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What is hemophobia and how to get rid of it. Fear of veins and medical procedures Relaxing breathing technique

Sometimes even adults and serious people find it difficult to confront their irrational fears, and especially if such a fear is venerophobia. With this fear, a person is always convinced that he has a sexually transmitted disease, and it doesn’t matter to the patient that there are no symptoms, they are still constantly worried about it.

Venerophobia is a disease that is caused by feelings of guilt and shame. If we look in more detail, venerophobia is not in all cases an independent disease; it is often caused by certain neurotic disorders, such as panic fears, or.

Venerophobes come to see a doctor and talk about strange and dubious signs that they notice in themselves. For example, some people are sure that something strange is happening to their genitals, and at the same time they complain about poor sleep, headaches, and strange sensations in the throat and nose. It happens that those suffering from venerophobia say that their skin has begun to smell somehow strange, and moreover, they feel the “disintegration” of their own tissues.

The morning of venerephobes begins with the fact that they meticulously examine themselves in the mirror, looking for non-existent anomalies. They even seem glad that they found something suspicious that suggests the presence of a disease. They look no less carefully at their household members, listen carefully to the complaints of their other half, and instantly connect them with their fictitious venereal disease.

Although, in the case of this phobia, experts have no doubt about its origin, there are many reasons. The beginning can be quite prosaic. As a rule, a person has had casual sex and is well aware that the sexual contact was unsafe. And also if there was household contact with a person with a sexually transmitted disease. It goes without saying that there are no signs of any diseases, but fear occupies the leading place. An impressionable person invariably comes to venerophobia. An important role in the occurrence of this phobia is played by factors such as general concepts of culture and information about sexually transmitted diseases.

Sometimes a person reads books intended for doctors, in which, of course, he understands little, and it is likely that he will draw erroneous conclusions for himself. Many people discuss their intimate problems with friends, which is quite frivolous, taking information from random articles and other sources. When discussing the occurrence of venerophobia, it is necessary to take into account a certain mental or neurotic predisposition of the venerophobe, because even with the existing risk, it is not at all necessary that casual sexual intercourse will end in venerophobia.

There are also situations when a person has a fairly innocent inflammation in the genital area, which has nothing to do with sexually transmitted diseases, or has previously suffered something similar. Based on this, any, even the slightest discomfort in the intimate area is regarded by a venerephobe as a possibility of the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time, venerophobia develops in a very serious form. Sometimes it happens that a person actually suffered from a venereal disease, underwent treatment for a long time, and the doctors said that he was absolutely healthy. But the venerephobe is very distrustful and does not believe in his recovery.

The fear of sexually transmitted diseases has many faces, so the signs of the disease can manifest themselves very individually. Usually, regardless of whether venerephobes understand the irrationality of their fears, they try to hide their condition and, for obvious reasons, not expose it to public discussion. It is worth emphasizing that a person suffering from venerophobia avoids sexual relations, denying himself intimate pleasure, and therefore his reproductive system is inhibited even more.

If a venerephobe is a bachelor, then he constantly puts off starting his own family, because he is sure that the imaginary disease will be passed on to his wife, and it is possible that the problems will be passed on to his offspring. When a family person suffers from venerophobia, he creates endless conflict situations. There is an atmosphere of depression in the family, family members are constantly stressed, and ultimately, they too may develop a nervous disorder.

With an exacerbation of the phobia, when the patient unexpectedly discovers that he has “another” sign of a sexually transmitted disease, he may experience fear that completely consumes him, causing him to rush around the room in horror. At this moment, a person may experience a rise in blood pressure, tremors, dizziness, and general weakness. The fear is so great that the patient may completely lose control of his actions and cease to navigate the area.

Like most other phobias, venerophobia is a condition that can be cured. But the patient should know that the treatment is quite difficult, and therefore, the person himself must actively strive for recovery. As a rule, the success of treatment for a patient with venerophobia is largely due to the first visit to the doctor. During the consultation, the doctor must show maximum sensitivity and carefully read all the information provided to the patient.

You can often hear from a child: I’m afraid to donate blood from my finger. Such irrational fear of a medical procedure is accompanied by hysteria. Hemophobia, the fear of donating blood, affects adults who did not cope with the phobia in childhood.

