Aichmophobia
Aichmophobia (pronounced /ˌeɪkməˈfoʊbiːə/) is a kind of specific phobia, the morbid fear of sharp things,[1] such as pencils, needles, knives, a pointing finger, or even the sharp end of an umbrella and different sorts of protruding corners or sharp edges in furnitures and building constructions/materials. It is derived from the Greek aichmē (point) and phobos (fear). This fear may also be referred to as belonephobia or enetophobia.
Sometimes this general term is used to refer to what is more specifically called fear of needles, or needle phobia. Fear of needles is the extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles.
Not to be confused with similar condition (Avoidance behavior) the Visual looming syndrome, where the patient does not fear sharp items, but feels pain or discomfort at gazing upon sharp objects nearby.
Treatment
Hypnotherapy
The use of hypnotherapy which is a combination of hypnosis and therapeutic intervention, may help to control or improve the fear of sharp objects, specifically needles.[2] A technique called systematic desensitization exposes patients to the feared stimuli in gradual degrees while under hypnosis.[3] This technique has met with mixed levels of success.[4]
Rare cases causing posttraumatic stress
In rare cases, exposure to the feared object may cause posttraumatic stress disorder, which again increases the fear of the object as one also gets afraid of getting posttramatic stress. Typically, this is caused by the fear of a small fragment of the feared object getting stuck in the body after exposure.
See also
References
- ^ "Aichmophobia". Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ Hypnotherapy. Jack H. Booth.The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. Ed. Madeline Harris and Ellen Thackerey. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. p507-512.Word Count:2631.
- ^ Morse, D.R.; Cohen, B.B. (May–June 1983). "Desensitization using meditation-hypnosis to control "needle" phobia in two dental patients". Anesthesia Progress. 30 (3): 83–85. PMC 2515441. PMID 6139965.
- ^ Cyna, A.M.; Tomkins, D.; Maddock, T.; Barker, D. (August 2007). "Brief hypnosis for severe needle phobia using switch-wire imagery in a 5-year old". Department of Paediatric Anaesthesia, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.