Ask a Scientist: I know it’s important to get vaccinated, and I want to do my part…but needles make me feel panicky and I just want to run away. What should I do?

Q4: I know it’s important to get vaccinated, and I want to do my part…but needles make me feel panicky and I just want to run away. What should I do?

This is a really important question, and the first thing I want to tell you is that you are not alone.

Needle fears are common in both children and adults, and these fears can range from very mild to severe phobias.

• Sometimes I get asked where these fears come from and how they can get so severe, but there isn’t a simple one-size-fits-all answer.
• A significant painful or traumatic event could lead to the development of severe needle fear and even the associated phobia (trypanophobia).
• But it isn’t necessarily so clean cut. Needle fear, especially on the extreme end of the scale, is likely the result of a number of factors present in childhood that either continued or amplified the fear into adulthood.
• That’s one of the reasons my research colleagues and I have invested so much time into getting information into the hands of parents and patients about effective pain management and ways to make things like routine childhood vaccinations less stressful.
• We know that better experiences in childhood can prevent these fears from taking hold, but it’s never too late.

I’m really glad you asked your question because we know that people who have severe needle fear may refuse some types of medical care—and that can have negative impacts on their health.

So it’s wonderful to hear that you still want to get vaccinated. We just need to find ways to make it work for you.

• The bad news is that pain management and simple distraction techniques won’t take away needle fear once it has become extreme, like when you feel panicky or want to run away, or once the phobia is in place.
• But the good news is that help is still available.

One option is to work with a psychologist for something called exposure therapy, which is a cognitive-behavioural psychological intervention.

• Basically, this means working with a professional in a controlled environment to gradually increase your exposure to the feared stimulus (the needle).
• Through this process, you and the psychologist will work to take away the fear, take away its power, and give you strategies to cope.

Based on studies, we know that this is an effective intervention for kids as young as 7 years old, as well as for teens and adults.

Treatments lasting just a few hours or sessions can make a big difference.

Help is available – and it works. Don’t let fear stop you from getting the care you deserve.