Iatrophobia, that is, the irrational fear of doctors, is a very common symptom around the world. People are most afraid of dentists, but fear of the gynecologist takes an honorable second place. A phobia is caused simultaneously by several factors: the doctor as such (white coat syndrome), shame (after all, a gynecologist must examine intimate parts that we are not used to showing to strangers), plus fear of pain.
The essence of fear
Sometimes young girls wonder how to stop being afraid of the gynecologist. The very thought of having to visit a female doctor worries them. However, an inspection must be completed. The thing is that timely examination by this specialist allows you to identify cancer and some other health problems at an early stage.
Young
Are you very afraid of the gynecologist? What to do? Many young girls worry that before a specialist they will need to expose most of their body, showing their genitals. It can be confusing the first time. Some girls are frightened by the prospect that a doctor may discover that they are not virgins.
But it is important to know that the doctor will under no circumstances disclose this fact. He does not have the right to do this, and it would be a violation of the law. Neither the parents nor any other relative will know this from the doctor.
The main purpose of a gynecological examination is to treat and check health, and not to determine the fact of virginity, to judge or read morals. Such behavior is an abuse of authority. This is punishable by law.
For fear of being examined by a gynecologist and being judged, it makes no sense to hide facts of intimate intimacy - this is confidential information that remains between the doctor and the patient. Hiding any facts from the doctor primarily harms the patient herself. After all, if a sexually transmitted disease is suddenly discovered, treating it in advanced stages will be much more difficult than in the early stages.
Fear of pain and dentists
The doctor search service DocDoc studied how many Russians are afraid of doctors and why. It turned out that 58% experience fear when visiting a doctor. The study involved 1,000 respondents aged 18 to 45 years from different cities of Russia.
Most of all respondents are afraid of dentists (36%). In second place by a large margin are gynecologists and urologists - 8%. Also on the list were gastroenterologists (3.6%), psychotherapists (2.8%), and surgeons (0.3%).
28% of respondents are afraid of the pain they could potentially experience when visiting a doctor. Another significant proportion of respondents do not understand why they feel afraid when visiting a doctor (11%) - they are simply scared, that’s all. Almost 7% of respondents have been haunted by fear of white coats since childhood.
“After conducting research, we realized that many people are not only afraid of the appointment, but are also embarrassed to talk about problems with their family. 50% of people do not tell their relatives about the diagnosis,” says Alexander Orinovsky, marketing director of DocDoc.ru. — In a situation where a person is left alone with a problem, he cannot always find the strength and time to take care of himself. And here the support of loved ones is very important. This needs to be talked about and it is important to fight against it.
Excitation
Are you afraid to go to the gynecologist? What to do? It is important to note that during the examination, a female representative should not experience pain. Of course, discomfort may occur, but the doctor is obliged to select the instruments in such a way as to eliminate it.
But some women feel awkward at the thought of being aroused during an examination. Sometimes this is the reason that they do not want to visit a specialist. It is important to remember that the examination is unlikely to be associated with pleasure, but also do not be ashamed of natural processes. In addition, fantasy is responsible for arousing a person, and another will never know what exactly aroused someone. The cause of arousal can be anything - a recently watched erotic video, or memories of something. This is a natural process that happens to all people, and the gynecologist knows this. It is important to note that women's vaginas are always wet inside, regardless of the level of arousal. That's nature.
Manifestations of iatrophobia. What kind of people are they who are afraid of doctors?
People with iatrophobia are not only afraid of doctors. They are afraid of getting infected with something, they may be afraid of injections, taking pills and much more that is only associated with medical workers and visiting medical institutions. They are horrified by the very smell of medicines, their appearance, there is even a fear of a white coat. People with iatrophobia may have the following personality traits:
- Diffidence. Self-doubt may not at all mean that we will see a timid or shy person in front of us. Uncertainty sometimes manifests itself in excessive aggressiveness (this is how people mask their fears) and assertiveness. They rarely say "I'm afraid." Rather, they will talk about their fearlessness.
- Having negative intrusive thoughts – such people may constantly think about something negative that could happen to them. Although in reality they represent exactly what will most likely never happen to them or the likelihood of implementation is extremely low.
- Tendency to perfectionism or pedantry. Self-doubt forces people to hide this uncertainty and their fears and strictly follow real or invented rules. They can spend hours cleaning their apartment to get rid of the “dirt” in the shower.
Among the vegetative manifestations when a person encounters a phobic, threatening situation, i.e. with doctors, the following are distinguished:
- Cardiopalmus.
