# Hypochondria



## pyramidsong (Apr 17, 2005)

Anyone else dealing with this? My SA is not at all severe anymore, but it seems to have been replaced with generalized anxiety and particularly hypochondria. I am constantly convinced I have some horrible life-threatening condition so I'll go for a test, it comes back clear, I'll relax for a while then start obsessing about something new. In the past year I've been convinced of heart disease, ovarian cancer, liver failure, MS... Currently I can sometimes feel a lump in my abdomen. Now, it's not ever-present, so logically I know it's probably air or food or something, but in my most paranoid moments I "know" I have stomach cancer or something. I also get low appetite, stomach aches and back pain (probably caused by anxiety and bad posture) which "confirms" my belief.

I am so sick of this. I'm thinking of trying cognitive behavioural therapy.


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## nickyole (Oct 7, 2009)

OMG! I have the exact same problem. In the past two months I've paid $500 in hospital bills...nothing wrong of course. I webmd every day, for any little thing I feel in my body. And I constantly think I'm going to pass out from a stroke or something...I'm only 21 so naturally these fears are irrational, but it's only getting worse. I can't even drive anywhere without thinking that I'm going to pass out and wreck, or take a shower without rushing in case I have heart failure or something. It's extremely frustrating! I hardly eat out of fear of some allergy, at work I'm always checking my pulse...I just wish that I could stop freaking out and enjoy life. I'm also convinced that I have skin cancer, even though I can't find any odd moles. Let me know if you find a way to calm down! I'm reluctant to see a therapist, I never have due to my SA.


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## toby0625 (May 18, 2009)

Maybe some people have a pre-disposition for having obsessive thoughts.like you used to have social anxiety because you had constant negative thinking concerning other people now its constant thinking making you worry about being ill.maybe we have somthing wrong with our brains like our brainwaves or somthing.i had mine checked once and was told they were abnormal.maybe we need new brains


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## Jayne311 (Aug 20, 2009)

I have this so much. What sucks is that once I had a condition that wasn't life-threatening but that needed treatment, and it was only discovered by my constant thoughts that there was something wrong with me. The doctors wouldn't have known about it unless I had pushed for more tests, so now I think I have cancers of various kinds and autoimmune diseases, and one test won't convince me there's nothing wrong. 

What makes me feel better is to recognize the role stress plays in my thinking, and consequently, my body. In combination with a medicine I take, stress makes me dizzy. Of course a part of me is convinced it's brain cancer, but I do notice that when I'm less stressed, I'm less dizzy. I also have less back pain when I'm less stressed, and after I spend some time laughing or really enjoying myself, I don't notice anything physically wrong at all. So it might help some people to realize that stress isn't just a mental state, and can have a lot of physical effects. I read once that every negative thought has a physical toll on the body, but that means that positive ones do too.


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## nbtxdude (Jun 20, 2010)

Yes, this is my second biggest problem... Now that I live completely alone I scare the [email protected]#% out of me worrying about what I have done to myself now...


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## Meli24R (Dec 9, 2008)

I've had hypochondria for the last two years. The weird thing is..I think my sa has decreased too since I developed it. I'm still a nervous wreck in a lot of social situations, but I no longer obsessively worry about what other people think of me or compare myself to others. Instead, I obsessively worry about certain illnesses that I might have. I'm constantly trying to distract myself so that I don't think about it. 
I don't have goals or ambition anymore. It's like I've convinced myself that I'm not going to have a future so I don't see the point in planning for one.


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## jenika (Jun 29, 2010)

A person with hypochondria continues thinking he is seriously ill despite appropriate medical evaluations and reassurances that his health is fine. An individual suffering from hypochondriasis is known as a hypochondriac.Hypochondria causes people to become preoccupied with the belief that they are suffering from one or more physical diseases.Hypochondria is often characterised by fears that minor bodily symptoms may indicate a serious illness, constant self-examination and self-diagnosis, and a preoccupation with one's body.


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## cmp (Jun 24, 2010)

I owe about $7,000 in hospital bills....and nothing was found to be wrong with me. I constantly think something is seriously wrong with me over the smallest stuff. so much so that if nothing is wrong with me I will "make" something wrong with me. I had a real illness for a few weeks last year this made me very aware about any possible things that could be wrong. I also felt like a physical illness is so much easier to deal with than my SA.


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## Meli24R (Dec 9, 2008)

My biggest fear is cancer..I do not want a long painful death. I'd rather die of something like a brain aneurysm or heart attack. My grandfather died of a massive heart attack and it was so quick. I don't think he even had time to realize what was happening
My uncle died of cancer. I wasn't close to him and didn't visit him, but I know the details of his last days. It's not a good way to go. I wish assisted suicide was legal where I live..just knowing that I could end my life(if I had a terminal illness) peacefully with a cocktail of drugs would give me great comfort.


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin (Nov 28, 2009)

Cbt


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## Amber78 (Jun 25, 2010)

I know how you feel because I do the same thing. I found a lump in my breast and while waiting for the appointment went to a store to look at head scarves because i just knew I had cancer and would have chemo. I didnt. But every time I have the slightest ailment i think the worst. I have a great fear of choking, drowning, not being able to breathe etc. I obsess on these things to a greater degree than I ever tell anyone. Because if i tell anyone they just think that I am crazy. I get told that sooner or later we will all die, live now, enjoy life while you have it and such but this does nothing to alleviate my fears.


