Una fobia specifica: l'Emetofobia. Una rassegna sistematica della letteratura.

A specific phobia: emetophobia. A systematic review of the literature Emetophobia disorder or SPOV (specific phobia of vomiting) is a still less-explored anxiety disorder. In DSM-5 (APA, 2013) it is listed in the category of anxiety disorders within the specific phobias section, under the heading "Other". In this regard, a systematic review of the literature was conducted with the aim of presenting its symptomatology, comorbidity and treatment. The review was conducted by consulting databases such as PUBMED, EBSCO and SCOPUS typing the keywords related to “SPOV” and “emetophobia”. The bibliographic research carried out led to the detection of 649 articles; 26 pertinent articles were included, classified according to the established objectives. The review shows that the diagnosis of an emetophobic disorder combines a set of symptoms commonly overlapping but substantially different from other disorders, emphasising the importance of a separate diagnosis. The most effective area of treatment offers cognitive behavioral techniques, although many patients are not inclined to expose themselves directly to phobic stimuli. The future prospective, there is a lack of randomized controlled treatment studies and longitudinal designs on vulnerability and maintenance factors exploring the effectiveness of treatments for this patient group. In conclusion, the deleterious impact of emetophobia cannot only be attributed to comorbidities and/or other psychopathologies, but it is necessary to pay attention to its causes that distinguish it from other specific phobias, such as its interoceptive symptoms which cause unique sequelae on an organic and psychological level.