Trypanophobia Research Paper

Trypanophobia: The Irrational Fear of Injections

Kaleb Johnson
IB Psychology
Phobia Paper
Word Count: 1565

Trypanophobia is the irrational fear of injections, commonly referred to as needle phobia. It is approximated that roughly 10% of all americans suffer from this particular phobia.
When suffering from trypanophobia the thought of receiving medical treatment that involves injections cause extreme anxiety. Unlike most phobias trypanophobia frequently causes a drop in blood pressure and heart rate that could lead to fainting. As a result of this, the irrational fear can cause sufferers to avoid seeking medical care. This fear is constant with doctor visits as well as dental checkups. It is still unclear what causes trypanophobia. There have been speculations that
Modern research has shown that it actually can be passed down to offspring. A child’s environment can also be a stimulus for trypanophobia. Depending on how the particular child was introduced to needles could be the difference from a lifetime fear and an everyday part of life. Having a parent or guardian around who happens to have trypanophobia could affect a small child. Childrens perceptions of things can easily be shaped by an adult. So if a child is told over

and over that he/she should fear needles and associate needles with negative things then of course said child be become fearful of them. If a adult figure was to sit down and explain to a child that needles can harm but when in the right hands they can do unprecedented things for the body’s immune system. It all depends on how the kid grows up viewing needles. Once a child starts to associate needles with either positive or negative things it is hard to break that train of thought. With the proper guidance every child can have a better chance to the early stages of trypanophobia before it gets worse. Once the person grows into adulthood it can be extremely hard to reverse the symptoms but not impossible. By using a certain type of
Many people refuse to seek treatment when dealing with trypanophobia instead they would rather avoid their fear instead of trying to face it.
Trypanophobia is one of those conditions that just get harder to shake as you get older. It truly depends on how you are conditioned as a child. As a child a lot weighs on your first experience with needles. It is your parents responsibility to make the experience has enjoyable as possible. If done correctly needles could be a walk in the park for you but having a bad experience could cause a lifetime ignite a lifetime struggle that could have easily been avoided. I believe having a phobia like this can be more mental than anything. Needles typically do not hurt anyway it is usually the medicine placed inside. If a patient is able to get over the mental side of it her/she has a good chance of overcoming the phobia. With the right help anyone can potentially comfortable with needles. Needles are sharp which bring about an instinctive fear

from the early stages of life even through adulthood. This phobia is very real and has affected more people than i originally thought. I believe more pressure should be put on the parents to show all the great benefits needles can potentially give us