You’ve Heard of FOMO. However Do You Have FOFO?

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You’re undoubtedly conversant in the time period FOMO—concern of lacking out—however you might not have heard of FOFO: concern of discovering out. It’s a standard cause many individuals don’t get advisable well being screening exams equivalent 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 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 subject, however clinicians who work within the space of well being nervousness are very conversant in 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.

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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 concern of dangerous information or embarrassment are frequent 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 12 months—a ten% drop from 2024.

Right here’s what to learn about FOFO and easy methods 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. “Plenty of nervousness drives us to avoidance—we wish to keep away from the factor that scares us.”

FOFO is very frequent amongst individuals who have generalized nervousness dysfunction, obsessive compulsive dysfunction (OCD), or sickness nervousness dysfunction (beforehand referred to as hypochondriasis), Taylor says. However even individuals with out these situations can have FOFO. In some instances, “it may be an remoted factor equivalent to being afraid of getting a prostate check, or it may be a part of a broader coping model,” 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 dangerous experiences they’ve had in health-care settings or from iatrophobia, a standard concern of docs or medical care. For others, it is perhaps associated to a check end result that might result in a way of disgrace for having a selected medical situation (equivalent to an STD) or to nervousness about needing therapies they don’t need. “It could possibly be a couple of concern of discovering out some dangerous information or feeling pressured to make life-style selections which are laborious,” Bufka says. In these cases, the underlying concept is: “If I don’t have the check, this factor doesn’t exist.”

Having to attend for outcomes can even gasoline FOFO. “If you must look forward to 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.

How one can overcome FOFO

Step one is to think about the professionals and cons of getting a selected screening check vs. avoiding the check. For instance, the professionals would possibly embrace discovering out whether or not you've got a medical situation and getting it handled, whereas the cons might embrace decreasing your nervousness about getting a constructive end result. “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.

When you fall into that camp, it’s price asking your self what’s motivating you to keep away from the check. “When you’re anxious that if the outcomes are constructive and what that will imply, you might be underestimating your capacity to handle it,” Abramowitz says.

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Additionally, think about whether or not you need your concern 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 definitely worth the threat to proceed to place this off? How will I really feel about this concern or determination a 12 months down the street? “Dealing with the concern helps us make selections which are extra consistent with our values,” she says.

When you’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 transferring ahead with the check and planning for what you’ll do throughout 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 is advisable to have a number of medical exams executed, attempt to schedule a couple of of them on the similar time to get them executed effectively, Abramowitz suggests. It may additionally assist to have a supportive individual go along with you to a selected check or to reward your self with a deal with—equivalent 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 commonly worse than the precise final result.”