Having a fear of the hospital is not uncommon.  Hospitals can be a scary place, with sick and dying people lining every room.  Some procedures in a hospital may cause fear in a lot of people, as they are often painful and embarrassing.

However, if one is so afraid of hospitals that they can not physically step into a hospital without feeling extremely anxious or scared, it may be time to do something about it.  Such an extreme fear of hospitals will eventually get in the way of treating your own medical illnesses or visiting a sick friend or relative.

Overcoming a fear of anything is not as simple as movies or book may make it out to be.  While “facing your fear” is a very broad statement, many people will automatically associate it with the literal action of forcing yourself to do what you are afraid of doing, or experience what you are afraid of experiencing.  In the case of a hospital, facing the fear may be expected to be as simple as physically taking a step into the hospital.  In reality, overcoming a fear of hospitals may take a long time, and will likely expend more effort than just the taking of a physical step.

There are a few methods to go about facing one’s fear of hospitals, and this article will hopefully provide some of those methods.

1. Find a therapist or a doctor

Whether you are afraid of what is under your hospital bed or afraid of spiders, therapists will be able to help you.  Therapists are professionals whose responsibilities partially include helping individuals deal with their fears (also known as phobias).  Doctors may also be able to help with your anxiety, providing advice on dealing with issues that can affect your medical health.  Ironically, therapists and doctors can both be found inside of hospitals.  For someone with a fear of hospitals, however, it is recommended that you make an appointment with them outside of hospitals.

2. Understand your fear

It may be a number of things about hospitals that scare you.  Get a pen and paper and sit down to write a list of your fears.  Why are you so frightened of hospitals? Understanding your own fear will give you a better chance of overcoming that fear.

3.  Tackle the list

When you have made a list of your hospital fears, begin to deal with them one by one.  If you are scared of the workers in the hospital, research what it takes to become a doctor or a nurse.  If you are scared of the cleanliness of the hospital, talk to an expert about the health and cleanliness code of hospitals.

4.  Go to the hospital

If you are not yet ready to go in the doors, take a few hours and sit outside.  Here, you can observe the workers and patients to better understand how it works as a whole.  When you are ready, take the step into the hospital doors.  Do it as many times as you need until your mind is ready to accept it.  It may take a long time, but do not give up!

5.  Enjoy your medical freedom!

With hard work, your fear will hopefully have subsided.  Congratulations!

Saturday 24 October 2009