How do you treat a phobia of blood injection?
How do you treat a phobia of blood injection?
Blood-injury-injection (BII) phobia presents with a unique anxiety response that often involves blood pressure drops and pronounced bradycardia, which can culminate in fainting. The current recommended treatment for BII phobia is Applied Tension (AT), a tension technique that includes in vivo exposure.
What is the best treatment for phobia?
The best treatment for specific phobias is a form of psychotherapy called exposure therapy. Sometimes your doctor may also recommend other therapies or medication.
What is blood phobia?
The term for the irrational fear of blood is hemophobia. It falls under the category of “specific phobia” with the specifier of blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia in the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
Can phobia be treated?
Treating phobias Almost all phobias can be successfully treated and cured. Simple phobias can be treated through gradual exposure to the object, animal, place or situation that causes fear and anxiety. This is known as desensitisation or self-exposure therapy.
How common is blood injection injury phobia?
Blood injury injection (BII) phobia is a common psychiatric disorder, with an estimated prevalence of 3% to 4% in the general population [1, 2].
What causes blood injection injury phobia?
Causes of BII phobia have yet to be fully understood. There is a body of evidence which suggests the phobia has genetic underpinnings, though many phobics also cite a traumatic life event as a cause of their fear. The fainting response accompanying the phobia may have originated as an adaptive evolutionary mechanism.
When does a fear become a phobia in need of treatment?
A fear becomes a phobia when the anticipation, or anxiety, as well as the mental and physical response is so great that is it debilitating and interferes with everyday life.
What causes blood phobia?
Causes. Blood phobia is often caused by direct or vicarious trauma in childhood. Though some have suggested a possible genetic link, a study of twins suggests that social learning and traumatic events, rather than genetics, is of greater significance..
What medication is used to treat phobias?
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are most often prescribed to treat anxiety, social phobia or panic disorder. These can include: escitalopram (Cipralex) sertraline (Lustral)
How long does phobia therapy take?
The treatment usually last a number of hours, and can be administered in one very long session (e.g., one 3-hour session for spider phobia) or across multiple sessions (e.g., three to eight 1-1.5-hour-long sessions).
What causes blood injury injection phobia?
