Pharmacophobia (from the Greek. Φάρμακον - medicine and φόβος - fear ) - an obsessive fear of taking drugs [1] . It manifests itself in fear of taking any medications, regardless of the pharmacological profile.
Content
- 1 Causes
- 2 Arguments of the patient when refusing pharmacotherapy
- 3 Symptoms
- 4 Treatment
- 5 Links
Reasons
- identified allergies to drugs [2] ;
- experience of drug intoxication;
- following the behavior of authorities suffering from pharmacophobia.
Arguments of the patient when refusing pharmacotherapy
As with any other phobia [3] , in this case, fear is irrational and often is not argued in any way by the patient or is justified very weakly. But among the frequently encountered “explanations”, hostility to substances of a chemical origin as foreign in nature dominates, which results in attachment to the treatment of all kinds of natural drugs. Many of them are indeed drugs, but their effectiveness and therapeutic range are limited in many cases. Also popular among pharmacophobia are judgments about the supposedly unlimited ability of the human body to self-repair .
Symptoms
With exacerbation of phobic fear, which certain circumstances can cause (for example, going to the pharmacy ), psychological and physiological disturbances can be observed, such as general weakness , dizziness , a rush of blood to the face, increased sweating , tremors , and nausea . In especially severe cases, inappropriate behavior, arrhythmia , jumps in blood pressure and fainting may occur. If such violations are detected, it is necessary to eliminate irritating factors, provide the patient with first aid and recommend seeking medical attention .
Treatment
Pharmacophobia should be treated by a qualified therapist . Due to the inability to use drugs, the main treatment methods are cognitive-behavioral therapy , various relaxation techniques , and systematic desensitization (or implosive therapy ). Usually, treatment lasts 7 to 10 days.
Pharmacophobia is potentially hazardous to health , since this disease is accompanied by autonomic disorders that can lead to serious somatic complications [4] .