BLOOD-INJECTION-INJURY PHOBIA

Question 1

What is Blood-Injection-Injury Phobia?

Answer 1

• A specific phobia characterised by an intense fear of blood, injury, or injections.

Question 2

What are the symptoms of BIIP?

Answer 2

• Psychological- intense fear and axiety.
• Somatic- Nausea/ fainting.
• Behavioural- avoidance of medical procedures.

Question 3

What is the vagus nerve?

Answer 3

• Key part of the parasympathetic nervous system (controls the body’s rest and digest functions)

Question 4

What causes the fainting response in BIIP?

Answer 4

• When the body percieves something distressing, the VN can be overly stimulated/ activated.
• Whe activated it can cause a dramatic drop in heart rate and blood pressure.
• Which can lead to dizziness and fainting.

Question 5

Can you explain BIIP through an evolutionary explanation?

Answer 5

• Humans may have developed a predisposed fear of blood and injury as a survival mechanism
• Thus individuals who were more cautious around blood more likely to survive and pass on genes.

Question 6

What would be a psychological explanation of BIIP?

Answer 6

• Classical conditioning- a person experinces a negative event involving blood. They associate this event with intense fear. They develop a phobia.
• Operant conditioning- the phobia is maintained through avoidance and negative reinforcement.