What to Know About Trypanophobia—A Fear of Needles

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsHow Is Trypanophobia Diagnosed?Possible CausesWhat Is the Impact of Trypanophobia?TreatmentHow to Cope With a Fear of Needles

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

How Is Trypanophobia Diagnosed?

Possible Causes

What Is the Impact of Trypanophobia?

Treatment

How to Cope With a Fear of Needles

Trypanophobia is the extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. It tends to be more common in children and may lessen as people grow older and gain more experience having medical procedures and injections involving needles. For some people, however, this fear can remain extreme and distressing during adulthood.

Symptoms of Trypanophobia

If you have trypanophobia, you may dread receiving medical care, particularly injections. When you are required to undergo a medical procedure, you are likely to experience high blood pressure and an elevated heart rate in the hours and days leading up to your procedure. At the time of the event, your blood pressure may rapidly drop and you may even faint.

Other common symptoms of this phobia include:

People will also engage in avoidance behaviors, which can affect medical care if they refuse to get treatment due to their fear of needles. In some cases, these feelings of anxiety can become so severe that a person experiences apanic attack.

If you or a loved one are struggling with trypanophobia, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with trypanophobia, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

In order to diagnose your condition, a doctor will perform a physical exam to rule out any potential physical conditions that might be contributing to your symptoms. They will also ask questions about your symptoms including information about the severity, duration, and nature of what you have been experiencing.

In order to bediagnosed with a specific phobiasuch as trypanophobia, your symptoms must:

Additionally, your symptoms must be present for a minimum of six months and not be due to another disorder or illness.

What Causes Someone to Be Afraid of Needles?

Scientists are still unsure precisely what causes needle phobia. Like other specific phobias, a number of different factors may play a role. Some factors that may contribute to trypanophobia include:

Aside from the physical symptoms that usually accompany this condition, trypanophobia has the added danger of potentially altering behavior. People may avoid visiting the doctor or dentist so they don’t have to have any injections.

Although the actual phobia is of needles, it can lead to a more generalized fear of medical and dental healthcare providers. In extreme cases, a person with this phobia may refuse to receive even routine checkups.

5 Common Effects of Phobias on Your Emotions and Personality

How Is the Fear of Needles Treated?

Psychotherapy

Exposure therapy is the treatment that is often recommended for treating specific phobias such as needle phobia. Through techniques such assystematic desensitization, you can gradually learn to tolerate needles.

The goal of systematic desensitization is to gradually expose you to needles in a controlled, safe setting, beginning with seeing a syringe without a needle, then a syringe with a needle, and eventually allowing you to handle the needle.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can also be highly effective in treating trypanophobia. Some experts have also found success usinghypnotherapywith their patients.

Medication

Selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)and other related medications may sometimes be prescribed to help decrease anxiety. Benzodiazepines can be in the short term to relieve acute anxiety symptoms.

One thing that may help you cope with a fear of needles and injections is finding ways to get treatment without needle injections. With new routes of medication distribution being developed all the time, a person with trypanophobia may be able to receive important treatment without being exposed to needles at all.

For instance, jet injection forces medication through the skin using high pressure. Jet injectors not only reduce the pain and fear associated with needles but also eliminate some of the risks of accidental needle sticks.

There are ways of testing blood sugar and performing other needed medical tests without needles. However, some medications and tests still require injections or blood draws, making the use of a needle sometimes unavoidable.

Self-help strategies that can help you cope with needle phobia include relaxation strategies such asdeep breathing,visualization, andprogressive muscle relaxation. You may also findmeditationandmindfulnesspractices helpful.

