Gut Reaction's Home Page
THE PREMIER UK EMETOPHOBIA INFORMATION RESOURCE

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Welcome to Gut Reaction's Web Site!

GUT REACTION was formed more than a decade ago in 1993-4 by myself, a life-long sufferer of emetophobia, a fear of vomiting. At this time, the Internet was very much in its infancy, emetophobia was largely unheard of and there was very little information available relating to the condition.

Currently, up to 1,000 people are visiting this website every week. The last few winters have seen many additional visits following Norwalk (norovirus) virus outbreaks hitting the news headlines which has 'exposed' several closet emetophobes extremely worried by the bug.

Until relatively recently, emetophobia has been largely neglected and overlooked by the medical profession but now four research projects, headed by eminent medical professionals, have been initiated in the hope of finding effective treatment for this condition.

The fourth project concluded in Autumn 2004 and once the findings have been accepted for publication by a professional medical journal then a pre-print will be made available to Gut Reaction. The findings were presented initially at the Anxiety Disorders Conference in November 2004 with a specific emetophobia workshop held to discuss the condition. Now the paper has been published and copies of the findings titled "The Psychopathology of Vomit Phobia" may be purchased online from the publisher via this link: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=BCP&volumeId=34&issueId=02 or a summary HERE.

A further project was undertaken during Summer 2002 by Angela Davidson, a psychology student at a Scottish University and her findings were published in September 2002. Gut Reaction was kindly granted permission to include a summary of her findings in the Autumn/Winter 2002 Newsletter and a full copy of her thesis is available on the Gut Reaction CD.

More recently, this website has been used (with permission) by the authoress of a new book, "Living with Emetophobia" published in May 2007. It is a highly readable book based largely on the experiences of the author, my own research as presented on this website and others' experiences along with some tips on coping with the phobia. It doesn't include the ever-elusive miracle cure but it does provide lots of information and I would highly recommend it to all emetophobes. Equally, I would recommend it to friends and family of sufferers because it will help non-sufferers understand why emets act in the way we do and, via fascinating insights into how our minds work, why we find certain situations very difficult to cope with.

Whilst this website cannot offer the elusive and definitive 'miracle cure', there are many suggestions and ideas, tips for avoiding food poisoning and information about various medications - including anti-emetic drugs and the infamous 'vomit videos' often recommended by therapists. Hopefully the site will also provide some comfort for you in knowing that you are far from being alone with this awful phobia.

The phobia-treatments page lists the most commonly suggested treatments - although, unfortunately, these tend to have little impact upon emetophobia.

Both an online Guestbook and a NEW Emetophobia Forum have been added to this site. This will allow readers to leave messages and make contact with other emetophobia sufferers to share notes and provide mutual support. (Please do not abuse these facilities otherwise they will have to be withdrawn.)

OBJECTIVES

	To provide support for sufferers of emetophobia.
	To raise the profile of emetophobia and promote awareness, acceptance and recognition of emetophobia within the medical profession and media.
	To provide information relating to emetophobia to the medical profession and other interested parties.
	To encourage professional medical research into emetophobia to devise an effective treatment programme, or medication.
	To identify and review treatments currently administered to determine their effectiveness.
	To identify therapists who have successfully treated emetophobia and learn from their approaches/experiences.
	To identify relevant professional research into the condition and report to members.
	To produce comprehensive information relating to emetophobia.

ACHIEVEMENTS

	National survey of emetophobes and analysis of symptoms, treatments and attitudes of medical profession.
	Small-scale survey of General Practitioners and other medical professionals to assess their views of emetophobia.
	Three professional research projects in progress with the objective of publicising phobia and devising an effective treatment programme. A further project was launched in April 2001 by Dr David Veale of the Priory Hospital in north London which concluded in September 2004 and was reported at the Anxiety Disorders Conference in November 2004. A workshop relating to emetophobia was held and the report is to be published in 2005. (This was promised in 2004 but has not yet been received as at July 2006!)
	Interest from media leading to Television interviews, discussion and film, radio discussion programmes, press interviews and publicity, magazine features focusing on emetophobia. Some of recent articles have appeared in 'Zest' (summer 2003; Leanne who featured in this edition is now proud mum to her son born in Spring 2004 - see Guestbook for a message left by Leanne) and 'That's Life' (October 2003) - plus there are many more features which we're not always notified of.
	Emetophobia has progressed from being largely unrecognised and overlooked to being the 6th most common phobia listed in the UK, USA and Australasia.
	Gut Reaction has been contacted by +500,000 people since its formation in 1993-4 and many more continue to visit this website every week.

Gut Reaction is no longer a member organisation but copies of Newsletters and other files are now available on the Gut Reaction CD - See CD page for further details.

GUT REACTION CD

This comprehensive resource CD includes:

Copies of Gut Reaction's Newsletter (1997-2002),

Angela Davidson's 52 page emetophobia thesis

other informative emetophobia files

All software is included on the CD

Compatible with PCs and Apple-Macs!

To order your copy, or for more information, please go to the Gut Reaction CD page.

Site updated: April 2008

GUT REACTION - THE PREMIER UK EMETOPHOBIA INFORMATION RESOURCE

Please note: I am not medically qualified and therefore cannot advise or comment upon medical conditions for which you are urged to contact your own GP for a professional opinion and/or referral.

Welcome to Gut Reaction's Web Site!

OBJECTIVES

ACHIEVEMENTS

GUT REACTION - THE PREMIER UK EMETOPHOBIA INFORMATION RESOURCE

Please note: I am not medically qualified and therefore cannot advise or comment upon medical conditions for which you are urged to contact your own GP for a professional opinion and/or referral.

Copyright © 1998-2008 Linda Dean, GUT REACTION.

All Rights Reserved.

No part may be reproduced without the express written consent of Gut Reaction.