What is "emetophobia"

n. fear of vomiting

Emetophobia is an intense phobia that causes overwhelming, intense anxiety pertaining to vomiting. This specific phobia can also include subcategories of what causes the anxiety, including a fear of vomiting in public, a fear of seeing vomit, a fear of watching the action of vomiting or fear of being nauseated. Even the thought of someone possibly vomiting can cause the phobic person to engage in extreme behaviors to escape the perceived (and sometimes very real) threat of that particular situation, in which the phobic person will go through great lengths to avoid even potential situations that could even be perceived as "threatening".

Given the fact that there are situations when this phobia and the phobic person's inherent "instinct" to escape and avoid that situation, this phobia could literally save that person's life by instinctively causing the phobic person to run away from an impending "plague" type situation, even intentionally avoiding an encampment where Ebola and other viruses are present, which just might be enough of an avoidance behavior to prevent that person from becoming ill or contracting a highly contagious, life-threatening virus through direct contact with others who are infected with the virus. Norovirus and related food borne viruses and bacteria are other situations the phobic person would avoid, if possible.

Emetophobia is clinically considered an "elusive predicament" because limited research has been done pertaining to it. The fear of vomiting receives little attention compared with other irrational fears. Emetophobia is not limited by age or maturity level. There are cases of emetophobia present in childhood and adolescence, as well as adulthood.