Phobia

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Hi…

So i am getting really down lately due to the fact i have a phobia of needles. The way i am upset is because no body, absolutely nobody takes this seriously. It’s not a “natural human thing” as my mother would say. This is serious. I miss school vaccinations, i shape my life to make sure i do not need to get needles. It makes me cry talking about them and seeing pictures and no one i know takes it seriously. My best friend tells me to grow up and that i am old enough now but no one gets it. The last time i got vaccinations, i had to be physically held down by nurses and my dad and i screamed and almost passed out. He then later told me my behavior was unacceptable and if i did it again i were to be grounded.

People act as if i am just being an idiot and a child but it is a serious subject that absolutely no one respects.

It puts me down that no one takes this serious and it hurts. What can i do?

Tags: asked July 22, 2015

3 Answers

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Needles are quite unpleasant, and I also have trouble getting vaccinations and blood drawn. What I usually do when I get a shot is close my eyes and look away, try to think about something nice like getting a treat after seeing the doctor.
When you live in an area in which such things are inevitable (in my state, vaccinations are required to go to a public school- very controversial decision), you're going to have to conquer your fear. I don't know if something triggered this fear in particular, but you can do things like watching videos of shots being administered and viewing images of needles. I wouldn't recommend you see videos right off the bat. Just try and go with what's comfortable for you right now and try and work your way up. Think of a list of things that would be easiest to start with so you can desensitize yourself from needles. Go as small as you can- go at your own pace. You can do it!
Another thing you can try is seeing a therapist or counselor to help you work through your problem. You need some support from someone who won't make you feel bad for your fear.
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Phobias are scary, and no matter how much we tell ourselves that they're irrational and silly, we can't get rid of the fact that they're terrifying. And that's okay. You don't need to "grow up", your behavior is not "unacceptable", and while this is a problem, it's not your fault. You didn't ask to develop this phobia. You didn't wake up and think, "I think I'll have a phobia of needles".

You do need to deal with this, but "sucking it up" is not going to fix anything. Time, therapy, and patience will. Just like a broken bone, phobias can change the way your daily life plays out, and pushing yourself too hard and getting frustrated when your phobias aren't 100% gone is just like trying to run on that broken ankle and getting frustrated when it doesn’t heal.

What you need, first and foremost, is a better support system. Your family and friends don't understand phobias. Plain and simple. They think it's just something childish, something you can get over with "courage and a good attitude". But it doesn't work that way. You need to show them what it means to have a phobia. Sit down and talk with them about what it's really like, and educate them. If that doesn't work, then you need to get out of that situation as soon as you can and find better people who will support you the way you need to be in order to get rid of this phobia.

You do need to get your vaccinations, and you do need to defeat this phobia. But acting like it's not a big deal and shoving yourself into a scary situation is not going to solve a single thing. It's going to make it worse. This is a psychological problem--fix it by getting therapy, not by trying to convince yourself that you're being a child. You aren't. Phobias happen to everyone, regardless of age or situation. This isn't a case of "being brave". This is a case of "I'm struggling and the only way to fix this is through therapy".
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I suggest seeing a therapist since what your dealing with is mental and I would say there is nothing wrong with you for fearing needles it’s just negative thoughts about needles. If you work training your mind to see needles as not scary then your mind will bring to think nothing of it.