Tips for Overcoming Emetophobia (fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit)

[Meagannn]

When I was 6 I had a traumatic experience when I was sick for a couple weeks straight. From then on I was terrified of germs that make people vomit! It changed my life... it controls me...

I am now 21 and and fighting the battle of emetophobia alongside my OCD, anxiety and depression. I cant eat anything other people have touched and not even food with my own hands (I have to use a knife and fork or eat out of a packet). If there are situations where finger food is the only option, I starve myself because I cannot stand the anxiety of what germs I could be consuming. My diet is very limited because of it; when I have long 10/12 hour days at work I often don't eat or drink as I am scared of what I might consume (not the best on my body as I am naturally petite built and weigh around 45kg). I wash my hands to the point of them bleeding and cracked as I do not want to risk the spread of germs.

I feel alone... no one around me understands. They always say "no one likes getting sick" and "if you do, you get better afterwards" but they don't understand my anxiety around it. Even if my stomach feels unsettled the slightest I work myself up so much that I feel so nauseous and don't eat anything. It brings my self esteem down so much to see all these "normal" people around me that does let it worry them. It is even ruining my relationships with people closest to me as it is a lot for them to understand and they do not know where to start to help. I hate feeling like such a burden on everyone! It controls everything I do and no matter how hard I fight my thoughts/worries I seem to always get defeated, it seems to always win...

[Sophie_M]

Hey Meagannn,

Thanks for reaching out tonight on the Beyond Blue forums. We're so sorry to hear about your battle with emetophobia and OCD. We can hear how isolated and held back you feel from having these symptoms. We know this must be so upsetting. We hope that some of our community members can relate to the experiences you describe so as to offer you their advice and support.

Can we ask, do you have any mental health support? We understand it can be really tough to cope sometimes, especially if you don't have a lot of support from those close to you. If you would like some help finding mental health support, we would recommend that you get in contact with the Beyond Blue Support Service. They are available 24/7 by phone on 1300 22 4636 or on Webchat 3pm-12am AEST on our website: www.beyondblue.org.au/getsupport . They will give you support and point you in the right direction for help in your area.

If you haven't already, you may like to look through the Anxiety Australia website. They offer a number of resources, including group therapy, for anxiety-related conditions: https://www.anxietyaustralia.com.au/vomit-phobia-emetophobia-or-fear-of-vomiting-treatment/

If you feel it's helpful, you may also like to look at the Butterfly Foundation website. The Butterfly Foundation offers support and resources to those experiencing disordered eating. 

We hope some of these resources prove to be helpful and please keep sharing more of your story with us whenever you feel up to it.