Hemophobia

Hemophobia (or haemophobia) is an irrational fear of blood. It is commonly caused by trauma in early childhood where there was a lot of bleeding. The fear may also come about due to genetic and even social reasons. The most common thing sufferers would do is to avoid hurting themselves that may cause it to bleed; as a result some homophobes may often fear getting injured (traumatophobia). They would also avoid taking blood tests and watching crime and horror films where blood are commonly seen.

The standard approach to treating hemophobia is the same as with most other phobias -, , and possibly medications to help with the anxiety and discomfort. In recent years, the technique known as applied tension, applying tension to the muscles in an effort to increase blood pressure, has increasingly gained favor as an often effective treatment for hemophobia associated with drops in blood pressure and fainting.