About 80% of needle phobics have a first-degree relative with needle fear (parent, kid, or sibling). This indicates that there is a hereditary component to needle phobia. It is a genetic characteristic that was advantageous to human survival prior to the twentieth century. A person with an irrational dread of being pricked by a fang, a thorn, or a knife was less likely to die in accidents or during encounters with hostile animals or humans before the advent of modern medicine. Prior to the 20th century, even a nonfatal puncture wound carried a risk of fatal infection. This feature, which had a positive survival value prior to the 20th century, currently has a negative survival value since it prevents its victims from accessing many of the advantages of 21st-century medicine.
An incident of needle fear can be terrifying not only for the needle-phobic individual but also for those present. It is fairly uncommon for convulsions or respiratory difficulty to accompany the loss of consciousness caused by needle phobia. At least 23 reported deaths have been attributed to needle fear. One of the victims was the father of Dr. Hamilton, the author of the aforementioned review article.
The numerous numbers of premature deaths caused by the avoidance of medical care as a result of needle phobia are significantly more alarming than the rare instances of mortality directly caused by needles. The amount of human misery caused by avoiding medical care owing to a fear of needles is comparable to that caused by several major, well-known diseases.
However, needle phobia can be overcome. In fact, despite my lifelong aversion to needles, I am currently writing the initial draft of this page while having a 3-hour intravenous therapy as part of my own preventative health program. I’m doing well on the second of ten such sessions. After experiencing a vasovagal reflex reaction and losing consciousness shortly after commencing the first of these 3-hour treatments a week earlier, I decided to create this website. That was my first reaction to my phobia of needles in many years, despite the fact that it had been a persistent issue throughout my early twenties.
It is difficult to overcome a fear of needles, and it does not react well to typical phobia-reduction approaches. It is typically a specific physiological response that is hard-wired into the human brain. Even after a person has overcome his conscious dread of needles, he may still be anxious about the physiological reaction. For many needle phobics, the physiological reaction to needle phobia is significantly more unpleasant and anxiety-inducing than the actual needle poke. I have lost most of my conscious dread of needles and can even administer my own injections, but I still have a vasovagal reflex reaction periodically if I’m not careful, and I find it to be a very terrible experience.
It is impossible to overstate the contrasts between needle phobia and other common phobias. Psychologists and counselors should be cautioned against attempting to help individuals with needle phobia outside of a medical setting. (Traditional treatments for phobias have a poor track record against needle phobia, especially in cases when the phobia is the result of a traumatic experience.) Visualizing needle procedures can induce a full needle-phobia response, including vasovagal shock and possibly cardiovascular issues. No one should risk inducing the physiological needle-phobic reaction without emergency oxygen and the presence of medical personnel trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, despite the rarity of lasting harm.
The infrequent deadly reactions to needle phobia should not discourage anyone from receiving necessary medical care or even preventative care. Even a needle-phobic with a weak heart has a greater chance of dying in a car accident on the route to the doctor’s office than from a needle-phobia reaction. It is considerably more likely that a needle-phobic will die from evading medical care than through a needle-phobia reaction. Even though there are no firm data on the matter, nearly everyone who examines the needle phobia issue in depth will conclude that needle phobics die prematurely in significant numbers because they shun medical attention.
In the unlikely event that cardiovascular resuscitation is required, a contemporary physician’s office is equipped to handle a normal needle phobia reaction and staffed with a number of phlebotomy students who are trained in it.
Phlebotomy Needle SVG
Poor quality control in Phlebotomy Needle SVG manufacturing, resulting in occasional dull or poorly-beveled needles, reinforced the needle phobia of a large number of people who were born before the mid-1960s. In addition, many medications administered in the past, like penicillin, were highly viscous liquids that required large gauge needles. Most medicines administered by injection today are administered using extremely tiny and sharp needles that are barely perceptible to the majority of patients. Compared to thirty or more years ago, the quality control in the fabrication of Phlebotomy Needles is significantly superior.