Nosocomephobia Explained

Specialty:	psychology

Nosocomephobia is defined as the excessive fear of hospitals.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Dr. Marc Siegel, a physician and clinical professor at New York University Medical Center says, "It's perfectly understandable why many people feel the way they do about a hospital stay," and continues, "You have control of your life ... up until you're admitted to a hospital."^[4]

Former U.S. President Richard Nixon allegedly had an irrational fear of hospitals, even purportedly refusing to get a treatment for a blood clot in 1974, saying, "if I go into the hospital, I'll never come out alive."^{[5] [6]}

Nosocomephobia comes from the Greek νοσοκομεῖον (nosokomeion), "hospital"^[7] and φόβος (phobos), "fear".^{[8] [9]}

See also

• Nosophobia
• List of phobias

Notes and References

1. Book: Semple, David . Roger Smyth . Jonathan Burns . Rajan Darjee . Andrew McIntosh . Oxford handbook of psychiatry. Oxford University Press. 2005. 978-0-19-852783-1.
2. Web site: The Ultimate Self-Hypnosis Cure for the Phobia of Hospitals (Nosocomephobia). Glenn . Harrold. Diviniti Publishing Ltd.. 29 November 2009.
3. Web site: Nosocomephobia. The Personal Genome. 29 November 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20181005073738/http://thepersonalgenome.com/2004/09/nosocomephobia/. 5 October 2018. dead.
4. News: How to Survive a Stay in the Hospital. Kirchheimer . Sid. Web MD. medicinenet.com. 29 November 2009.
5. News: Nixon Rejecting Care in Hospital. September 16, 1974. UPI. Spokane Daily Chronicle. 28 November 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20151001140817/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lqsSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WPgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4515,241547&dq=fear+of+hospital&hl=en. 1 October 2015. dead. dmy-all.
6. News: Doctor Tells Nixon's Fear of Hospital. September 15, 1974. Associated Press (AP). Toledo Blade. 28 November 2009.
7. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dnosokomei%3Don νοσοκομεῖον
8. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dfo%2Fbos φόβος
9. Book: Thomas, Charles. The words of medicine: sources, meanings, and delights. Charles C. Thomas. University of Michigan. 2001. 0-398-07132-2.