Feverphobia: The Fear Of Some Parents Of Their Children’s Fever
Feverphobia, also known as pyretophobia or febriphobia, is a persistent and unjustified anguish that parents feel because they think that their children’s high fever can cause seizures, meningitis or even death. So they feel the need to quickly give you unnecessary medications and take them to an emergency pediatrician for examination.
Parents should keep in mind that fever is generally a natural response of the body to any illness. So if they try to give medicine without knowing what causes the temperature rise, it could prolong the illness in the child.
What do parents with fever phobia experience?
Parents often experience a lot of anguish and anxiety, as they think that fever is a symptom of a very serious illness. In addition, they believe that if the fever is above 40ยบ it is very dangerous and they fear that it could cause severe harm to the child.
Causes of feverphobia
Feverphobia in parents can be due to various reasons. Some of them are:
- In some cases, not knowing what the normal body temperature is.
- Thinking that fever in all cases is very bad and can cause irreversible damage to the body.
- Believe that if it is treated with drugs , the disease will be controlled.
- Thinking that if the fever does not drop quickly, the child could have a seizure or meningitis.
Effects that feverphobia can produce in children
The fear that the father feels can negatively influence the well-being of the child. Among the effects that parental behavior can produce are:
Worsen the child’s health
If you take more medications than necessary, your kidneys will work harder to eliminate them. On the other hand, constantly taking him to medical emergency rooms, can cause the child’s mood to drop, since he can assume that his situation is very serious.
Affect the child’s development
This usually happens when he is overprotective, which can prevent him from doing activities that are common in children. Also, when the family treats him with unnecessary care, the child may feel isolated.
How can you avoid fever phobia?
Feverphobia in parents can be prevented in the following ways:
- Try not to believe some people’s wrong or wrong ideas. This can lead to hasty action.
- Be very well informed about signs and symptoms that could be a real risk, rather than focusing on temperature.
- Go to the pediatrician to ask about the doubts you have when necessary.
Things parents need to keep in mind
To avoid major concerns that are not related to real risks, keep the following in mind:
- Sometimes seizures can occur in the child. However, this does not mean that the child suffers from epilepsy for life.
- Control the child’s temperature with physical means, such as a thermometer, warm water cloths, a water bath at a suitable temperature.
- Try not to give him unnecessary medications, such as antipyretics or antibiotics.
- Do not give the child homemade medicines that other people recommend if you have not used them before and you have not verified their effectiveness by yourself, it is better to avoid them. Also, the reaction of an adult’s body to folk remedies is different from that of a child.
- If the child is younger than 3 months, consider the fever as a need for consultation with the pediatrician.
- If he is older, he constantly observes the fever and verifies the symptoms he presents very well.
- Do not rub with alcohol, this could be toxic.
In conclusion, feverphobia is an abnormal fear that can sometimes be created by the mind itself. Although it is not bad to worry about the child when he has a fever, you must know how to differentiate if he is really sick or not.
Of course, you should not stop being aware of your son. If you notice that the fever does not go down with physical methods, go immediately to the pediatrician for an evaluation.
