Research Exercise When Health Fears Hurt Health

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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.

Research Exercise

When Health Fears Hurt Health

Phobias—fears that are disproportionate to the real current danger or threat—can be more debilitating than we think. People will sometimes neglect their health because of phobias, avoiding necessary medical and dental checkups because of overwhelming fear of needles, disease, or germs. The following article discusses how psychological interventions may show promise in treating such fears.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/open-gently/201609/how-anxiety-hurts-your-health

After reading the Psychology Today article, “How Anxiety Hurts Your Health,” consider the questions below. Then submit your responses.

1 of 5

What percentage of Americans will develop an anxiety disorder in their lifetimes?

2 of 5

Women with phobias are more likely to experience which of the following?

3 of 5

Which of the following does the article NOT identify as a medication commonly used to treat anxiety and panic disorder?

4 of 5

Describe how phobias can affect one's general health.

One possible answer is that if individuals fear needles, they may refuse to have blood drawn for routine preventive medicine lab work and therefore would be unaware of the presence of actual illness.

5 of 5

What are some ideas for approaching patients who have medical-related phobias, in order to address health concerns?

One possible idea is to have educational meetings with these patients to discuss why a given procedure is necessary and to provide the patients with an opportunity to ask questions.

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