Is Your Spouse Avoiding Going to the Doctor to Investigate a Persistent Cold, or the Mystery Rash On His or Her Hand?

Maybe It's More than Fear. Maybe He or She Has a Medical Phobia.

Overcoming Medical Phobias

Maybe when he or she avoided visiting a sick friend because hospitals made them nervous, you shrugged your shoulders. When he or she rejected the idea of donating blood because just seeing a needle made him or her feel faint, you thought it was kind of cute. But now the fear is preventing your spouse from getting the medical treatment he or she needs, and you’re getting worried. Just what is the problem?

It could be that your loved one has a medical phobia—a condition that is equally common among women and men. Here are some ways you can help the person in your life deal with a medical phobia:

Be Supportive. Supportive encouragement is the best approach to take. If he or she is reluctant to see a doctor because of some fear of a medical procedure, just try to understand exactly what the fear is and address it in a supportive, understanding way. Do not make fun of the fear! Remember, for the affected individual, it is very real, and it may be embarrassing for him or her to admit to it. Offer to go with them to the doctor if that would help.

Help get information. Encourage your spouse or loved one to talk to friends who may have seen a doctor for a similar problem or procedure so that they can understand what is really involved. This may help to put the fear into a more realistic perspective, and hopefully allow him or her to realize that the outcome he or she fears may not be as likely or as bad as he or she thinks.

Help make a plan. Discuss ways that the doctor's visit might be broken up into smaller, less fearful steps. For example, think about having a first visit, just to meet with the doctor and discuss concerns, fears, etc., but have no procedures done right away. Consider having a more minor procedure (e.g., having their blood pressure taken) on a subsequent visit and then consider having more fear-inducing procedures (e.g., blood drawn, injections given) on later visits, once a comfort level has built up.