased sweating (especially at the palms of the hands), dizziness, pallor, nausea, sensation of vertigo in seeing the needle or other feared objects.
To this phobia We can see associated, as direct consequences, also other problems, namely theemophobia (fear of blood) and the traumatophobia (fear of wounds).
The combination of these phobias makes it really complicated to manage one’s reactions: fear can become so strong that it terrified the person until they even refuse them necessary medical interventions. The consequences and repercussions on the state of health can therefore be very serious.
Negative relapses can also interact on the health of others, in fact the Belonephobia It seems to be, to date, the cause most cited by non -donors (60%) as Deterrent to blood donation or its derivatives.
It seems that these are a fairly common disorder, since it seems that about 10% of the world population suffers from it, even if it is not better specified to what extent. It is thought that this phobia can have a genetic cause, since many of those who suffer from it have a relative with the same fear, but it has not been demonstrated in any way to date. It also seems that men are more affected than women, although the latter are statistically more phobic than men.
Who suffers from Belonephobiait can present strong states of anxiety in situations where the objects just mentioned represent do not represent a real concrete threat. For example, for a Belonephobic, to have to go to an analysis laboratory to get a blood test It can represent an extremely strong anxiogenic stimulus; Or to see that someone manipulates a knife while cooking, can lead him to have a real anxiety crisis.
In extreme cases, to try to cope with their fear, people with Belonephobia they avoid handling the much feared objects or even eliminate them from the environments they frequent; they try not to find themselves in situations where the risk of getting in touch (even visual only) with these objects is very high; They avoid analyzes, medical examinations, dental visits and so on, only for the fear of being able to deal with acuminated and sharp needles or objects.
In the most serious cases, as well as for all other types of specific phobias, people Belonefobic They end up avoiding more and more and always greater extent, any environment, context or person, for the fear that they can lead them to involuntarily come into more or less direct contact with the object of their fear; This can lead these people to isolate themselves socially and emotionally, limiting contacts with the outside world as much as possible and making the normal development of their lives at least difficult.
Although it seems that this phobia It is usually present since youth, although it is possible that the person reports that he has crossed several phases of gravity of the problem, a specific moment, for women, in which this can suddenly exacerbate and become dysfunctional for their health, it can be represented by pregnancy.
In these cases, women manifest great difficulties when dealing with blood checks (which are now provided monthly by the national health system), in the case of possible prenatal invasive tests (such as amniocentesis or villocentesis) and, finally, in case of need to be subjected to local anesthesia for childbirth.
Other situations in which the problem can create important difficulties for the individual who suffers and concern for those around him, can be surgical interventions (even if planned and not urgently), road accidents, simple vaccines, care that foresee theUse of Siringhe or Fleboblood sugar samples in the case of check-up for diabetes, etc.
As pointed out in an interview by Dr. Ottavio Perini, municipal president of one of the major national blood collection centers: “In our long experience we see it every day: if someone is afraid of the needle, it does not come to donate. The precautions and attention to the donors and donors who fear the sight of the blood can be many and we have specific strategies with a reassuring effect. Cover the bag but also to be chatting the donors are the first care towards donors who live the sight of the blood with strong stress. withdrawals.
Precisely with a view to acting before needing a withdrawal, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy can play a central role, helping the person immediately recognize the problem, thus obtaining a diagnosis as early as possible, and to overcome it within a few weeks thanks to the use of specific techniques.
In fact, precisely because this phobia risks endangering health and jeopardizing the possibility of carrying out clinical analyzes, finding the solution that best suits your needs is the first step consequent to the diagnosis, and in this of the adequately prepared specialists on the subject they can play a decisive role.
