The Coronavirus vaccine.
What happens to those who fear needles?
With the huge press coverage surrounding the recent announcement of the roll out of the coronavirus vaccine, I question what is going to happen to those who fear needles and what impact is the constant coverage having on them?
NEEDLES. The word I dread the most. Trypanophobia, or more commonly known as the fear of needles, is something that is thought to affect 10% of the population. This is a remarkable figure due to how lifesaving a vaccination can be, which is exactly the case with the recent announcement of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The NHS advise that this new vaccine will give the best protection against the deadly virus, and is being offered all over the country to those most at risk. With the rest of the population being included as soon as possible. For many, this is groundbreaking and the best news they’ve heard in a long time with regards to COVID-19. But like myself, it is many peoples worst nightmare, and there is no fear in admitting it!
Of course, the enrolment of the vaccine is all in aid of getting society that one step closer to a new normality and nobody in their right mind would want to be a prohibiter of that. But the question is, what is going to happen to those with a deep rooted fear of needles? But also, how are the press and media helping those with such fears?
Having a fear of needles and the severe anxiety that comes along with it can delay the treatement of many medical treatments, all of which could be life altering. It can also put several people’s well being in jeopardy due to the missing of crucial doctors and dentist appointments, all down to the fear of having an injection.
The good news is, there is a wealth of guidance online to help inform people with Trypanophobia. This will aid them to overcome their phobia, just in time for the progression in the administration of the coronavirus vaccine.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
CBT is a type of psychotherapeutic therapy designed to help people deconstruct and erase disturbing patterns that are negatively impacting their lives. It aims to help in a positive manner, by tackling the problem in a smaller, more manageable way. The patient and the therapist will work together to identify and challenge negative pattern. This will allow for a more positive attitude to be formed, thus enabling the patient to change their future behaviours.
Exposure therapy
Exposure therapy is a psychological treatment desiginged to combat the avoidance that tends to come with having a phobia. There are several ways in which exposure therapy can be administered, with the most popular being flooding and systematic desensitisation. The epitome of exposure therapy is the gradual introduction of the patients fear, presented to them in a safe and systematic manner.
Applied tension and breathing techniques
This method is particularly effective to those prone to fainting due to an injection. Applied tension helps the patients blood pressure go back to normal and is advised to be done up to three times a day, for a week before an appointment. Breathing techniques are also encouraged to help keep the patients heart rate low and maintain a calm approach to the idea of the phobia. The NHS offer excellent advice and guidance on how to succesfully perform this treatment.
While it is all well and good knowing treatments and guidance to assist those with a fear of needles, journalists need to understand the effects their words are having on people. At a time with great uncertainty and fake news being at the centre of our lives, something needs to be done to prevent it.
Right?
Well, you’ll be happy to know back in November 2020 the labour party called for financial and criminal penalties for social media sites that do not remove fake news about vaccines. Not only that, but reports confirm that Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are working to remove harmful and misleading comments; and have teamed up with researchers and fact checkers to prevent any more circulation of false information surrounding the vaccine.
So, there is hope for us all yet.
