We've all had to deal with people who constantly complain about illness. Communicating with them is not always pleasant, since constantly listening to complaints about their feelings is quite difficult. In any pimple, such suspicious people see a terrible tumor; with a slight cough, they suspect pneumonia.
Being too attentive to their own health prevents them from living normally and making plans. In such a situation, you should treat the problem as calmly as possible; in some cases, such people require medical assistance.
How does it manifest itself?
Hypochondriacs are always afraid of getting sick; before going to the doctor they complain of weakness, pain, often panic, and are horrified by their own sensations. Such people always know what a deviation from the norm in blood sugar, leukocytes, and platelets in the blood means.
Good tests can cause an even more acute reaction; the hypochondriac suspects the doctor’s incompetence and begins looking for another one. The process does not stop; such people can change hospitals and doctors throughout their lives, but they will never doubt that they are right.
The habit of looking for illnesses in oneself often extends to children. Hypochondriacs examine the child every day and force him to wear masks in public places. The eternal patient believes that he is sick with all diseases at the same time. The stronger the conviction, the more pronounced the symptoms that appeared a couple of days ago appear.
After numerous procedures, some of which can be very painful, the patient switches to searching for other unknown diseases and symptoms. Such thoughts cause great damage to the eternal patient, they poison his existence, problems with sleep begin, and the taste for life is lost. The situation is often accompanied by depression and major family problems.
Survival tactics
Article on the topic
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If you find the described symptoms in yourself, then there is no more miraculous remedy than a medical examination. Be sure to go to the doctor, do all the tests and studies that he recommends. Do not self-medicate, trust our medicine and take only those medications that the doctor prescribes after a detailed examination.
But if you think that this is not enough: limit yourself to reading professional medical literature; do not visit forums created for the exchange of information between people who are actually sick with any disease; change your psychological attitude: look not for symptoms of illness, but, on the contrary, for manifestations of health; lead a healthy lifestyle, stop smoking and alcohol; It wouldn’t hurt to watch your favorite comedy, go to the circus (who said that only small children are allowed there?), a trip to another city, meeting old friends, daily walks in the park.
Causes
The main reason for this worldview is imaginative thinking; suspicious people from childhood dream a lot, spend a lot of time drawing, and invent different worlds. The period of growing up is associated with the understanding that life is far from a fairy tale. Such a dreamer faces disappointment, because without strong emotions he feels happy.
Suspicious people are distinguished by sensitive visual perception; they often complete the drawing of the reality they need. The fact is that it is impossible to prohibit actors, fashion designers, and artists from imagining. Everything valuable disappears from the lives of such people; they lose their zest for life. They don't know how to use their talent and dream brightly. Strong emotions are vital for such people. In the absence of sensory depth, family life and relationships with people do not provide the necessary experience.
Unused imaginative potential is directed to bad thoughts. Because of this, people are constantly afraid of troubles, failures, betrayals, force majeure circumstances. The constant anticipation of bad things keeps hypochondriacs in heightened emotional tone. Against this background, fears about health develop, and suspicions of a variety of diseases arise.
There are other reasons for increased suspiciousness, among them the following are considered the most common:
- death or illness of a close relative;
- incorrect statements by the doctor;
- depressive states;
- sudden weight loss;
- neuroses;
- fear of relapse;
- a way to attract the attention of loved ones to oneself;
- Frequent communications with an anxious person.
Particular attention should also be paid to advertising that encourages people to undergo examinations. One of the most common fears is the fear of contracting HIV. Everyone has heard about scattered needles and syringes that were stained with the blood of infected drug addicts.
For suspicious people, the world around them turns into a source of constant danger. The cause of hypochondria in this case is considered to be a lack of adequate information, since it is easier to prevent HIV than to become infected with it.
Anxiety and fear of death
Human anxiety is a phenomenon designed to keep us alive. It helped our ancestors survive and brings us the same benefit. For example, if at night in the forest a person hears some sounds and rustles in the bushes, a feeling of anxiety will tell him that danger in the form of an animal may be lurking there. This is rational anxiety.