Hemophobia - fear of donating blood

A progressive mental disorder harms a person: against the background of one phobia, other fears develop, and new symptoms appear. Treatment of fear involves correcting the thinking and behavior of the victim of the phobia.

Hemophobia in children and adults

Hemophobia is the fear of the procedure of drawing blood from a finger or from a vein. The body's spontaneous defense reaction is accompanied by an acute reaction from the patient. The internal state of fear is born due to the inevitability of pain: from the first procedure, a negative experience is stored in the child’s memory. He knows that donating blood is painful.

Hemophobia arises against a background of false expectations. Before the procedure, the little patient is told that he will not experience any pain.

Deception enhances the negative experience and in adulthood the person continues to be afraid of the procedure and avoid it. Hemophobia is accompanied by other fears: fear of medical institutions or fear of infections.

Why does a phobia occur?

Negative factors include the pace of life of a modern person. Without timely rest, mental disorders are inevitable.

Pessimism, which is another defensive reaction of the psyche, creates the preconditions for the development of fear. The more a person believes in the negative outcome of any event, the more susceptible he is to phobias.

Causes

The causes of hemophobia are always psychological in nature. If a person is afraid of pain, the reason for the fear is an exaggeration of the pain syndrome that the patient once experienced. It is common for a victim of a phobia to make a tragedy out of the procedure and exaggerate the discomfort during blood donation. Reasons why the patient is afraid of the procedure:

fear of blood;
negative experience;
incorrect attitudes and associations;
associated phobias.

A person is afraid to see his own or someone else’s blood - these are different phobias. Fear of the sight of your blood is a defensive reaction. Fear of the sight of someone else's blood is expressed in disgust towards people or fear of becoming infected. You need to understand the causes of fear by studying possible and additional causes of irrational fear.

The phobia is intensified by obsessive states: if the patient is afraid of needles, unsterile objects, or the smells of medical institutions, the future procedure causes panic fear. Over time, the phobia develops, and the patient avoids the test procedure to the detriment of his own health.

The reasons for the phobia may lie in the negative experience of donating blood.

Main symptoms

A child and an adult perceive threat differently. The baby's first defensive reaction is hysteria. In adult patients, the phobia manifests itself differently: he deliberately ignores the procedure. A person stocks up with a whole arsenal of excuses why he won’t be able to undergo the procedure. Manifestations of hemophobia:

uncontrollable panic attacks;
loss of consciousness;
confusion of thoughts;
shortness of breath (a person is suffocating and cannot take a deep breath);
cardiopalmus;
tremor of the upper and lower extremities.

Manifestations of hemophobia cannot be controlled; spontaneous reactions occur when there is a need to draw blood. The fear of blood makes you nervous.

A panic attack is accompanied by increased anxiety. This condition may last for several hours after the procedure.

Hemophobia causes increased sweating, chills and chest pain. During an attack, a person poses a danger to himself and others.

A progressive phobia affects the perception of reality: dizziness and headaches, temporary clouding of reason. An obsessive condition needs urgent treatment.

Treatment of hemophobia

Fear is a normal protective reaction of the body. The psyche senses a threat and immediately reacts to it. The fear of blood is not fatal, but it does affect human behavior. If the problem is a fear of blood, it is necessary to develop resistance to the sight of it. Habituation occurs along with establishing new affirmations.

Phobia with an acute reaction is less common. In most cases, the manifestation of fear is an anxious state. Psychotherapeutic techniques are used to help the patient: the level of fear is reduced, the true cause of the phobia is determined.

Emergency assistance to the patient if the fear of blood suddenly manifests itself:

the patient sits in a comfortable position, the head tilts towards the knees (in this position, blood rushes to the head and the pressure decreases);
breathing is restored (even breathing helps to calm down and reduce anxiety);
After the exercise, you need to stand up and relieve tension from the muscles.

Such help is needed in cases where a panic attack interferes with diagnosis.

The primary task is to establish control over your own body. If a person cannot control the body's reactions, the phobia will only intensify over time.

Correct installation

Attitudes are internal beliefs that are formed in early childhood. After the first visit to the doctor, the baby forms an impression of the procedures completed. Negative experiences are the main cause of hemophobia in the future.

