Needle fear is more common than you think

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( [How COVID-19 changed life for people terrified of needles]( By Haley Weiss Health Reporter Some people with an extreme fear of needles will do just about anything to avoid walking into a medical setting. It would, they’ve explained, have to be a matter of life and death. But when the pandemic happened, some realized it was the crucial moment they’d been holding out for. Whether driven by a desire to protect immunocompromised family members or their community—or to still be able to enter their office—people were suddenly forced to confront their most deep-seated fear. I spoke to a handful of these people, and was really touched by two of their stories in particular. Both agree that their fear of needles makes no logical sense—but they describe facing what felt like Herculean obstacles in their quest for vaccination. They would do almost anything for their fear to go away, they say, describing concern about their future health. With people seeking help for this phobia at a seemingly higher rate than ever before, health care systems have a rare opportunity to prove that they can be accommodating and take such concerns seriously, says Jocelyn Sze, a clinical psychologist in Oakland and founder of the I Don’t Like Needles Project, which offers free resources for those affected. [READ MORE]( Share This Story What Else to Read [The Story Behind Netflix’s Docuseries Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul]( By Jamie Ducharme Director R.J. Cutler on the process of making a non-fiction book into a documentary. [Read More »]( [She Sued Tennessee for Denying Her an Abortion. Now She's Running for Office]( By Charlotte Alter After being denied an abortion, Allie Phillips joined a lawsuit challenging her state's abortion ban—then decided to challenge her state rep. [Read More »]( [‘Body Grief’ Can Happen After a Weight Change. Here’s How to Cope With It]( By Angela Haupt Distress after weight changes often revolves around a profound sense of loss. [Read More »]( [How Perfectionism Leads to Burnout—and What You Can Do About it]( By Jeffrey Kluger Burnout can affect anyone, but perfectionists—with their exceedingly high standards—are hit hardest. [Read More »]( [Your Personality Could Add Years of Healthy Living]( By Matt Fuchs Recent research shows that several personality traits predict who will enjoy health into their 80s and beyond. (Originally published in 2021.) [Read More »]( AN EXPERT VOICE "Optimal levels of hope are linked to increased academic achievement and better outcomes at school. Teens can handle the bumps and bruises of a bad grade or uncertainty about the future if they feel hopeful." —Mary Beth Medvide, assistant professor of psychology at Suffolk University If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. Today's newsletter was written by Haley Weiss and Angela Haupt, and edited by Angela. [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.