But if, sitting at home in the comfort and surrounded by loved ones, a person continues to worry and look for danger, this is an inadequate feeling of anxiety that requires the intervention of a specialist .
Gradually, an anxious feeling leads to fear of the whole world and even oneself . He is afraid that someone or something might harm him, afraid that he might harm himself or someone else. This phobia is expressed in very strange, at first glance, things, for example:
- The mother is afraid to take the child in her arms: it seems to her that she will definitely strangle him or drop him.
- A person is afraid to pick up a knife for fear of harming both himself and others.
- The fear of going out into the street where there are a lot of people - agoraphobia - forces a neurotic to constantly sit at home.
- Out of nowhere, panic attacks can occur, accompanied by an acute attack of inexplicable fear.
Fear of eating, washing hands or, conversely, a constant desire to wash them in fear of catching some disease, fear of snow or rain, day or night, and much more - all these are different manifestations of the same phenomenon - thanatophobia . These manifestations can be anything and differ from person to person, but they all have one reason.
An anxious person becomes very suspicious and begins to worry about his health. Constant tension leads to disruptions in the body and gives rise to psychosomatics - a disease against the background of mental activity.
Example: a patient comes to the doctor with a complaint of tachycardia, he is prescribed all the necessary examinations of the cardiovascular system. But to everyone's surprise, no causes of tachycardia are found. This means that it is situational, manifests itself at a moment of anxiety, while the person’s heart remains completely healthy.
Signs of high anxiety
Anxiety directly affects the human autonomic system and is accompanied by the following processes in the body:
- increased sweating;
- dizziness;
- tachycardia;
- feeling of lack of air;
- intrusive negative thoughts and ruminations about death;
- lump in throat;
- frequent mood swings and tearfulness;
- strong anxiety in front of new situations;
- tension and numbness of individual parts of the body;
- impatience, vanity and timidity;
- insomnia;
- frequent bowel movements, diarrhea;
If you find yourself with at least a few of the listed signs, this indicates your increased anxiety.
Where do worries come from?
Why do some people know how to enjoy life, while others live in fear of something specific or everything around them? Some enjoy every moment, while others suffer from constant fear of death and anxiety? This depends on the individual organization of the person’s psyche: his character formed in childhood, his personal experience and picture of the world.
The answer to this question lies in the plane of psychology . We all come from childhood - a hackneyed but very true phrase. In childhood, a child learns to interact with the world and himself, and the formation of a person’s character and worldview originates there.
If a child grows up in an atmosphere of love and acceptance, he receives invisible messages that this world is important and needed; the world is safe and caring. Such a child is not afraid to try new things, is not afraid of mistakes, and people do not threaten him. Such a child grows into a confident adult, with adequate self-esteem, he is calm, loves himself and the world.
But imagine a completely opposite picture: parents who do not know how to express affection and warmth or, even worse, are aggressive, beat and humiliate a defenseless baby. For a child, parents are Gods, before whom he is defenseless; their actions and words are taken on faith unconditionally . He cannot stand up for himself and fight back, he is afraid of losing the only important adults, and, therefore, he obediently endures everything that is done to him.
In the second case, the little person grows up with a feeling of loneliness and uselessness, with the understanding that the world is scary and dangerous, and that a mistake can be punished. Interpreting the world in this way, a person is afraid of it, fears for his health and well-being, and is in constant anxiety and fear . What to do in this case - the science of psychology will again tell you.
Trigger mechanism of thanatophobia
You can be a very anxious person all your life: afraid of everything new, worried about little things, tormented by negative thoughts, but not realizing the fear of death, not even thinking about it.
Its appearance is always preceded by some kind of trigger in the form of a stressful situation , which it was not possible to digest. For example:
- The death of someone close to us, where a person comes face to face with the fact that we are not eternal.
- An incurable illness of one’s own or one of one’s relatives also leads a person to suffering and the question of how to overcome the fear of death and anxiety that arise against the background of this situation.