Impressionable people suffer from hemophobia. They are accustomed to react sharply to any environmental changes. It is difficult for hypochondriacs who are afraid of infection to cope with medical procedures.

Working with a psychoanalyst will help you get rid of the feeling of fear: a person works on his own thinking, gets rid of attitudes embedded in the subconscious.

Drug treatment

Hemophobia is not a dangerous irrational fear. In most cases, treatment is achieved without drug therapy. A course of sedative tablets is prescribed for increased anxiety. Sedatives provide temporary relief and are not a cure. Tranquilizers are not prescribed in case of hemophobia.

Exercises to calm down

The best option for getting rid of hemophobia is physical exercise, which helps relieve excess stress. Adaptive responses are shaped by self-control skills. Breathing exercises will help you calm down in a short time. In a comfortable position (sitting or standing), it is necessary to restore breathing. Don't hold your breath. As soon as your breathing calms down, hold your breath for 2-3 seconds for every 5th breath. Then breathing is restored again. The exercise is repeated at least 3 times.

Meditation to treat hemophobia

Meditation is an effective calming technique. It does not fight the cause of the phobia, but helps to counter the spontaneous reactions of the body. Meditation calms anxiety, relieves stress and muscle tension.

Yoga classes are suitable for preventing the development of additional phobias. In combination with psychoanalysis, the relaxation technique allows you to get rid of the obsessive state.

Meditation is an effective calming technique

Conclusion

Hemophobia is a fear that has no serious basis and needs treatment. To release internal tension, psychoanalysis and work on thinking are used. The causes and factors that strengthen the phobia are eliminated.

To combat the fear of blood, they use meditation, auto-training at home, and work on attitudes. Physical exercise will help overcome fears and get rid of the fear of medical procedures.

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In principle, few people like medical procedures. But when a person refuses to undergo the necessary tests only because of fear of donating blood, then we are talking about a full-fledged phobia. How to get rid of it?

Hematophobia and fear of donating blood

A fairly common pathological fear is hemophobia(hematophobia). It is associated with a strong fear of blood: a person only needs to see a small drop of it to fall into panic. Naturally, in such a situation, the reluctance to get tested is quite understandable.

But the fear of donating blood is not necessarily caused by hematophobia. The reasons may be more obvious:

fear of pain (although the blood test does not imply serious interference with the integrity of the body, a certain discomfort is still present);
fear of contracting HIV or hepatitis if using unsterile/contaminated instruments;
the fear of one’s own helplessness, which grips many in hospitals and clinics (a person, due to lack of medical education, does not fully understand what he needs to do and is forced to blindly obey doctors).

As a rule, the fear of donating blood develops in childhood. Almost every child has a memory of how a strict nurse frantically squeezed out the treasured red drop from a numb finger or spent hours looking for inconspicuous veins, painfully sticking her hand with a needle in the process. The reasons for fear are always psychological and have no basis in reality. But this does not prevent even established adults from trembling in front of that “creepy” office.

How to stop being afraid to donate blood by finding a good clinic

Specialists in public clinics, hospitals, and laboratories are not very client-oriented. Why this happens is unnecessary to discuss. But there is always a choice: patients who are afraid of donating blood can go to a good private clinic. In this case, the person expects:

polite welcome;
a patient specialist who will help you overcome fear and try to make the procedure as comfortable as possible;
high-quality and sterile instruments.

It is possible that after the first visit to such a clinic, the fear will disappear. A person will understand the groundlessness of fear: after all, when the blood sampling procedure is approached carefully and diligently, then there are no inconveniences. An ordinary injection.

How to stop being afraid to donate blood from a finger and vein by controlling the process

Patient safety is in the hands of the patient himself. Especially if you had to go to a regular clinic, where the flow of visitors is very dense. It is necessary to observe the behavior of the specialist, in particular:

There is no need to be afraid of doctors and nurses. These are people just like everyone else. And in the same way they can make mistakes, be lazy, break the rules. Therefore, the patient needs to control what is happening to the best of his ability and express his opinion if necessary.

How to stop being afraid to donate blood from a vein or finger while being distracted

Many people find distraction methods helpful. During the procedure you should:

look out the window, at your feet, to the side;
count from ten to zero;
mentally repeat the words of the song;
fiddle with the handkerchief in your free hand;
listen to music on headphones;
talk to the “support service” (a relative or friend - provided that he is allowed to be in the office).

