Whenever individuals experience a scary health-related event, e.g., stroke or heart attack, their fight or flight response immediately becomes activated. This fear response is helpful when faced with a life-threatening situation, but it can become a hindrance if it fails to go away.
That fight or flight reaction is the entire essence of post-traumatic stress disorder!
But past health scares aren’t the only reason for people being afraid to seek healthcare. Others include financial concerns, fear of diagnosis, and pain and discomfort. Join us below as we learn more about these concerns, HGH, and how to overcome these fears.
7 Reasons Why People Are Afraid of Healthcare
A lot of people can experience anxiety or fear when it comes to healthcare, thus preventing them from seeking the care they need. Below are the top reasons why some are afraid to visit an HGH clinic for treatment.
1. Financial Concerns
A significant number of U.S. households face financial strains, according to a 2019 study of Household Economics and Decision Making. These financial strains have a negative impact on their health behaviors and outcomes, as they have a direct influence on their spending power.
As a result, many households are afraid to seek health care as they’re terrified of the resulting financial burden. Many of them, therefore, choose to treat with over-the-counter or herbal medication with the hope that everything will be alright.
2. Fear of Diagnosis
The fear of diagnosis is a real concern among older adults. Seniors tend to avoid doctors and hospitals because they fear the doctor may find something bad. That “something” can age from heart disease to cancer to early dementia to eye disease.
Because of this fear, a condition that can be treated when caught early usually progresses to something more challenging to treat.
3. Pain and Discomfort
Health experts have a name for this condition: algophobia. Although nobody wants to experience pain, those with this condition have intense feelings of anxiety whenever they think of pain.
Their anxiety attacks are often followed by moments of worry or depression. The anxiety that comes with thinking about pain can also make them more sensitive to it. This pain-related fear is quite common, with studies showing that it affects between 20% and 50% of people globally.
It’s also among the most common reasons for not wanting to seek healthcare.
4. Past Negative Experiences
Most people are uncomfortable in hospital settings. For some, this has to do with the link between hospitals and illness, while for others, it’s about past experiences. Examples of such can include seeing a loved one die in hospital or being very sick when young.
People who have sustained serious injuries in the past and spent some time in hospitals may also be afraid to go back. And while this fear may not require treatment, it can interfere with medical care or cause certain symptoms. This includes muscle tension and rapid breathing.
5. Lack of Trust
Trust between the government, healthcare workers, and their patients has eroded for numerous reasons. Some of this include the spread of misinformation and the lack of clear and transparent communication between these parties.
For example, some people may feel that they can’t trust healthcare workers to give them the correct diagnosis. Healthcare workers, on the other hand, may also be struggling with their own loss of trust.
This may arise from the feeling that they no longer have the support they need to do their job. If left unchecked, this lack of trust can have a negative impact on healthcare. The biggest casualties are the people these professionals are meant to be serving.
Additionally, some people feel that healthcare providers cannot give appropriate care for specific conditions. For example, HGH deficiency is supposed to be diagnosed by professionals and legally prescribed. If you’re seeking a trusted medical clinic for your needs, check out HGH doctors near me.
6. Fear of the Unknown
Many causes may bring on the fear of the unknown. It can start during childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. Often, doctors can trace this fear back to a negative experience during a person’s childhood. Such an experience is likely to have been traumatic.
Other possible causes include genetics and a learned history.
7. Privacy Concerns
Having a reduced sense of security or privacy can lead to unnecessary distress and suffering for a patient. If a patient cannot trust a nurse to keep their medical information private, they’re likely to develop a fear of healthcare.
Privacy concerns are particularly rampant among public figures and individuals living with chronic conditions. These are people who need an assurance that their health information will remain private. They also expect that information on their hospital stay will be protected.
How to Overcome Healthcare Fears
When people have access to healthcare, they become empowered to develop beneficial relationships with caregivers. This helps them to manage and overcome injuries and illnesses. But without access, they’re bound to continue living in undue pain.
The following are three ways to overcome healthcare fears.
1. Education and Communication
Communication in healthcare settings may, at times, end up feeling like ‘playing the telephone.’ There are instances when pieces of information might get lost in an exchange between caregivers and their patients. To prevent this, HGH doctors can implement the following strategies:
- Ask open-ended questions
- Sit down with their patients and be humble
- Keep patient communications confidential
- Use plain language
2. Financial Planning
Many American adults are one unexpected medical bill away from getting into debt. Close to 50% of adults say that they aren’t in a position to pay an unexpected medical bill out of pocket. And this includes those who wouldn’t know where to start.
While the current economic crisis has not made things any better, a little financial planning can reduce the fear of healthcare. According to Forbes, the best way to overcome your financial fears is to follow these steps:
- Create a budget
- Understand the difference between needs and wants
III. Prioritize your goals
- Make a spending plan
- Follow a disciplined process
- Work with people you trust
3. Support
As a patient, the best thing you can do for yourself is to talk to people you trust. Besides engaging the services of a therapist, consider sharing your feelings with a friend. A family member you trust may also be able to help.
Sharing your feelings of anxiousness will help in reframing your thinking patterns. It also gives you reassurance that there are people who care about you.
Conclusion
Some patients are afraid of healthcare and are afraid to mention it to those closest to them. If this is you, you need to understand that this fear can become a barrier to quality medical care. Talking to somebody you trust about your fear can help in easing it. You may also want to consult your HGH doctor about this fear.
