Healthbolt

No Needles Please…I’m Belonephobic.

by Liz on February 27th, 2008

 Liberty posted last week about a great way to deal with injections.

“Next time you find yourself with a needle barreling toward any one of your body parts, revert back to your toddler days and begin counting out loud to anyone who will listen. And why is that? Because Japanese researchers were good enough to find that counting may effectively numb you to injection pain. “

It’s a great idea and will probably work for the majority of people having to face the needle. But for a small percentage of us (and yes, I include myself), the idea of injections and needles turn us into quivering, irrational messes.

We are needle phobic and it’s no laughing matter.

There’s an official name for it - belonephobia - and it’s listed as a medical condition in the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV).

Of course, like any other phobia, there are degrees of belonephobia that range from simple avoidance to a full blown vasovagal reaction (ie fainting) at the sight of a needle.

Not sure whether you’re suffering from a simple dislike of needles or are suffering from belonephobic. Then this quiz is for you…

1. Do you believe that you have a phobia of needles?
A. Nope. They never bother me.
B. I think so, because it hurts to get jabbed.
C. I beleive I do, though I can’t say that there is any logical reason for the intensity of my fear.

2. You’re at your doctor’s office, and he or she tells you that you will need to get a shot. Which of the choices below best reflects your reaction?
A. I roll up my sleeve and hold my breath.
B. I become anxious and begin to bargain with the doctor to avoid the injection.
C. I either ‘freeze’ or suffer a full-fledged panic attack.

3. Have you ever avoided medical treatment because you know a needle would be involved ?
A. Never. Shots aren’t pleasant, but they’ve never scared me away from needed treatment.
B. Maybe once or twice. But when push comes to shove, I’ll get my shots when I need them.
C. I frequently avoid seeing the doctor any time I believe an injection is going to be involved.

4. Has anyone in your family even been officially diagnosed or reported having needle phobia ?
A. No.
B. Though none of my relatives have even been officially diagnosed, there is at least one who always expresses their fear of injections.
C. Yes, I have at least one immediate relative who has needle phobia.

5. Please rate how bothered you were by the pictures that appeared in this quiz (ABC)
A. They didn’t bother me at all.
B. I found them somewhat disturbing.
C. I could hardly look at them without feeling anxious or repulsed.

Do the quiz and then head over the ABC quiz results pageto find out what it all means.

I had one A and the rest were B which means I have ‘needle phobic’ tendencies…

How about you ?

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