Hypochondria - the fear of disease

Hypochondria is the unfounded fear of becoming ill or being ill. To the guidebook hypochondria.

Hypochondria - the fear of disease

definition

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Hypochondria is the unfounded, but marked, fear of becoming ill or ill. This fear can become compulsive. Hypochondria is not an independent disease in the medical sense, it is - depending on its severity - an obsessive-compulsive disorder, an anxiety disorder, a schizophrenia or a depression assigned. Typical for hypochondriacs: You always have to be medically confirmed that you are healthy. But even that calms them only for a short time, quickly dominate again uncertainty and panic thinking. A subset of hypochondria is cyberchondria, a modern form of hypochondria, so to speak. Here, those affected do not go to the doctor, but are searching feverishly on the Internet for their feared illness.

Does this muscle spasm point to a serious metabolic derailment? Does not this cough sound dangerous? Was not the liver spot a little lighter yesterday? Do the headaches come from a tumor disease in the brain or are my indigestion caused by bowel cancer? These and similar questions continually circulate through the mind of the hypochondriac. First signs usually appear after puberty.

Hypochondria is a serious condition

Hypochondriacs are often not taken seriously. They are gladly assumed to be simulants or moaners. However, experts point out that this is a serious mental illness that requires medical attention. It is true that hypochondriacs do not go to the doctor because of a zipper line, but because their soul suffers.

Who once lies, you do not believe - so the saying. Among them, hypochondriacs occasionally suffer from doctors. Since hypochondriacs also mean that they have severe illnesses in the case of minor complaints, sometimes the symptoms of a true serious illness are mispriced by the doctor. It can even happen that a hypochondriac is not treated accordingly.

frequency

About 4 to 9 percent of the total population is said to be affected by hypochondria, men and women alike. The chances of a complete cure are judged to be rather unfavorable.

symptoms

People with hypochondria are constantly watching their bodies and reactions with mistrust and fear - they are always on the lookout for possible signs of disease. Any deviation from the normal sense of health, such as any itching, coughing or pulling, is considered a sign of serious illness.

The fears may be vague, but also very specific to symptoms or - usually serious - diseases relate. Medical insurances of one's health only calm those concerned for a very short time. Hypochondriacs refuse to accept diagnoses that do not confirm their feared condition. The anxiety-free phases until the next doctor's visit are getting shorter and shorter.

If hypochondria persist for a long time, serious consequences threaten: those affected begin to isolate themselves from their environment, to isolate themselves. Fear and depression dominate her feelings. Conversely, friends lose interest in contact with hypochondriacs because they only talk about their supposed diseases. Conversely, those affected no longer feel taken seriously and let down.

Depressed mood swings and delusional behavior can occur. In severe cases, problems in the private and professional environment as well as social decline threaten.

causes

The causes of hypochondria can not be named beyond doubt. For a hereditary predisposition, there is no conclusive evidence. Scientists discuss a possible altered brain function in people with hypochondria. Dutch researchers discovered that certain areas of the brain, which process the emotional experience and direct the attention in certain directions, are overactive in hypochondria and easily influenced by trifles.

Dealing with illnesses is shaped in childhood

Why many hypochondriacs can not adequately deal with the topic of health, doctors see partly founded in their childhood. This includes:

  • over-cautious parents who are constantly worried about a child's illness and therefore often go to the doctor with the child or call an ambulance
  • real, serious childhood illnesses (such as acute leukemia or other cancers)
  • serious illness or death of close family members in childhood.

Triggers hypochondria in adults

Cause of compulsive anxiety in hypochondria as adults may be:

  • traumatic experiences (such as the death of a loved one)
  • Life stages with a lot of stress
  • serious diagnoses (like cancer) that turn out to be wrong (so-called misdiagnoses).

Hypochondria in medical studies

Many medical students fear during their studies to suffer from the diseases that are currently the topic. This also applies to non-medical practitioner candidates or nursing staff. In general, however, this hypochondria is short-lived and passes.

treatment

The treatment of hypochondria is especially difficult because it is a symptom of the disease that the affected people think they are ill - but not suffering from hypochondria. Rather, the patients firmly believe in the currently imagined disease. For example, if the doctor simply does not want to accept the imaginary cancer from the patient's point of view, patients often feel misunderstood and lose confidence in the attending physician. In the face of this interplay, the first challenge for the diagnosing physician is to get the patient into hypochondria treatment. Often this treatment consists of a combination of psychotherapeutic measures and the administration of medication. However, there is no universally accepted therapeutic concept for hypochondria. The therapy offers the best chances of recovery in special psychosomatic centers as well as with psychiatrists or a psychotherapist.

Psychotherapy against hypochondria

The drug of choice in the therapy of hypochondria is psychotherapy. It is all about strengthening the patient's trust in his own body and relieving his fears. A study from Frankfurt am Main showed that a so-called cognitive behavioral therapy (questioning one's own physical sensations) in combination with a confrontation therapy (to face his fears and thereby control his fears) has the best chance of success. This therapy for hypochondria is used primarily in specialized psychosomatic clinics to treat health anxiety.

