I'll die, but I won't go. More than half of Russians are afraid of doctors

The word "hospital" directly speaks of pain. He who is not afraid of pain can be considered a happy person! Most people tend to put off visiting a doctor, but only those who are gripped by fear of doctors will do so as long as they have the strength to endure their suffering. Some people shudder at the thought of having their blood drawn in a laboratory or having to get vaccinated. Unlike a child who dodges, runs away, and screams obscenities, an adult, as a rule, knows how to muster all his will - and, if absolutely necessary, courageously go through all the necessary procedures. As a rule, these actions are accompanied by increased blood pressure, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath, nausea, and spasms in the gastrointestinal system. Is this normal?

In countries with high quality standards of medical care, it has long become the norm to adapt the environment in which a person is forced to be helpless into one that is as comfortable and calm as possible. The generally accepted ethics is the doctor’s attitude towards the patient not as an object or object of healing manipulation, but as a living person. Since our medicine still operates according to the standards of a field hospital (post-war legacy), the psychological comfort of the patient who sees the doctor is the last thing that is taken care of. This is one of the most important factors that aggravate such a common phenomenon as the fear of doctors - iatrophobia .

In general, the figure of the doctor in Russian culture is still sacralized. The doctor’s word is law; it is addressed from the bottom up, without analyzing the prescribed treatment regimen or therapy. At the same time, each of us has experience of unsuccessful treatment and incorrect selection of medications (which, unfortunately, can lead to tragic consequences) and interaction with “bad” doctors. A psychologist, as a rule, not dressed in a white coat, is perceived in two ways: on the one hand, the attitude is not always serious (“You are not a doctor!” - this phrase sounds like a statement of incompetence, inability to provide full assistance), on the other hand, only the absence of white a robe often saves the client from developing fear and mistrust. This is why I, as a clinical psychologist, believe it is important to talk about issues of proper interaction with doctors.

What is iatrophobia

Iatrophobia (iatrophobia) is a fear of doctors, fear of hospitals, fear of taking blood tests and of everything related to medical care. The patient experiences a panicky fear of doctors when he thinks that he needs to visit a specialist. Even a preventative medical examination turns into torture. Jatrophobes do not visit their relatives if they end up in the hospital.

There are several subtypes of jatrophobia:

• Dentophobia – fear of dentists;
• panic fear of gynecologists;
• pharmacophobia – fear of taking any medications;
• Nosocomephobia is an irrational fear of visiting a hospital.

This is interesting! 4% of the world's population suffers from a phobia.

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Jatrophobia is a condition that is somewhat familiar to almost every person. Who hasn't felt nervous walking into a doctor's office or nervous about upcoming surgery?

Those who are familiar with these feelings will understand a little about a person suffering from iatrophobia, which is a panicky, overwhelming fear of medical workers.

Until recently, this disorder was associated with the white color of the coat - a memory that was allegedly deposited in the child’s memory after the first unpleasant manipulations of the doctor and then controlled him in adulthood. But changing the color and style of the medical uniform did not reduce the percentage of patients unable to cross the threshold of the doctor’s office. Does this mean that people suffering from iatrophobia cannot get medical help? No. But this means that the right steps should be taken towards “mental” recovery.

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Manifestation of jatrophobia

The need to visit a doctor or the thought that this needs to be done plunges a person into stress. In response to this, the body produces an increased amount of adrenaline - a stress hormone. Because of this, somatic changes occur:

• increased heart rate;
• increased blood pressure;
• headache;
• dizziness;
• shiver;
• dry mouth;
• nausea;
• gastrointestinal disorder;
• dyspnea;
• problems with coordination;
• noise in ears;
• migraine;
• feeling of suffocation;
• general weakness.

During a panic attack, not only somatic changes are observed, but also cognitive deterioration. Concentration weakens, a feeling of unreality of what is happening arises, consciousness becomes confused. The patient's behavior becomes inappropriate. He can be rude, attack doctors, or turn around right outside the office and run away.

Children with iatrophobia fall into hysterics and panic, trying to run away and hide. They bite and throw toys or other objects. Similar reactions are noticeable at home, on the way to the hospital, in front of the medical office, inside the office.

Is this treatable?

Jatrophobia can be overcome, psychologists are sure, but for this, efforts must be made not only by the patients themselves, but also by their loved ones.

— If a person is afraid of going to the doctor, he should not be shy and tell his close people about his problem. They, in turn, should help the person with conversation and support. Don’t laugh or joke about this, but listen and find the cause of fear,” says psychiatrist Berezantsev.

You should also try to replace the image of the “evil doctor” in the patient’s head with another, more friendly one. For example, it is better for relatives to try to find a good, understanding doctor, thanks to whom the patient’s impressions of people in white coats will change. If these methods do not help and the patient’s phobia becomes more serious—panic attacks begin when trying to go to the doctor, the person falls into a depressive state—then you should not hesitate to consult a psychotherapist.