In this case, you should not take any sedatives, as they can distort the result and cause an incorrect diagnosis. In addition, you will then have to donate blood again, which will force you to experience unpleasant sensations again.

If independent attempts to cope with the problem have led nowhere, you should think about seeking psychotherapeutic help. Sometimes two or three sessions are enough to get rid of a disturbing phobia forever.

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“I’m afraid to donate blood” - psychotherapists hear this phrase even from accomplished, outwardly confident people. If a person feels unwell even at the thought of such manipulation, then he suffers from a specific neurotic fear - hemophobia (from the Greek root hemo, meaning “bloody, bloody”). This fear is formed in childhood - between 7 and 15 years old. Overcoming fear without the help of specialists is not easy.

Why is there a fear of donating blood?

This fear is caused by traumatic events in childhood associated with blood. For example, a baby breaks his nose, panics greatly, and receives psychological trauma. The traumatic memory of an unpleasant incident eventually turns into a phobia.

Fear of analysis:

It affects not just any person, but impressionable people who tend to exaggerate possible troubles. In the minds of sensitive babies, a slight pain from a harmless medical procedure turns into true torture;
appears in children with overly protective parents who are trying to protect their own child from the “cruel world.”

A similar phobia also occurs in people with a low pain threshold. In such individuals, even a minor scratch causes severe pain.

Hemophobia is “hereditary” and “contagious.” If the mother suffers from it, then soon you can hear the phrase “I’m afraid to donate blood from my finger” from the baby.

Symptoms of hemophobia

An individual with such fear is plagued by a whole “bouquet” of unpleasant physiological and mental symptoms. When a person suffering from a phobia undergoes the “torture” (surrender procedure), he:

lips are shaking, with hands and veins it’s the same story;
the legs become weak, and a person suffering from a phobia can easily faint.

Things are also bad mentally. Hemophobe:

begins to worry terribly, and is seized by wild panic;
madly wants to run away, hide, “wake up.” To someone suffering from a phobia, what is happening seems like a bad dream.

In children, the symptoms are slightly different. In babies:

severe hysteria begins. The baby is screaming, crying;
there is an attempt to hide. The baby clings to his mother and runs away. He asks for protection “from a bad woman with a scary needle.”

Physical manifestations of fear (headaches, indigestion) are also possible in children, but in a less prolonged severe form than in adults.

How not to be afraid to donate blood from a vein or finger - effective techniques for overcoming fear

Psychotherapeutic techniques help you to approach analysis calmly.

Technique “Imagine: there is no fear”

Blood can be made “not scary” by doing the following simple but effective mental therapy. Let's imagine that we are going for analysis. Everything goes as smoothly as possible. A friendly nurse gets the job done quickly. And the “terrible unbearable” pain is weaker than a mosquito bite.

“Measured portions” of blood donation videos also help. The videos will gradually instill “immunity” to “bloody” spectacles, and hemophobia will begin to disappear.

Technique "Utility"

Is as follows:

We instill the idea of the usefulness of surrender. We visualize the laboratory, imagine how doctors study the analysis and examine it under a microscope.
We bring to the subconscious: the procedure is a great benefit, the test helps prevent and detect diseases.

To make auto-training more effective, we need the help of a specialist. During the sessions of the experienced hypnologist Nikita Valerievich Baturin, it will be possible to gradually dispel the phobia and remove fear from consciousness forever.

Relaxing breathing technique

Techniques related to breathing control are effective for the treatment of hemobophyia. A simple deep exhalation exercise will help bring panic under control. The main thing in the exercise is that the exhalation is longer than the inhalation.

When a person exhales, the body relaxes, when inhales, it tenses. Therefore, if you “stretch” your exhalation, the hemophobe will relax and become calmer.

Tension technique

This specific technique works well in the fight against fainting, the most unpleasant symptom of hemophobia, accompanied by a sharp drop in blood pressure.

The technique is as follows: we strongly strain the muscles of the chest, arms, and legs so that the face becomes flushed and the blood pressure quickly rises. We use hardware. At the same time, we watch a video where blood is taken from a finger and vein.