- Unstable pressure.
- Excessive sweating, hands sweat more often and become cold.
- Headache.
- Nausea.
- Trembling of limbs.
All these manifestations occur with literally panic horror, which will be evidence of the presence of a phobia, and not just fear. Fears are easier to overcome than phobias. Jatrophobia, like any phobia, can act as a separate nosological unit in the clinic, or be one of the manifestations of a mental disorder.
Preparation
Which specialist should I contact? It makes no sense to think that illiterate specialists work in public clinics. This is nothing more than a delusion. Both private and public clinics employ a variety of doctors with different qualifications.
Are you afraid of the gynecologist? What to do? Before visiting a female doctor, you need to take personal hygiene measures. It is recommended to wash the genitals; periodic removal of hair will not be amiss - the whole point is that excessive hair provokes the proliferation of fungi and bacteria. Underwear must be clean. Such procedures will give the girl confidence. To make the examination more comfortable, you need to empty your bladder before coming to the doctor. After this, you should use intimate wet wipes. It is not recommended to visit a doctor during your period.
At the reception
For those who have never been to this specialist, but are wondering how not to be afraid of a gynecologist, the recommendations below will be especially relevant. There are several fundamentally important points during the reception.
The doctor will record personal information in the medical record. In order for it to be filled out correctly, you must answer the questions truthfully. If you hide some data at this stage, they will still emerge during the next examinations, when the young girl has already relaxed.
Mandatory examination
How not to be afraid of the gynecologist? You need to know what to expect from the inspection. During the examination, the doctor will measure body temperature, blood pressure, and determine weight and height. Emptying the bladder before the examination is necessary in order to better palpate the reproductive organ.
In addition, the doctor feels the breast to record the presence and absence of hardening in it. There is a special chair in the office for examining the genital organs. All the patient has to do is sit in it, and the doctor will take swabs to conduct tests. These procedures are extremely important if the patient wants to be healthy and enter this office as little as possible.
Colposcopy
The genital organs are also examined using a colposcope. This device resembles a microscope in appearance. It allows, using optics, to examine the cervix for erosions and other types of abnormalities. It is extremely important to detect such ailments in a timely manner, otherwise it is fraught with many complications in the future that will require long and unpleasant treatment.
In what cases is inspection required?
The question of how not to be afraid of the gynecologist disappears by itself when there is an urgent need for this. You need to be seriously wary if a representative of the fair sex does not have menstruation after reaching the age of sixteen, if she is bothered by swelling, irritation, if there is a specific odor from the vagina, redness, if menstruation is accompanied by severe pain. It is also mandatory to be examined by this doctor if there are pains during emptying of the bladder, or during violent acts. If you miss these points and do not consult a doctor in time, you can suffer from very serious problems in the future.
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.
Fear of infection
It should be noted that sometimes older female representatives also suffer from such fears. They are worried about phobias, for example, those associated with the theoretical possibility of catching some kind of infection during an examination. But it is important to know that in any gynecological office this is very strict: only sterile instruments are used here, which reduces the risk of infection to a minimum.
Pregnancy often leads to a woman developing suspiciousness. And pregnant women begin to fear that the doctor’s careless action will harm the fetus. But gynecologists are professionals in their field; they undergo many years of training before starting to practice medicine. In addition, their experience is enormous - after all, many patients pass through them every day. They will not allow negligence during the examination of a pregnant woman.
Dentophobia or fear of dental treatment
Another phobia associated with doctors and treatment is the fear of dentists and dental treatment. It stands out due to its high prevalence. Why are people so afraid of dental treatment? Are they afraid of pain? But now modern treatment methods are absolutely painless (only a certain period after treatment is noticeably painful). And dental phobia in its manifestations, like any phobia, is based precisely on irrational (subconscious, inexplicable from a logical point of view) fear. Therefore, fear of pain is unlikely to be the cause of dental phobia.
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Some authors try to connect phobias with heredity. Giving examples of children with dental phobia whose parents also had a history of fear of dental treatment, even to the point of phobia. It is difficult to judge how legal this is. Since it is also difficult to prove the opposite. People with dental phobia are afraid of the dentist, afraid of the treatment situation, injections, pain. Or maybe they just feel especially defenseless and dependent when visiting the dentist. They sit in this chair, you can’t close your mouth, you can’t leave, you can’t speak. In fact, nothing is possible, all that remains is to silently endure all the inconveniences. Plus, a stranger is very close and, in addition, performs strange actions with the oral cavity. The very actions of the dentist cause true horror.
