Emetophobia – why the fear of vomiting is getting so much attention on TikTok and other social media sites

Fear of throwing up, or of other people throwing up, can trigger a debilitating phobia that leads to anxiety and obsessive compulsive behaviour

The hashtag #emetophobia has garnered more than 70 million views on TikTok. Those who suffer from it may try to avoid situations that could trigger their fear

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Those who suffer from emetophobia are heading to TikTok to spread awareness about the fear of throwing up, and its impact on their lives. Some sufferers forgo pregnancy to avoid morning sickness. Photo: Getty Images

Tribune News Service

Published: 2:30am, 24 Aug 2021Updated: 3:23am, 24 Aug 2021

It all started when Alicia Mitas was seven years old and got sick on Easter.

“Ever since then, I started worrying about it every single day to my parents,” she explains. “I would ask them a lot of questions about being sick or if I looked sick or why my stomach felt a certain way. And my parents knew after a while, ‘OK, this is not normal’.”

Mitas, now 18, suffers from emetophobia, the fear of vomiting or other people vomiting.

TikTok user @lacey.bibbee describes her experience with emetophobia as being “deathly afraid of throw up”. Like others who share the same fear, she’s using the social media platform to spread awareness about emetophobia and its impact on her life. The hashtag #emetophobia has garnered more than 70 million views on TikTok.

Those who suffer from emetophobia may try to avoid situations that could trigger their fear. Photo: Shutterstock

In a video, @lacey.bibbee says she started experiencing it after listening to her father throw up all night before he had a stroke, which she says was “so traumatising”.