Common Fears Portland Kids Experience When Going To The Doctor

By Author: Oskar Aarden
Total Articles: 1
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What makes visits to pediatricians scary? If your child is told that he’d be seeing his doctor, he’d usually become worried and apprehensive. Why? It’s not like you told him that you’d be jumping off a cliff or sticking a giant needle in his arm. You have to remember, though, that kids do not fully understand what doctors do. Children naturally fear what they do not understand.

If you ask kids here in Portland about why they feel scared when it’s time to visit the doctor, you’d notice that their reasons fall under four distinct categories. Think back to when you were a kid, and try to recall what part of the visit to the doctor scared you. Don’t answer ‘nothing’—every kid was scared of the doctor at least once in his life. To which of the following categories did your fear belong?

Separation

The most basic fear that kids feel at the pediatrician’s is being alone in an alien world. They’re worried about being left alone with the doctor while you wait outside. They actually fear what the doctor might do to them once your back is turned! Such fear is most common among kids under 7 years ...
... old, but is sometimes still present in kids as old as 14.

Pain

Who wants to feel pain? Children worry that a part of the medical exam might involve jabbing a big needle into their arm or sticking the funny-looking instruments into their nose or eyes. Kids have the wildest imaginations; and when they’re scared, these imaginations go into overdrive. So if your kid needs to get flu shots, prepare yourself for some screaming.

The Doctor

Kids don’t know the Portland pediatric professional who will be examining them. Children could interpret a doctor’s brusque and detached demeanor to mean they’ve done something wrong. It is therefore important to find a doctor with good people skills who can put your child at ease.

The Unknown

The whole check-up thing that would take place at a Portland pediatric clinic is a mysterious affair to kids. Some children imagine that their condition is more serious than you admit. This is why kids suffering a common cold would think that they need surgery, or those with simple sprains think they’re going to die.

Professionals in Portland pediatrics would tell you children could fear that they’re brought to see the doctor because they had done something wrong, and that their illness is a result of what they did. It is good then to encourage your kids to air their fears out so you can address them. For more information, check out edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/23/tips.pediatrician.visit.p/index.html.