Phobia of needles – Overcome the fear of needles

A very common fear is a phobia of needles. In fact the fear of needles effects nearly 25% of the population but the people with an actual phobia is thought to be nearer to 10%.

A needle phobia is often linked to a fear of blood. This often leads to the sufferer avoiding any medical treatment that may include needles such as blood tests or shots.

It should be noted that the sufferer often isn’t scared of needles in themselves but rather has a fear of them being used on themselves.

Needle phobia is a recognized condition and you can get help for it. If it is adversely effecting your life or if you are likely to need medical attention that includes needles then you should get help.

What causes a phobia of needles?

It is unknown what causes a phobia of needles but it is likely caused by ideas and thoughts that have been given to the person by loved ones or television.

How to get over a phobia of needles

Like other forms of anxiety a phobia of needles can be treated. There are 2 types of needle phobia. The first is vasovagal reflex reaction. This is categorized as someone who has an almost reflex reaction when they see a needle, they faint. The second type is a kind of taught needle phobia. The person may have a had a traumatic experience at a younger age that involved needle treatment, this is called a classic phobia.

The first thing to consider when treating the phobia is that the feeling of the needle going into the skin is often the trigger. This can be reduced and almost completely removed by using a local anesthetic when treatment is required.

Psychotherapy and hypnotherapy are two popular treatments and do have reasonably good success rates but cognitive behavior therapy is always a great option in most cases of anxiety disorders.