— A person with iatrophobia must understand that refusing medical care completely is not an option. We need to look for ways to overcome this fear in order to avoid sad consequences,” the psychiatrist added.

Causes of phobia: fear of doctors

The reason for the development of iatrophobia is a person’s personal negative experience, psychological trauma. Incorrect treatment, complex surgery, lengthy therapy, painful treatment and much more can be the reason for fear of doctors. Fear of death, distrust of people or medical workers, fear for one’s life and health, fear of becoming infected with something within the walls of a hospital - this is what underlies yatrophobia.

Fear of doctors syndrome can be caused by a person’s complexes. If an individual is afraid to visit a specific doctor, for example, a dentist, then the problem may be an inferiority complex, uncertainty, or suspiciousness. Many women, especially young girls, are afraid and embarrassed to visit a gynecologist. People with similar types of phobias delay the visit until the last minute, refuse preventive examinations, thereby causing irreparable harm to their health.

Thus, the following reasons for the development of phobia can be identified:

• medical error;
• death, disability, long-term illness of a loved one (due to the fault of doctors);
• personal experience of incorrect, painful, irresponsible treatment;
• suggestibility (a person believes other people’s stories, news from the media);
• fear of pain;
• bad habits, addictions, incorrect lifestyle (fear of condemnation, exposure);
• hypochondria (fear of learning terrible news, receiving a terrible diagnosis).

It is important! Tantrums in children under two years of age are not associated with iatrophobia, but with a fear of strangers. If a child goes to kindergarten and communicates with other adults, then the fear goes away on its own. Behind the fear of doctors there may be a fear of the unknown, fear of pain and injections.

Tips and tricks

The fear that has arisen, which has not yet developed into a severe mental disorder, can be overcome independently. To suppress it, you need to realize that the person working with patients is the person with whom you are building a relationship.

A few tips to help reduce your fear of going to the hospital:

• The easiest way would be to trust a specialist who has good reviews from other patients. You can ask your friends which doctor they would recommend. Then the jatrophobe will be more comfortable at the appointment, since he will know that he has seen a competent worker.
• You need to learn to trust yourself. Personal anxiety and uncertainty become the reasons for distrust in the actions of medical personnel. A person suffering from iatrophobia should try to listen to his body and boldly tell the doctor about all the problems. You can share your fears about visiting hospitals with him to establish a partnership.
• It is recommended to look for information regarding the diseases that have arisen, but you need to use serious sources, and not amateur forums on the Internet. There are specialists who provide free online consultations. There is no need to concentrate on reviews from people who speak negatively about doctors. People rarely talk about positive impressions, but people will definitely write about bad experiences.
• Sometimes you need to wait a little before starting your appointment, but you can pleasantly while away 10-15 minutes by reading a magazine or listening to music on your player or phone. While waiting for your turn, you can keep yourself busy writing work or personal plans.

In addition, it is necessary to prevent the emergence of a feeling of helplessness. When following simple tips and therapeutic recommendations, one should not forget about activities that give positive emotions: communication with friends, creativity, social activity, sports, various types of hobbies. It should be remembered that making decisions on important issues makes a person the master of his life, body and soul. The more often the jatrophobe reminds himself of this, the faster his obsessive fears will leave him.

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Types of phobias

If you once experienced severe anxiety before going to the doctor, this does not mean that you suffer from a phobia. Children have tantrums in front of doctors' offices very often, but this also does not mean that the child is developing iatrophobia. It is important to be able to distinguish a phobia from normal phenomena.

The difference between iatrophobia and ordinary fear

A characteristic feature of a jatrophobe is a complete rejection of traditional medicine and the use of folk remedies for treatment. A patient would rather entrust his life to some grandmother-healer than visit a doctor. A healthy person, despite strong fear, understands the importance and necessity of high-quality, professional treatment.

Phobia of fear of doctors in children

Children's phobic fear is often caused by incorrect behavior of parents. As a rule, children copy their parents' fear, anxiety and increased emotionality in hospitals. The second development option is possible: parents intimidate the child, punish him for hysterics and crying in front of the doctor’s office, and threaten him.

In addition, anxiety can be caused by the individual characteristics of the child (temperament, character, mental properties). For example, not all people tolerate tactile communication well. But if in adulthood a person knows his own characteristics and knows how to live with them, then the child has only to get to know himself. Or the child has an increased pain threshold, due to which just one routine examination in the hospital can result in psychological trauma.

Fear of doctors in adults

Most jatrophobes prefer to go to private clinics, trying to protect themselves in this way. There is a stereotype that private clinics have a higher level of services and higher qualifications of specialists. In fact, a paid service does not mean that it is a quality service. But the quality of equipment and repairs in public clinics often really leaves much to be desired and repels visitors.

Jatrophobia in adults may hide other phobias, each of them has its own name:

• algophobia – fear of pain;
• hemophobia – fear of blood;
• thanatophobia – fear of death;
• trypanophobia – fear of injections and syringes;
• pharmacophobia – fear of drug treatment;
• Aichmophobia – fear of sharp objects;
• nosophobia – fear of contracting any disease;
• nosocomephobia – fear of hospitals.