What to Know About Trypanophobia—A Fear of Needles

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Raghvendra TP, Yadav P, Saxena S, Dodia RA, Patel TD.Trypanophobia-an extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures: An overview.Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2010;4:18-21.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington, DC; 2013. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596Jenkins K.II. Needle phobia: A psychological perspective.Br J Anaesth.2014;113(1):4-6. doi:10.1093/bja/aeu013McLenon J, Rogers MAM.The fear of needles: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Adv Nurs. 2019;75(1):30-42. doi: 10.1111/jan.13818Orenius T, LicPsych, Säilä H, Mikola K, Ristolainen L.Fear of injections and needle phobia among children and adolescents: An overview of psychological, behavioral, and contextual factors.SAGE Open Nursing. 2018;4:2377960818759442. doi:10.1177/2377960818759442Ritz T, Meuret AE, Ayala ES.The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm.Int J Psychophysiol. 2010;78(1):50-67. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2010.05.007Barolet D, Benohanian A.Current trends in needle-free jet injection: an update.Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2018;11:231-238. doi:10.2147/CCID.S162724

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Raghvendra TP, Yadav P, Saxena S, Dodia RA, Patel TD.Trypanophobia-an extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures: An overview.Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2010;4:18-21.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington, DC; 2013. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596Jenkins K.II. Needle phobia: A psychological perspective.Br J Anaesth.2014;113(1):4-6. doi:10.1093/bja/aeu013McLenon J, Rogers MAM.The fear of needles: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Adv Nurs. 2019;75(1):30-42. doi: 10.1111/jan.13818Orenius T, LicPsych, Säilä H, Mikola K, Ristolainen L.Fear of injections and needle phobia among children and adolescents: An overview of psychological, behavioral, and contextual factors.SAGE Open Nursing. 2018;4:2377960818759442. doi:10.1177/2377960818759442Ritz T, Meuret AE, Ayala ES.The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm.Int J Psychophysiol. 2010;78(1):50-67. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2010.05.007Barolet D, Benohanian A.Current trends in needle-free jet injection: an update.Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2018;11:231-238. doi:10.2147/CCID.S162724

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Raghvendra TP, Yadav P, Saxena S, Dodia RA, Patel TD.Trypanophobia-an extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures: An overview.Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2010;4:18-21.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington, DC; 2013. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596Jenkins K.II. Needle phobia: A psychological perspective.Br J Anaesth.2014;113(1):4-6. doi:10.1093/bja/aeu013McLenon J, Rogers MAM.The fear of needles: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Adv Nurs. 2019;75(1):30-42. doi: 10.1111/jan.13818Orenius T, LicPsych, Säilä H, Mikola K, Ristolainen L.Fear of injections and needle phobia among children and adolescents: An overview of psychological, behavioral, and contextual factors.SAGE Open Nursing. 2018;4:2377960818759442. doi:10.1177/2377960818759442Ritz T, Meuret AE, Ayala ES.The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm.Int J Psychophysiol. 2010;78(1):50-67. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2010.05.007Barolet D, Benohanian A.Current trends in needle-free jet injection: an update.Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2018;11:231-238. doi:10.2147/CCID.S162724

Raghvendra TP, Yadav P, Saxena S, Dodia RA, Patel TD.Trypanophobia-an extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures: An overview.Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2010;4:18-21.

American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington, DC; 2013. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Jenkins K.II. Needle phobia: A psychological perspective.Br J Anaesth.2014;113(1):4-6. doi:10.1093/bja/aeu013

McLenon J, Rogers MAM.The fear of needles: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Adv Nurs. 2019;75(1):30-42. doi: 10.1111/jan.13818

Orenius T, LicPsych, Säilä H, Mikola K, Ristolainen L.Fear of injections and needle phobia among children and adolescents: An overview of psychological, behavioral, and contextual factors.SAGE Open Nursing. 2018;4:2377960818759442. doi:10.1177/2377960818759442

Ritz T, Meuret AE, Ayala ES.The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm.Int J Psychophysiol. 2010;78(1):50-67. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2010.05.007

Barolet D, Benohanian A.Current trends in needle-free jet injection: an update.Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2018;11:231-238. doi:10.2147/CCID.S162724

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?