Fear of Puking in Public?

Hi everyone,
I'm Lucy and ever since I was young, I've been afraid of puking in public. When I was ten, I puked at an amusement park in front of hundreds of people. Since then I've been struggling with the problem of having panic attacks over getting sick, which in the end makes me sick. I don't have problems at home but once I'm around people I don't know I have an attack that ends will me running to a bathroom to vomit. Can anyone explain to me what this is? or why I feel this way?

-Lucy

Hi L and welcome!

Is this specific phobia the only anxiety challenge that you struggle with? Or are there others areas of worry that you deal with as well?

If this fear of vomiting in public is the extent of your anxiety trouble... then as Super mentioned...finding help specifically for treatment of this issue could be very helpful. A therapist or P-doc could work with you with a method of exposure therapy...specific to your phobia...and/or meds may be discussed.

There are also emet websites for support and self help. Let me know if you'd like me to post them for you. We don't have these in our Resources (because it is such a specific issue) but I have helped other members with this in the past.

Hoping you get the help you need to feel you best!

Scaredy Cat

Thank you guys for answering me! And my phobia is just that of puking in public, and other than that I'm a pretty confident and happy person. I've had a couple of therapy sessions and am on an antidepressant. I'm fine at school and mostly have problems when eating in public at a restaurant, as I fear that eating will make the chances of getting sick more probable. I don't have an eating disorder and have no problems with my body at all.

Yep, I have the same problem. :) My anxiety developed years ago right before I was about to graduate from college. It was mostly brought on by thoughts of, "Holy crap, I've been in school for the last 18+ years, now what the hell am I supposed to do?!"

When I was younger for a long time I worried that I was going to get sick (vomit/diarrhea), when I was home alone and that would freak me out. Over the last year panic attacks have also started to affect me and these attacks are prompted by a fear of throwing up in public. Even the idea of throwing up when I'm in my own car stuck in traffic with people in other cars surrounding me has made me panic badly enough that I very nearly HAVE thrown up in the car. It can make driving quite a chore sometimes. *facepalm*

I think you're on the right path and I'm following a similar one; I'm going to see a new PCP next week as I had quite a falling out with my old one (switched my medications as I requested but screwed up the dosage, so I wound up going from 40mg of Celexa to 10mg of Prozac in less than three days), and I'm seeing a new psychiatrist soon. Good luck with your continued efforts to control this!