Behavioral cognitive therapy

In addition to the techniques described above, behavioral-cognitive therapy helps well against hemophobia. Together with a behavioral psychotherapist, a person changes his attitude towards analysis and begins to understand that there is nothing wrong with the procedure. The specialist gradually helps the person suffering from a phobia to “replace” panicky thoughts associated with analysis with more “realistic” ones.

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is also effective. Together with the psychoanalyst, the client searches for the cause of the fear, clears the mind of the attitude to be afraid, realizes it, and overcomes it. A lot of useful exercises have been posted on YouTube.

Remember! Medications (antidepressants, tranquilizers) are rarely prescribed for hemophobia. Pathology is considered a problem that can be effectively dealt with through psychotherapy alone.

To be bold:

Before going to the procedure, drink plenty of water. It will be easier for the nurse to “extract” blood from a vein or finger. Things will go much faster;
we explain to the nurse about the problem so that she can carry out the procedure quickly and carefully;
When we sit on the chair during the fence, we relax as much as possible. We think about something soothing and pleasant. We mentally repeat a mantra, for example this: “Relaxed, good, relaxed, good.” We take deep breaths and exhale slowly.

It is unwise to develop complexes because of a phobia. Fear will go away faster if you honestly admit to the medical staff: “I’m afraid to donate blood from a vein (or finger).”

How not to be afraid to go get your baby tested?

To reduce your baby’s fear before the procedure:

Let's try to tell the truth. We avoid stories that blood from a finger or vein is “like a mosquito bite.” Sometimes the analysis is done carelessly, the baby may jerk his hand, causing him pain. If the parents before the procedure convinced the baby that the manipulation was painless, then the baby will become terribly afraid to go and take the test again. And he will begin to trust the words of loved ones less;
in very gentle terms we explain to our child how everything will happen, so that the baby knows what to expect and is less afraid;
We say that after surrendering, the baby will receive something as a reward for his courage;
We explain to the child why the analysis is needed. We tell you that this protects you from unpleasant illnesses, because of which you have to lie in bed for a long time and drink bitter pills;
as a last resort, we can also donate blood, because parents are the main role models for children.

And we make sure to be close to the baby during the analysis. We try to distract, talk about something pleasant. We retell the plot of the cartoon and describe the gift for courage.

The fear of donating blood is irrational and pathological. To overcome a phobia, you need to learn to control your thoughts. Experienced people will help you do this psychologists and various simple therapeutic techniques. Then the problem of how to stop being afraid to donate blood from a vein or finger will go away forever.

Hemophobia is an irrational blood disease. This pathology manifests itself with both abundant and meager outpourings.

Patients panic not only at the sight of their wounds; some react with fear even to those in animals. In difficult situations, fear of blood manifests itself even when taking material for analysis. It is difficult for such people to donate blood from a vein or finger.

What is the disease

Hemophobia is an uncontrollable state of fear at the sight of blood. Despite the fact that this pathological condition is quite common, few people seek professional help to solve this problem.

Because of this condition, people are simply afraid to visit medical institutions, even to get tested. In some of them, fear manifests itself in the form of a panic attack, which is a pathology.

The usual feeling of disgust with nausea at the sight of blood has nothing to do with the disease.

Experts call the fear of blood a psychological phobia..

There was an opinion that hematophobia (irrational fear) arises from a hereditary predisposition, but today doctors claim that the source of the pathology originates in mental trauma. Sometimes the main cause of mental illness is society.

Hemophobia is divided into types, this is due to the causes of the pathological condition. Some people are afraid of their own blood, others are always afraid of the sight of it, including in animals.

Hemophobes do not visit hospitals and refuse medical help. Such people are afraid of the sight of a wound or a scratch. In severe cases, hemophobes become vegetarians, completely abandoning meat foods.

Causes of hemophobia and manifestations

The causes of fear of blood must be sought in disorders of the nervous system. To recover from pathology, you need the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist.

Fear from the sight of blood can be triggered by:

serious life-threatening injury;
a consequence of malaise during the collection of material for analysis;
the method of parental education in childhood (if the child received abrasions and cuts, they scolded him);
fear of military action after viewing information in the media (influenced by footage of killed and wounded soldiers and civilians);
previous surgical procedures, unsuccessful therapy.