Psychosensory procedures

In the treatment of fears, including the fear of disease, so-called psychosensory techniques are used with increasing success. In the context of psychotherapeutic procedures, for example, the patient is led by means of light, colors, music and warmth into a state of deep relaxation, security and harmony. Known psychosensory techniques are EMDR after Shapiro, TFT after Callahan, EFT after Craig, OEI after Bradshaw and colleagues or "Havening" after Ruden.

Drug therapy of hypochondria

In severe cases with depressive moods, antidepressants are sometimes prescribed. Active substances are, for example, amitriptyline, clomipramine, desipramine, doxepin. Citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine and paroxetine.

In severe schizophrenic symptoms or hypochondriac mania, nerve depressants (neuroleptics) are the drugs of choice. Typical active substances from this group are amisulpiride, clozapine, melperone, pipamperone or risperidone.

Self-help against hypochondria

Do not let your fears get out of hand. If several doctors assure you are healthy, trust them. There is no rational reason why all doctors should tell you the untruth.

Take advantage of the opportunities for health care. This will create a good safety net. And: Talk to relatives and friends about your timidity. Some things dissolve quickly into smoke. This is better than worrying unnecessarily in the quiet room and getting into something.

Hypochondria - the fear of disease

FAQ - 💬

❓ Is hypochondria a fear?

👉 People with illness anxiety disorder -- also called hypochondria or hypochondriasis -- have an unrealistic fear that they have a serious medical condition or fear that they're at high risk of becoming ill. They may misinterpret typical body functions as signs of illness.

❓ What is the root cause of hypochondria?

👉 Hypochondriasis often arises when the person is under stress, seriously ill, or recovering from a serious illness, or has suffered the loss of a family member (5). Health-anxious people may have a coexisting general medical condition that fuels their anxiety.

❓ Why do I keep thinking I have a serious illness?

👉 Check if you have health anxiety You may have health anxiety if you: constantly worry about your health. frequently check your body for signs of illness, such as lumps, tingling or pain. are always asking people for reassurance that you're not ill.

❓ How do I stop worrying about diseases?

👉 You might utilize relaxation skills, deep breathing, mindfulness practice, being in nature, or other soothing activities that ground you back in the present moment. These are tools that can help you to refocus attention when thoughts about the body are all-consuming.

❓ Are hypochondriacs self aware?

👉 Patients with hypochondriasis often are not aware that depression and anxiety produce their own physical symptoms, and mistake these symptoms for manifestations of another mental or physical disorder or disease.

❓ Do hypochondriacs feel real symptoms?

👉 Do hypochondriacs feel real symptoms? Yes. Hypochondria can trigger symptoms associated with anxiety including: stomachaches, dizziness, headache, dry mouth, muscle tension, fatigue, increased heart rate, sweating, shortness of breath, and a frequent urge to use the bathroom.

❓ Are hypochondriacs suicidal?

👉 Suicide among hypochondriacs is rare unless they are also seriously depressed, in which case the hypochondria increases the risk. In addition, there are various subgroups of hypochondriacs who seem to respond to treatment differently.

❓ How do you calm down hypochondria?

👉 Hypochondriac Treatment

  1. Learning stress management and relaxation techniques.
  2. Avoiding online searches for the possible meanings behind your symptoms.
  3. Focusing on outside activities such as a hobby you enjoy or volunteer work you feel passionate about.
  4. Avoiding alcohol and recreational drugs, which can increase anxiety.

❓ Can health anxiety cause fake symptoms?

👉 Because hypochondria can activate the “fight or flight” system of the body, having excessive worries about your health can cause some physical symptoms. Some common symptoms of anxiety that hypochondria can trigger include: Stomachaches and conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) Dizziness.

❓ Can health anxiety cause real symptoms?

👉 Symptoms of anxiety produce very real physical symptoms: Dizziness, stomachaches, rapid heartbeat, tingling in the hands and feet, muscle tension, jitteriness, chest pressure, and the list goes on. These symptoms add fuel to the fire.

❓ Is Lady Gaga a hypochondriac?

👉 "I don't want to be [a hypochondriac], so most of the time, I'm like, 'F--- it, I'm fine,' " Gaga told Strauss.

❓ What is hypochondriac disorder?

👉 This disorder refers to people who live in constant anxiety that’s related to the fear of suffering from an illness. Hypochondriacs tend to really fear the diseases that imply a progressive, long-term deterioration. Some examples are cancer, AIDS, and fibromyalgia.

❓ What diseases do hypochondriacs fear the most?

👉 Hypochondriacs tend to really fear the diseases that imply a progressive, long-term deterioration. Some examples are cancer, AIDS, and fibromyalgia. However, there are also many hypochondriacs who fear heart or respiratory diseases, which imply a faster, more severe evolution.

❓ Is hypochondriacs dangerous to society?

👉 Is hypochondria dangerous? Created with Sketch. Hypochondria is especially dangerous to financial health. It drives up medical costs for the person suffering health anxiety and for the population in general, because it overburdens the medical system with unnecessary procedures.

❓ What is the difference between nosophobia and illness anxiety disorder?

👉 While nosophobia involves the fear of developing a specific disease, illness anxiety disorder involves more general worries about illness. Someone with illness anxiety disorder might worry that minor symptoms, such as a sore throat or headache, are a sign of something serious.


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