Traumatophobia (fear of being injured): symptoms, causes and treatments

This anxiety disorder is based on an irrational fear of the possibility of being injured.

The experience of physical pain is something that is not usually pleasant or attractive but that, sooner or later, happens to us. Either by some accident or carelessness, or by some intervention or surgical operation.

However, there are a number of people for whom this possibility generates an exaggerated fear and extremely high levels of anxiety. We are talking about people who suffer from traumatophobia, a specific phobia of which we will speak throughout this article..

What is traumatophobia?

According to the classification of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), traumatophobia is a specific phobia classified under anxiety disorders. in which the person experiences an abnormal and pathological fear of being injured, hurt or suffering any physical damage or wound.

The root of its name comes from the Greek terms "trauma" translated as wound, together with "phobos" which can be literally understood as fear. Traumatophobia is therefore understood as the experience of an exacerbated fear. experience of an exacerbated, irrational and uncontrollable fear of being physically injured or harmed..

One of the main characteristics of traumatophobia is that when the sufferer is exposed to blood, an injury or even an injection, they begin to experience feelings of extreme anxiety provoked by the fear of this phobic stimulus.

As a consequence of this irrational and excessive anxiety, traumatophobics manifest a constant desire to avoid specific objects and situations in which there is a possibility that they may be exposed to the phobic stimulus. in which there is the possibility of getting hurt.to the point of avoiding potentially healing medical procedures.

However, really serious cases of traumatophobia have been described in which any activity or situation is a cause for panic. Tasks and exercises such as running, cooking, driving, hiking or any kind of sport can be a complete torture for the person, who will look for all kinds of reasons and excuses not to have to carry them out; the final and most serious consequence of this phobia being the fear of leaving the house.

This makes people with traumatophobia experience great difficulties to develop their daily life normally. This means that this condition can interfere in the work, social and personal life of the subject.

But it is normal to feel fear of pain, isn't it?

Of course it is. Experiencing physical pain in any form or degree is not something that is usually pleasant or attractive (excluding, of course, any pain-related paraphilia). Aversion to and avoidance of pain is a logical reaction in any person who does not like to suffer; however, there are However, there are profound differences between this type of aversion and a phobic fear characteristic of traumatophobia.

The main distinguishing features that differentiate a normal fear from a pathological fear are:

• The fear response is excessive and disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the situation.
• The fear is irrationalThe fear is irrational, to the point that the person is unable to find a reasonable explanation for his or her sense of fear.
• It is uncontrollable. This means that the person is completely unable to control the sensations he/she experiences.
• It provokes avoidance and escape behaviors..
• The fear presents itself consistently over time and across feared situations.

What symptoms does it present?

Since traumatophobia is part of a diagnostic classification of anxiety disorders, it is composed of a series of symptoms and presents the same clinical picture as the rest of specific phobias.

The first and main symptom is the feeling of fear of the possibility of being hurt or injured, but there are many other symptoms that can be associated with this phobia.but there are many other symptoms that accompany it. Although they do not necessarily present themselves in the same way in all people, the clinical symptomatology of traumatophobia includes physical symptoms, cognitive symptoms and behavioral symptoms.

1. Physical symptoms

Physical symptoms appear as a consequence of a hyperactivation of the nervous system. in response to the occurrence of the phobic stimulus and are usually the first symptoms that the person consciously experiences.

• Increased Heart rate and palpitations.
• Increased respiratory rate..
• Sensation of suffocation or shortness of breath.
• Muscle tension.
• Increased sweating.
• Headaches.
• Gastric disturbances such as stomach pain and / diarrhea.
• Dizziness or vertigo sensation..
• Nausea and/or vomiting.
• Fainting.

2. Cognitive symptoms

In addition to the physical symptoms, traumatophobia is distinguished by a series of cognitive symptoms which form the basis of this specific phobia and in turn feed it, making it increasingly stable and strong.

This cognitive symptomatology manifests itself through distorted thoughts and irrational ideas about physical injuries and wounds. about physical injuries and wounds. These ideas are also characterized by being intrusive and uncontrollable and are usually accompanied by mental images with catastrophic content in relation to the possible dangers or threats of this phobic stimulus.

3. Behavioral symptoms

Finally, the third group of symptoms is that which includes the altered behavioral patterns of the person with traumatophobia. These tend to interfere with the person's daily life, modifying the way he or sheThese tend to interfere with the person's daily life, modifying the way he/she behaves and generating two different types of responses: avoidance behaviors and escape behaviors.

Avoidant behaviors include all those behaviors that the subject with traumatophobia carries out with the aim of avoiding the phobic situation or object. For example, avoiding a risky sport.

On the other hand, escape behaviors originate when the person has not been able to escape the phobic situation or object. when the person has not been able to avoid confrontation with the feared situation.This will trigger all kinds of acts or behaviors that will allow you to escape from the situation as soon as possible.

What are the causes?

There are many factors that can influence the development of a specific phobia. However, the experience of a highly traumatic experience related to the phobic stimulus is usually the most frequent of all.

Although it is difficult to find the specific causes that have provoked a person to develop a phobia, since sometimes not even the person is aware of it. sometimes not even the person is aware of the events that may have caused the phobia..

Among the other elements or risk factors that can enhance the development of a phobia are:

• Genetic determinants.
• Personality patterns.
• Cognitive styles..
• Direct conditioning.
• Vicarious learning or learning by imitation.

Is there a treatment?

Although not everyone who suffers from a phobia usually seeks help, in the specific case of traumatophobia it can be highly disabling. can become highly disablingand therefore its treatment is necessary.

With the development of therapies and treatments for anxiety disorders, a series of action protocols or treatment guidelines have been created that can help reduce the symptoms of the phobia and allow the person to lead a normal rhythm and lifestyle.

Traditionally, the treatment of phobias has been based on psychological intervention. This has proved to be the most effective and with the most stable results. Cognitive restructuring is carried out to eliminate distorted thoughts, accompanied by live exposure or dissociative techniques. techniques of live exposure or systematic desensitization (SD). (SD).

These techniques consist of gradual exposure to the situations related to the phobia, either live or through imagination. Along with this, a training in relaxation techniques is performed to reduce the level of physical symptoms of anxiety.