- The age crisis is actually an interesting point in life, from which a person either grows or falls into neurosis. Psychologists count many crises, but it is at the age of 30, 40, 50 that a person thinks about his life, about its quality, and takes stock of his success and effectiveness. And if he comes to disappointing conclusions, he will doom himself to suffering and devaluation of everything around him. And hence the thoughts of death with all that it entails.
- A stressful event, such as a divorce, the loss of a job, a friend, or something very valuable, can also unsettle a person. Loss of meaning in life inevitably leads to thoughts of death.
Before these moments, which seriously affected the psyche, anxiety was at a normal level and did not interfere with a person’s life. After stressful events its level increases , it becomes noticeable and causes significant discomfort.
Scientists have long noticed a connection between the way of human existence and life satisfaction. An active person who enjoys his job and activities, who has interesting hobbies, a strong family and loyal friends, can better withstand adversity, be more stress-resistant and less susceptible to neuroticism.
Conversely, a sedentary, withdrawn person who avoids people and events has virtually no immunity to mental disorders .
It is important to say that such disorders are characteristic of healthy people, they are reversible, and they can be successfully managed.
Effective ways to combat suspiciousness
An important step is to recognize the problem, which will allow you to return to normal life without worrying about the little things. Any feelings of danger or imaginary illnesses should not be considered as a reason for self-diagnosis. Such patients should stop looking for diseases in reference books. Creative activities will also help you get out of the situation, this could be embroidery, drawing, modeling, cooking. The listed activities will help get rid of bad thoughts, but will also contribute to the development of creative abilities.
Expanding your social circle also plays an important role. Lonely people often suffer from hypochondria and try to attract attention to themselves in this way. In such a situation, it is recommended to enroll in literary courses, go on a trip, and play sports. Animal grooming may be an alternative to consider. The support of loved ones is also important; they need to be told about everything that worries them.
Who are they?
These are people with thick medical records, doctors' nightmares. They grab their hearts, and their cardiogram can be used as a pass to fly into space. They are so afraid of getting sick that they treat a non-existent ulcer,
They carefully protect themselves from all insects, considering the bite of an ordinary summer mosquito to be fatal.
They exaggerate any ailment
nausea is an ulcer that comes off, and a headache is certainly meningitis.
And “they have tonsillitis, scarlet fever, cholera, diphtheria, appendicitis, malaria and bronchitis.” But the question is, will the good doctor Aibolit help if the problem is “in the head”?
Sometimes hypochondria is manifested by pain, ulcers, rashes, upset stomach, dizziness, and abnormal heartbeat.
At the same time, fear makes these symptoms stronger, aggravates and adds new ones. But the tests are usually “like those of astronauts.” Less common are hysterical paralysis and muteness.
Good news
This is fine. Especially for those who delve deeply into medical topics,
without a long-term connection with medicine. Even medical teachers joke about the “third-year diagnosis” - after studying all the diseases, students find signs of all of them at once: from malaria to puerperal fever.
Would you like to pretend, sir? Not at all. The hypochondriac really feels everything he says, only with slight exaggeration.
The fear of getting sick is real suffering. But since hypochondria was recognized as a psychosomatic disease, behind every “false” symptom one must see something real. For example:
“My heart hurts” – “I’m so lonely. I need a lot of your attention."
And also remember that it is almost a “literal” statement that “all diseases are from nerves”
has good reasons. For example, severe stress causes bile to flow from the gallbladder into the intestines and this has unpleasant consequences for the gastrointestinal tract. (By the way, the website sympaty.net has already written about nervous heartburn)
Constant worries lead to disruption of the hormonal system, and this is a disruption of both the cycle and reproductive function, deterioration of skin condition and mood. We're not even talking about the fact that stress provokes miscarriage in pregnant women. And all of these, mind you, are physiologically based processes.
Expert advice
Perpetual patients must constantly analyze their thoughts. When another fictitious diagnosis appears, you should think logically and stay within the bounds of your imagination. If there is no rest, you must make an appointment for a comprehensive examination, after which the doctor’s report should be posted in a visible place. Playing sports - physical activity is always useful, especially if you suspect illness. Swimming, aerobics, and running in the morning will strengthen your muscles and improve your state of mind.
