You have Heard of FOMO. However Do You Have FOFO?

[ad_1] You’re undoubtedly accustomed to the time period FOMO—worry of lacking out—however you might not have heard of FOFO: worry of discovering out. It’s a typical purpose many individuals don’t get really useful well being screening checks corresponding to mammograms, Pap smears, STD checks, blood checks, and full-body pores and skin most cancers checks.

FOFO isn’t a scientific analysis; it’s a colloquial time period and one thing many individuals and docs are effectively acquainted with. Lately, it’s been gaining extra consideration within the medical neighborhood and the media. “There's little or no analysis on this particular matter, however clinicians who work within the space of well being nervousness are very accustomed to it,” says Steven Taylor, a professor and scientific psychologist on the College of British Columbia and coauthor of the ebook It’s Not All in Your Head: How Worrying about Your Well being Might 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 dangerous 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 how one can take care of 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 follow on the American Psychological Affiliation. “Lots of nervousness drives us to avoidance—we wish to keep away from the factor that scares us.”

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

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For some folks, FOFO could stem from earlier dangerous experiences they’ve had in health-care settings or from iatrophobia, a typical worry of docs or medical care. For others, it may be associated to a take a look at outcome that would result in a way of disgrace for having a specific medical situation (corresponding to an STD) or to nervousness about needing therapies they don’t need. “It could possibly be a few worry of discovering out some dangerous information or feeling pressured to make way of life decisions which might be arduous,” Bufka says. In these cases, the underlying concept is: “If I don’t have the take a look at, this factor doesn’t exist.”

Having to attend for outcomes may gasoline FOFO. “If it's important to anticipate 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.

The right way to overcome FOFO Step one is to think about the professionals and cons of getting a specific screening take a look at vs. avoiding the take a look at. For instance, the professionals may embody discovering out whether or not you will have a medical situation and getting it handled, whereas the cons could embody decreasing your nervousness about getting a constructive outcome. “In the long term, the professionals of getting the take a look at outweigh the cons,” says Abramowitz. Nevertheless, “as human beings, we are inclined to do what makes us really feel higher within the quick time period”—which could clarify why so many individuals delay screenings.

For those who fall into that camp, it’s price asking your self what’s motivating you to keep away from the take a look at. “For those who’re nervous that if the outcomes are constructive and what that might imply, you might be underestimating your means to handle it,” Abramowitz says.

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Additionally, contemplate whether or not you need your worry or nervousness 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 threat to proceed to place this off? How will I really feel about this situation or resolution a yr down the highway? “Going through the worry helps us make decisions which might be extra consistent with our values,” she says.

For those who’re actually feeling caught in a state of FOFO, speak to your physician about it, Taylor advises. “Share your issues and apprehensions, and develop a collaborative plan for shifting ahead with the take a look at 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 could be useful, too, Abramowitz says.)

One other good technique: If it is advisable to have a number of medical checks executed, attempt to schedule a number of of them on the identical time to get them executed effectively, Abramowitz suggests. It will probably additionally assist to have a supportive particular person go together with you to a specific take a look at or to reward your self with a deal with—corresponding to a favourite lunch—after you do it.

Finally, it’s vital to remind your self that having the really useful medical checks, 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 take a look at—you’re both going to be relieved that nothing is unsuitable, otherwise you’re going to know what you’re coping with,” says Abramowitz. “The anticipation is usually worse than the precise consequence.”