Symptoms that can help detect hemophilia:

chills, suffocation;
increased sweating with a sharp manifestation;
discomfort in the retrosternal area;
numbness of the lower and upper extremities;
dizziness, nausea;
absent-minded thinking, poor self-control;
dulled reaction to external stimuli.

The reaction of a hemophobe sometimes reaches panic fear. The person suddenly turns pale, his body trembles, his pulse quickens, his breathing becomes difficult, and in some cases he loses consciousness. The sight of blood can cause pressure surges in a hemophobe.

A panic reaction can occur even just from the thought of performing medical procedures in the form of a cut, injection, etc. This is a sudden condition that is beyond self-control.

Methods for eliminating hemophobia

There are two ways to overcome fear: psychotherapeutic and medication. The first type of technique is not used if the patient takes a large number of drugs. In this case, it is necessary to combat the effects of medications, and not the patient’s fears.

Psychotherapeutic treatment

When complex symptoms are smoothed out, you can begin psychotherapeutic manipulations, namely:

Hypnosuggestive treatment. It is used for patients with moderate fears who are not ready to consciously work through the phobia. The technique consists of changing an unconscious attitude towards the object of fear. 5 sessions are required.
Cognitive-behavioral treatment is used to consciously familiarize the patient with the agent of fears. The technique is aimed at learning to control fears and independently correct false thoughts that give rise to anxiety. To get rid of hemophobia in this way, 8-12 sessions of behavioral treatment are needed.
Psychoanalysis is used for patients whose reaction to blood resulted from psychological trauma. The specialist needs to initially confront the patient with a traumatic experience and help him overcome and process the horror. This therapy is carried out in 12 sessions. In some cases, patients need additional psychoanalysis, while other patients can cope with panic in a couple of conversations with a specialist.

Psychological treatment is based on a test by which the doctor determines the stage of fear of a hemophobe. Testing consists of simple questions from the doctor. For example, how to stop being afraid of blood when donating it for analysis or giving permission for surgery.

After completing the required individual therapy sessions, the specialist may recommend group treatment.

Psychotherapy in a group involves working on the phobia of each patient present at the session. Such sessions are recommended for those patients who have already coped with their fears, but have not yet established themselves. In most cases, people are taught in auto-trainings quick relaxations that help increase the level of self-control.

Medication approach

You can overcome fear with the help of drug therapy. Its appointment is required in cases where hematophobia has consequences in the form of psychasthenia and emotional disorders.

In such situations, specialized specialists prescribe a complex intake of drugs from several groups, namely:

Psycholeptics (sedatives). These drugs are prescribed at an early stage of treatment therapy. Used to eliminate anxiety and fears.
Hypnotics (hypnotics). With severe disturbances in the rhythms of night sleep with excessive wakefulness.
Anxiolytics with sedative effects (tranquilizers). Used to treat frequent and severe attacks of fear. In some cases, sedatives are replaced by taking psycholeptics.

Drug treatment is prescribed only by a specialized specialist; you cannot select your own medicinal compositions or adjust the recommended dosage. This approach to therapy can lead to worsening of the condition.

When diagnosing hematophobia as a symptom of another type of disorder, the treatment regimen involves the initial elimination of the primary pathology. This approach gives the best results of further therapy. Pharmacological medications are taken strictly according to the recommended schedule.

The patient should regularly monitor his condition with his attending physician.

How to cope with hematophobia yourself

Diagnosis of hemophobia is carried out by patients independently. Signs of pathology appear during a routine blood sampling session.

Some feel a feeling of discomfort during the process itself, but in difficult situations a person may lose consciousness or experience panic.

Important! Complex cases of hemophobia are grounds for complete or temporary exclusion from military service. This applies to situations where fears are difficult to respond to therapeutic and medicinal interventions and require long-term treatment.

Pathology can manifest itself at the sight of a bloody object, cut, or wound. Sometimes people suffering from it note that they feel sick at the sight of animal meat or fish.

Some people notice a flash of discomfort even with a hospital smell. At this moment, they associate the medical facility with blood.

If such symptoms are noted, this is a reason to visit a psychotherapist or psychologist. A specialized specialist will diagnose and determine the severity of the disease. Based on observations and test results, the patient will be prescribed a course of adequate therapy. Each case requires an individual approach.