You've got Heard of FOMO. However Do You Have FOFO?

[ad_1] You’re undoubtedly acquainted with the time period FOMO—worry of lacking out—however chances are you'll not have heard of FOFO: worry of discovering out. It’s a standard cause many individuals don’t get advisable well being screening exams comparable to mammograms, Pap smears, STD exams, blood exams, and full-body pores and skin most cancers checks.

FOFO isn’t a medical prognosis; it’s a colloquial time period and one thing many individuals and medical doctors are nicely acquainted with. Lately, it’s been gaining extra consideration within the medical group and the media. “There may be little or no analysis on this particular matter, however clinicians who work within the space of well being anxiousness are very acquainted with it,” says Steven Taylor, a professor and medical psychologist on the College of British Columbia and coauthor of the e-book It’s Not All in Your Head: How Worrying about Your Well being May Be Making You Sick—and What You Can Do About It.

One 2025 survey of two,000 employed U.S. adults discovered that three out of 5 of them keep away from well being screenings, and worry of unhealthy information or embarrassment are widespread causes. There are indicators the issue could also be worsening. One other 2025 survey of seven,000 adults within the U.S. discovered that solely 51% had a routine medical appointment or most cancers screening within the final yr—a ten% drop from 2024.

Right here’s what to find out about FOFO and tips on how to cope with it.

The place does FOFO come from? “For many individuals, it comes from a spot of tension, and it’s an effort to exert some management over a state of affairs that feels unsure,” says Lynn Bufka, a psychologist and head of observe on the American Psychological Affiliation. “Quite a lot of anxiousness drives us to avoidance—we need to keep away from the factor that scares us.”

FOFO is particularly widespread amongst individuals who have generalized anxiousness dysfunction, obsessive compulsive dysfunction (OCD), or sickness anxiousness dysfunction (beforehand known as hypochondriasis), Taylor says. However even individuals with out these circumstances can have FOFO. In some circumstances, “it may be an remoted factor comparable to being afraid of getting a prostate check, or it may be a part of a broader coping type,” Taylor explains. “Typically individuals who keep away from screening exams compulsively seek the advice of Dr. ChatBot or Dr. Google.”

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For some individuals, FOFO might stem from earlier unhealthy experiences they’ve had in health-care settings or from iatrophobia, a standard worry of medical doctors or medical care. For others, it is perhaps associated to a check outcome that might result in a way of disgrace for having a specific medical situation (comparable to an STD) or to anxiousness about needing remedies they don’t need. “It may very well be a few worry of discovering out some unhealthy information or feeling pressured to make way of life decisions which might be exhausting,” Bufka says. In these situations, the underlying thought is: “If I don’t have the check, this factor doesn’t exist.”

Having to attend for outcomes may also gasoline FOFO. “If it's important to await outcomes for a few weeks, it doesn’t get extra anxiety-producing than that,” says Jonathan Abramowitz, a professor of psychology on the College of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

overcome FOFO Step one is to think about the professionals and cons of getting a specific screening check vs. avoiding the check. For instance, the professionals may embrace discovering out whether or not you've gotten a medical situation and getting it handled, whereas the cons might embrace lowering your anxiousness about getting a optimistic outcome. “In the long term, the professionals of getting the check outweigh the cons,” says Abramowitz. Nevertheless, “as human beings, we are likely to do what makes us really feel higher within the quick time period”—which could clarify why so many individuals postpone screenings.

In the event you fall into that camp, it’s price asking your self what’s motivating you to keep away from the check. “In the event you’re frightened that if the outcomes are optimistic and what that will imply, chances are you'll be underestimating your capacity to handle it,” Abramowitz says.

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Additionally, take into account whether or not you need your worry or anxiousness to make your selections for you, Bufka suggests. She recommends asking your self: What would occur if I proceed to keep away from this? Is it well worth the danger to proceed to place this off? How will I really feel about this problem or determination a yr down the highway? “Dealing with the worry helps us make decisions which might be extra in keeping with our values,” she says.

In the event you’re actually feeling caught in a state of FOFO, discuss to your physician about it, Taylor advises. “Share your issues and apprehensions, and develop a collaborative plan for transferring ahead with the check and planning for what you’ll do in the course of the ready interval.” (If FOFO is expounded to a broader sample of tension, cognitive behavioral remedy will be useful, too, Abramowitz says.)

One other good technique: If it's worthwhile to have a number of medical exams performed, attempt to schedule a number of of them on the similar time to get them performed effectively, Abramowitz suggests. It might probably additionally assist to have a supportive individual go together with you to a specific check or to reward your self with a deal with—comparable to a favourite lunch—after you do it.

Finally, it’s vital to remind your self that having the advisable medical exams, most cancers screenings, and routine examinations is all a part of taking excellent care of your self.

“It’s to your profit to get the check—you’re both going to be relieved that nothing is flawed, otherwise you’re going to know what you’re coping with,” says Abramowitz. “The anticipation is usually worse than the precise end result.”