Afraid of Blood: Difference between revisions

In [[Real Life]], [[wikipedia:Hemophobia|hemophobia]] is an anxiety disorder characterized by -- [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|well]] -- extreme—extreme fear of blood. Treatments exist, but the condition tends to be lifelong and is usually caused by childhood trauma.

In fiction, being [['''Afraid of Blood]]''' is much the same, though the symptoms tend to run a rather more colorful gamut from mere extreme discomfort or nausea to falling unconscious on the spot to awakening [[Super-Powered Evil Side|superpowered evil sides]]. Note that there is some scientific basis to this: physical reactions uncommon in most other phobias have been recorded in cases of fear of blood.

In the past, this trope was mostly associated with [[Always Female|females]], in both fiction and real life, which is why most [[Damsel in Distress|distressed damsels]] share this condition (good thing there's [[No Periods, Period]]). In the present, this trope is usually [[Played for Laughs]] (or -- withor—with equal effort -- foreffort—for tragedy) by giving it to someone in a medical profession or other position where they're likely to see a lot of blood. For examples of when someone who is likely extremely proficient at ''spilling'' blood is afraid of it, see the Blood section of [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]]. If the character is justified in being afraid of blood, perhaps they fear [[The Power of Blood]].

* [[Those Wacky Nazis|Heinrich Himmler]] allegedly suffered from this. Ironic, considering, [[Hellhole Prison|well]] -- [[Kill'Em All|you know]]. The Nazis generally acknowledged this trope. They ordered the gas chambers to the death camps for the sake of being more humane -- tohumane—to the guards, [[Didn't See That Coming|who were suffering from various types of traumas and stress disorders for shooting defenseless civilians by the thousands at that point]].