Needle fear is more common than you think

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How COVID-19 changed life for people terrified of needles By Haley Weiss Health Reporter Some people with an extreme fear of needles will do just about anything to avoid walking into a medical setting. It would, they’ve explained, have to be a matter of life and death. But when the pandemic happened, some realized it was the crucial moment they’d been holding out for. Whether driven by a desire to protect immunocompromised family members or their community—or to still be able to enter their office—people were suddenly forced to confront their most deep-seated fear. I spoke to a handful of these people, and was really touched by two of their stories in particular. Both agree that their fear of needles makes no logical sense—but they describe facing what felt like Herculean obstacles in their quest for vaccination. They would do almost anything for their fear to go away, they say, describing concern about their future health. With people seeking help for this phobia at a seemingly higher rate than ever before, health care systems have a rare opportunity to prove that they can be accommodating and take such concerns seriously, says Jocelyn Sze, a clinical psychologist in Oakland and founder of the I Don’t Like Needles Project, which offers free resources for those affected. READ MORE Share This Story

What Else to Read The Story Behind Netflix's Docuseries Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul By Jamie Ducharme Director R.J. Cutler on the process of making a non-fiction book into a documentary. Read More » She Sued Tennessee for Denying Her an Abortion. Now She's Running for Office By Charlotte Alter After being denied an abortion, Allie Phillips joined a lawsuit challenging her state's abortion ban—then decided to challenge her state rep. Read More » ‘Body Grief’ Can Happen After a Weight Change. Here’s How to Cope With It By Angela Haupt Distress after weight changes often revolves around a profound sense of loss. Read More » How Perfectionism Leads to Burnout—and What You Can Do About it By Jeffrey Kluger Burnout can affect anyone, but perfectionists—with their exceedingly high standards—are hit hardest. Read More » Your Personality Could Add Years of Healthy Living By Matt Fuchs Recent research shows that several personality traits predict who will enjoy health into their 80s and beyond. (Originally published in 2021.) Read More »

AN EXPERT VOICE "Optimal levels of hope are linked to increased academic achievement and better outcomes at school. Teens can handle the bumps and bruises of a bad grade or uncertainty about the future if they feel hopeful." —Mary Beth Medvide, assistant professor of psychology at Suffolk University

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