It is important to always trust yourself, the body does not pose a danger to humans. The eternal patient must understand that all systems and organs are configured for a long healthy life. The immune system constantly fights all diseases, and does not kill a person. If necessary, it is recommended to contact a psychologist who will provide the necessary assistance.
How to stop worrying too much about your health
Only a specialist can determine whether you have a health anxiety disorder. But you can use the following tips to get rid of unnecessary worries.
Stop trying to get rid of symptoms
We always have some symptoms. Getting rid of them is an impossible task. The body changes day by day, year by year. What you need to learn to do is worry less. And if the doctors have given you any prescriptions, it is important to adhere to them to an adequate extent - as recommended.
Find other explanations for your symptoms
Accept the idea that symptoms are not necessarily a sign of illness. They may be caused by anxiety, stress, or the result of normal physiological changes. Write down all the reasons why you feel sick, and then think about whether they can be explained in some other way. Example:
| Evidence that I have a bad heart | Evidence against |
| I have chest discomfort | I'm worried a lot right now, it could be a symptom of anxiety. |
| When I rest, relax, the discomfort goes away - heart disease would not go away so quickly | |
| I did all the examinations, the doctors confirmed that I am healthy |
Change your focus
Physical activity, doing what you love, hobbies, or work help to distract yourself. If you feel like you're scanning your body again, take a break and look at the place you're in. Another way is to learn to treat thoughts as just thoughts, and begin to notice that symptoms come and go on their own, like clouds in the sky. To do this, do the following exercise regularly:
Sit comfortably, but with a fairly straight back. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Pay attention to the position of your body, how you feel. Shift your focus to sounds that are close in this room. Broaden your attention and try to hear something that sounds far away and that you have not heard before - the noise of cars, dripping water in a tap, the conversation of passers-by on the street, a helicopter flying by... Do the exercise for a few minutes, and then return your attention to your body and well-being. Open your eyes.
Determine which actions help you and which ones make the situation worse.
Evaluate actions in the short and long term. For example:
| My Ways to Overcome Excessive Health Anxiety | Useful for now (0 -10) | Helpful in the long run (0-10) |
| Call your doctor about every symptom and ask for reassurance that it is not an illness. | 8 | 2 |
| Do repeated examinations | 7 | 1 |
| Think about symptoms and search for information on the Internet | 8 | 0 |
| Stop searching for information on the Internet | 3 | 8 |
Stop doing things that are harmful in the long run.
Start giving up reassurances, self-examinations, and seeking or avoiding information about illnesses. Gradually restore your normal daily routine and activity. Make time for things that you have stopped doing or would like to do, without overworking, but increasing your activity day by day.
Ask for help
If the doctors have once again assured you that there is nothing to worry about, but you are still worried, seek help from a psychotherapist. The most effective type of therapy for this problem is cognitive behavioral therapy. Before drawing up a treatment plan, the specialist will ask about the examinations you have undergone, their results and doctors’ opinions. If necessary, he will refer you for further examination. Once the picture is clear, together you will create a treatment plan. Remember that only a specialist can make a diagnosis.
Seek help from Yulia Gridasova to get rid of excessive health anxiety:
- Skype: yuliia.ease
- Viber
Lifestyle
Hypochondriacs worry about their own health for a reason. At all times they were the most unadapted, they could not wage war or go hunting. Protection and obtaining food were not their duties. Such people must be able to switch from themselves to others. It is important to be able to decorate and save the lives of other people, to strive to reduce the level of tension in society. Driven by this desire, people try to visit lonely people in nursing homes and orphans in an orphanage.
Many hypochondriacs take an active part in rescuing people trapped in rubble, engage in charity work, and participate to the best of their ability in the development of culture. They are unable to stay away from other people's misfortunes. Not all hypochondriacs have enough courage to save people, moral and physical feats. Realizing your own abilities allows you to forget about your own fears. With a balanced system, the body adequately responds to dangers by activating the immune system.
