Most people are not very fond of needles.
But for a significant number of people, fear of needles goes beyond simply inducing anxiety into a more dangerous area, where fear prevents them from seeking the necessary medical care.
And because the world’s hopes of returning to a post-pandemic normal rest largely on people’s willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine, experts and healthcare professionals are assuring these people that there are ways to overcome this fear.
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“It would be very painful for me if the fear of needles prevented someone from getting this vaccine, because there are things we can do to alleviate this,” said Dr. Nipunie S. Rajapakse, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
A University of Michigan study found that 16% of adults in several countries avoided annual flu vaccinations for fear of needles, and 20% avoided tetanus vaccines.
Mary Rogers, a retired professor at the University of Michigan and one of the study’s authors, said it was too early to know whether a similar number of people would abstain from the COVID-19 vaccine. But that fear tends to subside as people get older – which is worrying, since outbreaks of coronavirus cases have been caused by young people, who are more likely to have the phobia.
Experts say it is a problem that can be overcome, whether it is fear preventing you from getting the vaccine or just causing you suffering. Here are the steps they suggest taking.
Seek professional help to beat the phobia.
A therapist can help people with the most serious fears by using some of the techniques that help people overcome other fears that can affect their lives.
“When we are really concerned with a fear, it is when it reaches the point of interfering with the person who is receiving adequate medical care or causing such anguish that yes, they go ahead and get a flu vaccine or vaccine, but they get sick for a month thinking about getting it, ”said Dianne Chambless, a retired professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
With other phobias, practitioners generally recommend slowly exposing yourself to fear, like someone with a fear of heights who spends more and more time on a balcony. But this is more difficult to do with needles, since shots are rare and easily avoided.
Chambless suggested working on your comfort levels, first looking at pictures of needles and syringes, then pictures of someone taking a photo and working on the videos. But a therapist can offer a more complete plan.
If you can’t see a therapist, self-help books on how to overcome phobias may be a quicker option, she said.
Tell the nurse about your fears before you get the injection.
There may be techniques they can use, or products available, to reduce pain or be more patient, said Rajapakse.
If it helped to have someone with you to support you, some vaccination centers may allow it, but you would have to ask in advance.
Some people’s fears can be so intense that they risk passing out. If that is the case, the nurse can give you the injection while you are lying down or otherwise help reduce the risk, said Rajapakse.
If passing out is a risk and you start to feel dizzy, Chambless suggested tensing your body muscles to increase blood pressure.
Distract yourself.
The whole thing will be over in seconds and a distraction can help you get over it.
It can be a YouTube video on your phone or your favorite music playing. You can practice deep breathing or meditation techniques, wiggle your toes or look around and count all the blue items you can see in the room.
Many people choose not to look directly at the needle. You don’t need to see this.
“Divert your attention from what is happening,” said Rajapakse.
Focus on the benefits.
For some people, the nervous anticipation of the shot is almost as bad as the pinch itself.
But in the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, there is much to be expected if the vaccine succeeds in allowing a return to normality. Rajapakse said that when she received her first dose, “my personal feeling was one of optimism and excitement, rather than being nervous about it.”
“Keeping that in mind can make the experience a little less stressful for you,” she said.
The media can do its part by showing fewer images of people looking uncomfortable while a needle penetrates their skin, which can exacerbate the feeling of anxiety, Rajapakse said.
A good countermeasure is all the positive photos that come up on social media from people with their vaccination cards, she said. (Just be careful how much information you are sharing.) The more selfies, stickers and thank-you messages people see, the more likely they are to associate the vaccine with positive feelings, she said.
This article was originally published in The New York Times.
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