What Does Trypanophobia Mean? Its Symptoms And How To Cure It?

What Does Trypanophobia Mean? Its Symptoms And How To Cure It? . Trypanophobia is a psychological condition which is characterized by extreme fear of medical procedures and hypodermic needles. Though the condition is also referred to by several other names including aichmophobia, enetophobia etc, but these terms often refer to the condition of ‘fear of pins and needles’ and don’t refer to trypanophobia specifically.

Trypanophobia was specifically recognized and noted in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual in 1994 as a ‘specific phobia of blood, injection or Injury’.

Though the condition Trypanophobia is characterized by non specific and extreme fear of medical shots or injections, there are several different variations of the condition.

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• Vasovagal Trypanophobia: This is the most common variant of the condition and affects about 50% of all individuals suffering from this condition. This is of a familial origin with about 80% of individuals suffering from this variant indicating that a first degree relative also suffers from similar symptoms. Individuals suffering from this variant of trypanophobia can suffer from a syncope or fainting with sudden fall in blood pressure at the sight, thought or feeling of needles or needle like objects.
• Associative Trypanophobia: This condition is the second most common variant which affects about 30%.
  
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  This condition is characterized by a specific phobia which involves associating a traumatic or extremely painful surgical procedure witnessed by self, friend or a family member, with all other procedures involving needles.
• Resistive Trypanophobia: This variant of Trypanophobia is characterized by not merely the fear of needles or injections but also being restrained or controlled. This variant affects about 20% of all trypanophobics and is associated with repressive upbringing or handling needle procedures with emotional and physical restraint.
• Hyperalgesic Trypanophobia: This is not a real fear or a form of trypanophobia, but is associated with inherited hypersensitivity to pain, which is associated with symptoms of the condition.

What Are The Symptoms Of Trypanophobia?

The different types of variants of trypanophobia tend to manifest with different types of symptoms. The most common symptoms associated with the condition include the following,

• Mental symptoms include sudden unexplained anxiety along with insomnia and panic attacks just prior to the procedure.
• Physical symptoms may include sudden fall in blood pressure and syncope attacks, with rapid increase in heart rate, avoidance and flight.
• The physical and mental symptoms will mimic all efforts that will be directed towards avoiding the procedure or at least delaying the intervention which involves a needle procedure.

How To Cure Trypanophobia?

As per the article by Dr Hamilton in 1995, he recorded over 23 deaths due to vasovagal shock in response to a needle procedure. This clearly indicates this apparently harmless fear can often be associated with mortality.

The treatment for most types of trypanophobia includes desensitization by progressively exposing the patient to gradually increasing frightening stimuli. This eventually helps the patient to desensitize to stimuli that triggers a phobic response.

In recent times a concept of ‘applied tension’ is also being used to maintain blood pressures and prevent consequences of a sudden drop in blood pressure levels.