How to deal with phobia of fear of doctors

The specificity of a phobia of doctors is that if the patient is afraid of all doctors, then he will not want to go to a psychologist. In this case, it is necessary to convince the patient that the psychologist is a mentor, an assistant, and not a doctor. You can contact a private practicing psychologist and arrange consultations in the patient’s home. Self-treatment of jatrophobia is appropriate only at the early stage of the phobia; in other cases, only professional treatment will help.

Overcoming fear on your own

How to overcome your fear of doctors:

1. Find one doctor about whom your friends speak positively, go only to this specialist. Or choose only one medical center and go there exclusively.
2. Be open, try to build partnerships and trust. If you are not comfortable communicating with a doctor, he is rude, or behaves tactlessly, then refuse his help.
3. Find out as much information as possible about the hospital and doctor you want to see. Don’t be afraid to ask, to clarify issues of concern. Find out information first-hand, do not believe reviews and articles on the Internet.
4. Do not self-medicate, refuse traditional medicine. It is important to remember that herbal preparations also have a number of side effects and contraindications.
5. Try to see doctors at a time when you are not under additional stress.
6. Try to create a comfortable environment for yourself. Distract yourself with something positive, take your favorite book with you, invite a loved one to go with you.

How to overcome your child’s fear of doctors and hospitals and hospital visits:

1. Choose a moment when the child feels well, rested and in a good mood. In a calm tone, talk about the importance of hospitals and treatment. It would be good to back this up with examples, refer to fairy tales, someone’s stories from the child’s immediate environment, personal experience.
2. Before visiting the doctor, in a calm environment, ask what exactly is bothering your baby. Find words that will destroy his fears. It is important that the child feels care, love, respect, and sincere interest on the part of the parent, then he himself will honestly tell everything.
3. On the way to the hospital, near the office and at the reception, create the most comfortable environment possible. Be calm yourself, take your child’s favorite toy, distract him with something interesting and pleasant. Imagine what you will do after visiting the doctor.
4. Describe the entire upcoming process, play out with the child what awaits him. If you have a painful procedure, don’t hide it, but don’t exaggerate it either.
5. Tell a fairy tale in which the doctor acts as a hero, a savior.

It is important! You cannot intimidate a child, say that you will leave him in the hospital, or that for disobedience the evil doctor uncle will give him an injection. Intimidation and cruelty will not help overcome panic in a child. You can overcome panic in front of the dentist and other doctors, tests, examinations and other procedures only with the help of trust, affection, and positive emotions.

Advice from psychologists

Treatment methods such as hypnosis, group psychotherapy, and psychoanalysis are used. In case of severe psycho-emotional exhaustion, medication is indicated as an auxiliary therapy, and sedatives are prescribed. The goal of psychotherapy is to change the patient’s negative attitudes and associations. We need to identify the root cause of fear and eliminate it.

Definition and Description

People often experience anxiety and worry before going to specialists in medical institutions, but this cannot be called pathological fear. The fear of doctors is called iatrophobia, or iatrophobia. The name consists of two Greek words: yatros - “doctor” and phobos - “fear”. In this disorder, a person experiences increased anxiety, which is why he chooses to postpone visiting medical professionals or refuses to go to the hospital.

Iatrophobia is quite dangerous as it greatly affects the health and general life of the person suffering from this fear. If a person constantly avoids going to the clinic, he can neglect the disease he has developed. Sometimes jatrophobes get to the point where a relative or friend of the patient has to call an ambulance for him.

Health care in well-developed countries is characterized by high quality. Specialists organize an environment in which it is easier for the patient to adapt and feel comfortable and cozy. Doctors treat patients not as objects of treatment, but as living people. They try to establish trusting relationships with clients. Unfortunately, this has not yet been observed in Russia. In our country, psychological comfort for patients is rarely taken care of, which aggravates the condition of people who try to avoid medical workers.

About 30% of the world's population suffers from iatrophobia. People who are not susceptible to phobias easily suppress their fear of visiting a hospital and do not mention it in conversations with friends. At the initial stage of iatrophobia, a person hides his inner feelings from others, but he will feel terrible on the way to the hospital and at the doctor’s appointment.

Jatrophobes are not able to overcome severe anxiety on their own, since they do not always understand the causes of unpleasant sensations. Fear of doctors and hospitals can be due to various factors. Only by identifying them will it be possible to cure a person of a phobia.

Preventive measures

It is necessary to increase stress resistance and learn to control emotions. The weaker the general mental state, the higher the likelihood that a fear of doctors (phobia) will develop.

What to do to prevent your child from developing a fear of doctors:

• parents should not show their fears and anxieties (in 95% of cases, children adopt their parents’ reactions);
• You cannot intimidate a child;
• encourage your child with gifts and surprises.

Try to always end your visit to the doctor with positive emotions, then positive associations will form. In the case of children, you can agree with the doctor and give him a gift, which the doctor will give to the child after the session.