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Fear of Blood
Symptoms and Treatment
for the Fear of Blood
The
fear of blood may be caused by a previous negative experience with blood. Those
who have been through a traumatic injury or illness that caused a major loss of
blood may be at increased risk. Hemophobia is often related to other phobias - some people
with a fear of blood also have other medical phobias, such as fears of medical
needles, doctors and dentists. Bleeding is an indication that something is
wrong with the body, and the sight of one’s own blood can be enough to trigger health anxiety
- in some cases, the fear of blood may be related to the fear of death
By Lisa Fritscher
Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD
Hemophobia, or fear of
blood, is a common specific phobia.
The fear is categorized
by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual as part of the subtype
“blood-injection-injury” phobias.
This subtype, which also
includes needle phobia, can cause symptoms that are not frequently seen in
other types of specific phobias.
Symptoms
Most types of specific phobia cause heart rate and blood pressure to
rise. Hemophobia and other blood-injection-injury phobias frequently
cause a drop in blood pressure and heart rate.
The sudden drop can lead
to fainting, a relatively common response to the sight of blood.
Anticipatory anxiety, in which you may experience a racing heart, shaking, and
gastrointestinal distress, is common in the hours and days before an upcoming
encounter with blood.
Causes
Hemophobia is often
related to other phobias.
Trypanophobia, or fear of medical needles, is sometimes associated with
hemophobia.
Some people with a fear
of blood also have other medical phobias, such as fears of doctors and
dentists.
The field of medicine is
popularly associated with gruesome images of spilled blood, particularly in
television and movies, which may help to perpetuate such phobias.
Hemophobia may also be
associated with health phobias including hypochondriasis and nosophobia.
Bleeding is an indication
that something is wrong with the body, and the sight of one’s own blood can be
enough to trigger health anxiety.
In those who
experience mysophobia or fear of germs, the sight of someone else’s
blood can trigger fears of catching a disease.
In some cases, the fear
of blood may be related to the fear of death.
Hemophobia may be caused
by a previous negative experience with blood.
Those who have been
through a traumatic injury or illness that caused a major loss of blood may be
at increased risk.
However, hemophobia may
be inherited or even be rooted in evolutionary factors.
Hemophobia
in Popular Culture
Because the fear of blood
is extremely common, it is frequently exploited in popular culture.
Horror movies and Halloween
events prey on our natural aversion to blood, often featuring large quantities
of fake blood in full Technicolor glory.
Of course, as the 1980s
slasher genre proved, it is easy to become emotionally numb to such images,
particularly for those who have a fear, but not a full-blown phobia.
Part of the reason that the shower scene in 1960s Psycho is
still considered a masterpiece is the relative lack of gore.
The scene was shot in
black and white, and the knife never actually pierces the skin.
Yet the mind fills in all
of the details of a gruesome knife attack.
Spilled blood sometimes
creates a paradox — we can’t bear to look, yet we can’t bring ourselves to look
away.
Consequences
Hemophobia can cause a
wide range of difficulties that may prove life-limiting or even dangerous.
If you are afraid of
blood, you may be reluctant to seek medical treatment.
You might postpone or avoid annual physicals and needed medical
tests. You may refuse surgery or dental treatments.
Parents with hemophobia
may find it difficult or impossible to bandage their children’s wounds. You
might pass these tasks off to your spouse whenever possible.
You may also overreact to
minor injuries in your children as well as yourself, frequenting emergency
rooms or walk-in clinics when home treatment would suffice.
A fear of blood may also
cause you to limit activities that carry a risk of injury. You might be unable
to participate in outdoor activities such as hiking, camping or running.
You may avoid sports,
carnival rides and other activities that you perceive as dangerous.
Over time, such avoidant
behaviors can lead to isolation. You might develop a social phobia or, in extreme cases, agoraphobia.
Your relationships might
suffer, and you might find it difficult to participate in even the normal
activities of daily living. Feeling depressed is not
unusual.
Treatment
Hemophobia responds very well
to many treatment methods. One of the most common is cognitive-behavioral therapy.
You will learn to replace
your fearful self-talk with healthier responses to the sight of blood. You
will also learn new behaviors and coping strategies.
If your phobia is
severe, medications can help control the anxiety, allowing you to focus on
treatment strategies.
Other forms of talk
therapy, hypnosis, and even alternative treatments may also be helpful.
A skilled therapist can guide you through the process of recovery, which can
be difficult or impossible on your own. With help, though, there is no reason
for hemophobia to control your life.
Lisa Fritscher
Writer
Expertise
Phobias
Education
University of South Florida, Polk
State College
Highlights
Experienced in community
mental health
Case management and hands-on
care at various mental health facilities
Experience
Lisa Fritscher is a former
writer for Verywell Mind covering phobias. Lisa first became interested in
mental health during her childhood, when she frequently accompanied her mother,
a therapist, to work at the Winter Haven Hospital Community Mental Health
Center. With years of familiarity in the field, it was only natural that Lisa
would follow in her mother's footsteps. Her diverse experiences include both
case management and hands-on patient care at a variety of residential and
outpatient facilities.
Education
Lisa holds a Bachelor of
Arts in psychology from the University of South Florida.
Verywell Mind Editorial
Process
Verywell Mind is an
award-winning, trusted, and compassionate online resource that provides the
guidance you need to improve your mental health and find balance. We take a
human approach to health and wellness content and reach more than 150 million
readers annually.
Our editorial team includes
writers, editors, and fact checkers who are all focused on making sure our
information is clear, accurate, and actually useful so you can make confident
choices about your mental health.
Our writers are notable voices
in their respective disciplines, including board-certified physicians,
therapists, health journalists, and other mental health experts. These
individuals are specifically selected for both their extensive knowledge and
real-world experience, as well as their ability to communicate complex
information in a clear, helpful, and unbiased way.
Our team of qualified and
experienced fact checkers provide a critical step in our commitment to content
integrity. Fact checkers rigorously review articles for accuracy, relevance,
and timeliness. We use only the most current and reputable primary references,
including peer-reviewed medical journals, government organizations, academic
institutions, and advocacy associations.
Steven Gans, MD
Review Board Member
Psychiatrist
Expertise
Psychiatry, Psychotherapy
Education
Harvard Medical School, Boston
Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, Rush University Medical College, Massachusetts
General Hospital
Highlights
Assistant professor of
psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
Attending psychiatrist
at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, where he leads a
team-based approach to the management and recovery of patients with serious
mental illnesses
Board-certified in psychiatry
by the American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology
I am thrilled to be involved
with Verywell in their mission to bring accurate and accessible information
regarding health issues to everyone. This is an especially crucial time that
the information available to the public in understanding their health is
factual, clear, and contextually useful.”
— STEVEN GANS, MD
Experience
Dr. Gans is passionately involved
in the practice and teaching of psychotherapy. He is an active supervisor,
teacher, and mentor in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/McLean Adult
Psychiatry Residency Training Program and in their Program in Psychodynamics
(PIP). A graduate of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, he is a
supervisor and mentor in their Advanced Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training
Program.
He serves as a psychotherapist
attending to the Pavilion program at McLean Hospital. Dr. Gans was a
psychiatric consultant for the Laurel
Hill Inn eating disorders treatment program, and served as the Clinical
Challenges editor for the Harvard
Review of Psychiatry. He has previously been named to “Best Doctors” by Boston Magazine.
Education
Dr. Gans received a Bachelor
in Science degree from Loyola University of Chicago. He earned his medical
degree from Rush University Medical College. Dr. Gans did his residency in psychiatry
at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He is a graduate of the Boston
Psychoanalytic Society and Institute.
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