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Needle Phobia

Needle Phobia

Hello

So this is really out of my comfort zone to even attempt to try and get some form of control over this. I have the worst needle phobia where I literally throw away blood test forms when the doctor tells me to get one. I am a 30 year old male and expecting my first child in December and I want to make sure I control this before she arrives so that both I can ensure that I look after myself better for her, but also to ensure she never has to go through this herself by seeing me worry.

How on earth do I get on top of this in such a short time?

Thanks in advanced.

Matt.

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In response to: Needle Phobia

Re: Needle Phobia

Welcome, @Needlephobia , I'm sorry to hear you're suffering from this. Well done for reaching out.

Do you have a psychologist or counsellor to help you through the stages of tackling this?

I'm not a doctor so this is not medical advice, but I have a few phobias and as I understand it, the answer is exposure therapy for mine. For instance, exposing yourself in small increments to your phobia. I find it incredibly difficult and it's definitely something I need professional help and support for. If you are throwing away the blood test forms, then you might need professional support for yours too.

It's a matter of tiny, tiny steps over time, so well done for wanting to tackle this now before your daughter arrives.

If you don't have a psychologist or counsellor, then the first step is to visit your GP and ask for a Mental Health Care Plan. This will entitle you to 10 subsidised sessions with a psychologist per year. The only thing is that psychologists are so overwhelmed with demand at the moment that it could take 6 months to get in to see one. But it's a good idea to get on the waiting list now.

You can help this process by googling then ringing round psychologists in your area to ask: are they taking new patients at the moment, what is the wait time for a new patient to start, what are the costs, etc. Then you can take a name to your GP for the Mental Health Care Plan referral. (GPs might not know which psychologists are taking new patients and which have stopped as they are full.)

Good luck...

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