When analyzing the possible causes (or rather, prerequisites) for the occurrence of dental phobia, psychological trauma is, of course, highlighted, as with any phobia. Of course, experienced most often in childhood and unlived, unprocessed by a child. In other words, the child simply “drives” his fear deeper and tries to live with it. Remember about dentists less often, and avoid phobic situations and even white coats as reminders of doctors. That is, he visits the dentist only when absolutely necessary, at the cost of incredible effort. Gradually, the fear of dentists reaches ever greater proportions, practically transforming into a neurotic disorder. And they shudder even at the mention of the dentist.
Important Tips
The most important thing in this matter is to choose the right specialist. You can ask your friends which doctor they go to. After positive reviews are received about the doctor, the fear will disappear. And you shouldn’t avoid male gynecologists - they can be very friendly.
You should treat the examination as another experience in your life. A sense of humor helps someone relax - regarding the height and height of the chair and how to climb onto it.
During a medical examination, you should try to relax. You need to breathe deeply and measuredly, think about your own health, and not strain the muscles in your body.
Sometimes it makes sense to immediately admit your fear. They never get kicked out for this.
Do not forget that it is important to ask the doctor any questions. When fear becomes too strong, a piece of paper with questions will be very useful. There's nothing funny about this. And if worries continue to appear, if they relate to a health condition, it is worth visiting the doctor again.
Someone notes that it is easier to go to a female doctor in a long sweater, so that you can go to the chair in clothes.
Often, women, after visiting a gynecologist and finding out that everything is fine, stop visiting the doctor on a regular basis. They remember it only in extreme and advanced cases. And often as a result of this behavior, women hear very sad verdicts. Therefore, you should undergo examinations regularly - at least once every 6 months, even if there are no complaints. Sometimes it makes sense to make unscheduled visits.
Jatrophobia and its possible causes
There is probably no object, phenomenon, or action in the world that would not be the subject of fear for many people. People are afraid of everything - death, illness, doctors, spiders, snakes. They are afraid of flying on airplanes, driving in cars, germs, getting their hair cut, or having their teeth treated. They are afraid of being indoors, of heights, of communication and much, much more. They surrender to their fear with amazing delight. They raise him inside, care for him and cherish him. Those around them begin to feel sorry for them and sympathize with them. But such behavior aggravates the development of phobias and obsessive fears.
Any phobia has a neurotic nature. The same applies to iatrophobia. A phobia helps to “hide” from life’s problems. Strangely enough, a person’s life with a phobia is more comfortable. But phobia interferes with harmonious development. It disorganizes a person's life. Deprives him of his freedom. Therefore, it is better to fight it than to live under restrictions.
Possible, predisposing causes of jatrophobia:
- Psychological trauma. It most often occurs, of course, in childhood. It is childhood impressions that leave the deepest imprint on a person’s soul. It is possible that a person close or significant to the child - mother or father, sister or brother - suffered from the intentional or accidental actions of the doctor. Perhaps the attending doctor did something terrible in the child’s opinion.
Moreover, this fear was instilled in the child’s head, of course, by an adult. Every person has a deeply individual perception of the world. What may seem nonsense to one may be disproportionately important to another. Especially for a child, since he easily succumbs to a variety of fears. Careless phrases from adults can be remembered by a child for a long time; with certain personality traits – high emotional sensitivity, easy suggestibility, lack of self-confidence – these statements will become a good “lever” for the emergence and further development of fear.
- Vivid negative experience. This can happen both in childhood and in adulthood. In fact, even a reasonable, adult person can develop a phobia of doctors.
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Provided that the seed of fear falls into fertile soil - that is, the person will be psychologically prepared for this fear due to his character traits. Why may people who have repeatedly encountered the rudeness of doctors and their incompetence (real or imaginary) not develop a phobia at all? Probably, everything depends not on the way a phenomenon or object influences a person, but on the characteristics of a person’s perception of these phenomena and objects.
- Fear of getting sick. Here one phobia seems to give rise to another. Because of the panicky fear of getting sick, people, oddly enough, stop visiting doctors.
After all, doctors are in the hospital and often communicate with all sorts of “infectious” individuals. And hospitals seem to people with a phobia of doctors and a fear of getting sick as breeding grounds for all sorts of dangerous and fatal diseases. Added to this is the fear of injections due to the danger of contracting AIDS or another dangerous disease through a needle.
