You’re undoubtedly accustomed to the time period FOMO—worry of lacking out—however it’s possible you’ll not have heard of FOFO: worry of discovering out. It’s a typical motive many individuals don’t get advisable well being screening exams resembling mammograms, Pap smears, STD exams, blood exams, and full-body pores and skin most cancers checks.
FOFO isn’t a medical analysis; it’s a colloquial time period and one thing many individuals and medical doctors are effectively acquainted with. In recent times, it’s been gaining extra consideration within the medical group and the media. “There’s little or no analysis on this particular subject, however clinicians who work within the space of well being anxiousness are very accustomed to 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 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 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 learn about FOFO and methods to take care of it.
The place does FOFO come from?
“For many individuals, it comes from a spot of hysteria, 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 anxiousness drives us to avoidance—we need to keep away from the factor that scares us.”
FOFO is very 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 situations can have FOFO. In some circumstances, “it may be an remoted factor resembling being afraid of getting a prostate take a look at, or it may be a part of a broader coping fashion,” Taylor explains. “Generally 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 could stem from earlier unhealthy experiences they’ve had in health-care settings or from iatrophobia, a typical worry of medical doctors or medical care. For others, it could be associated to a take a look at outcome that might result in a way of disgrace for having a specific medical situation (resembling an STD) or to anxiousness about needing remedies they don’t need. “It could possibly be a few worry of discovering out some unhealthy information or feeling pressured to make life-style decisions which might be onerous,” Bufka says. In these situations, the underlying thought is: “If I don’t have the take a look at, this factor doesn’t exist.”
Having to attend for outcomes may also gasoline FOFO. “If it’s a must to look ahead 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.
Easy methods to overcome FOFO
Step one is to contemplate 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 embrace discovering out whether or not you’ve got a medical situation and getting it handled, whereas the cons could embrace lowering your anxiousness about getting a constructive outcome. “In the long term, the professionals of getting the take a look at outweigh the cons,” says Abramowitz. Nonetheless, “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 postpone screenings.
If you happen to fall into that camp, it’s price asking your self what’s motivating you to keep away from the take a look at. “If you happen to’re nervous that if the outcomes are constructive and what that will imply, it’s possible you’ll be underestimating your capability 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 choices 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 danger to proceed to place this off? How will I really feel about this difficulty or choice a yr down the highway? “Dealing with the worry helps us make decisions which might be extra consistent with our values,” she says.
If you happen to’re actually feeling caught in a state of FOFO, speak to your physician about it, Taylor advises. “Share your considerations and apprehensions, and develop a collaborative plan for transferring ahead with the take a look at and planning for what you’ll do throughout the ready interval.” (If FOFO is expounded to a broader sample of hysteria, cognitive behavioral remedy may be useful, too, Abramowitz says.)
One other good technique: If you have to have a number of medical exams finished, attempt to schedule just a few of them on the similar time to get them finished effectively, Abramowitz suggests. It could possibly additionally assist to have a supportive individual go together with you to a specific take a look at or to reward your self with a deal with—resembling a favourite lunch—after you do it.
Finally, it’s necessary 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 take a look at—you’re both going to be relieved that nothing is fallacious, otherwise you’re going to know what you’re coping with,” says Abramowitz. “The anticipation is usually worse than the precise end result.”
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