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## smalltowngirl (Feb 17, 2006)

I suppose I'm not really a hypochondriac in the physical sense. However, I am always diagnosing myself with psychological disorders. :lol

My biggest physical fear is cancer. It just seems so terrible, even the treatment for it is terrible, and it's not something one can really prevent which is all the more terrifying.


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## secretlyshecries (Sep 10, 2009)

Whenever my side hurts, I feel certain it must finally be my apendics but it hasn't happened yet. Sometimes I think I must have certain other problems too, such as headache=tumour. Although-- and this might sound really strange-- sometimes I find myself hoping I have a terminal illness so then people can pity me and leave me alone to do nothing.


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## theCARS1979 (Apr 26, 2010)

hey all. I think Ive had a period where i was always worried about my health and always going back and forth to a doctor.It was about a decade ago and it went on for awhile then it away after awhile. I still have social anxiety though and trouble speaking to girls and asking them out. First of all , always walk straight. Secondly i think If you have a good diet, cancer should 'nt be a problem. Stay away from cigarettes too. Ask your a doctor about that too. Alot of doctors want to help. Third maybe who ever has problems straightening should visit a chiropractor a few times. You may feel better. I'd tell him your problems if i were you. It may take some strain and worry off you. Stay away from fast food and transfats, cause they contribute to bad health. You can all write me and let me know how it went. you should all pick up a book called the Cures They Dont Want You To Know About by Kevin Trudeau, and More Cure Revealed. take care all. Your stories all were so sad and all. There are answers to troubles and suicide isnt the answer Meli.
Steve


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

I got diagnosed with atypical hypochondriasis by the ICD-10 criteria (F45.2). I'm atypical because I did not fit the not being reassured criterion. I can be reassured.

I rarely get episodes these days, but had it almost constantly, and severely, for about a decade. I couldn't tell anyone for all that time. It was so severe I would be immobilised in terror on a weekly basis.

Here's a source giving a useful overview.

On prevalence:


> In primary care settings in 14 countries throughout four continents, 0.5-1.0% of patients meet the ICD-10 criteria for hypochondriasis. About 2.2% meet criteria for an abridged version that is based on all the major criteria except the failure to accept medical reassurance. The prevalence of hypochondriasis in general medical clinics has been reported at 4.2-13.8%. There are no clear differences of sex, age, or geographical location in the prevalence of the condition.


More info.


> Hypochondriasis may be primary when it exists independently from other psychiatric conditions. Hypochondriacal symptoms, however, are often secondary to other conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, and delusional disorders. Treatment should be only for the primary disorder; secondary hypochondriacal symptoms will usually resolve as the primary disorder is treated. Shortlived hypochondriacal ideas are common in the general population, particularly in patients who have just received a medical diagnosis with a poor prognosis. Forms of hypochondriasis have been described in specific subpopulations. Hypochondriacal concerns are reportedly associated among people in certain occupations; these occupations include actors, musicians, doctors, and medical students.4 Although the reports of hypochondriacal concerns in these occupations are largely based on anecdotal reports, the association of shortlived hypochondriacal reactions with medical students has been more formally studied. Transient hypochondriacal concerns seen in these groups and the general population, however, are clearly distinct from ICD-10 hypochondriacal disorder in form and severity.


This is true


> Maladaptive behaviours, such as bodily checking, feed into the cycle of anxiety, leading to greater arousal and increased symptoms. For example, a man who feared that he had testicular cancer repeatedly checked his testicles. This caused testicular pain, which he interpreted as the early signs of cancer and led to increased checking.


Therapy


> Models have been developed for use in primary care based on understanding, and reattribution of symptoms and associated worries to a psychological explanation.6 Anxiety management techniques, and other behavioural treatments have also been used, but the best evidence is for cognitive behavioural therapy.21 This was developed to treat depression but subsequent trials have shown its efficacy in many psychiatric conditions. It is a structured therapy based on a scientific model that aims to alleviate psychological problems and improve coping skills. Cognitive behavioural therapy for hypochondriasis addresses both the thoughts and the beliefs (the cognitive element) that the patient has about bodily sensations and illness, and the associated behaviours (the behavioural part). Maladaptive automatic thoughts and assumptions are worked upon, such as "all bodily sensations are signs of serious illness" and "if I don't worry about health I'll get a serious illness." Perpetuating behaviours, such as repeated checking for symptoms or reassurance seeking, are identified and alternative behaviours developed and tested by the patient and therapist. Patients given cognitive behavioural therapy show significant improvements, up to 80%, on a number of indicators of hypochondriasis compared with controls.22


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## Meli24R (Dec 9, 2008)

PinkFloyd75 said:


> Secondly i think If you have a good diet, cancer should 'nt be a problem.


A good diet/exercise may decrease your risk, but even people who take great care of their health can get cancer. My mother's boss for example is a total health nut. She eats nothing but organic food (also no refrined carbs, fattening/junk food, sugar or sweetners) and she's always been very athletic too. Despite this, she developed cancer last year and she's only in her forties. Some of us are simply screwed and others win the genetic lottery (like my grandmother who is 86 years old and never exercises/eats healthy and smoked half her life)



> There are answers to troubles and suicide isnt the answer Meli.
> Steve


Uh I think it is if you're wasting away on your death bed. People with terminal diseases and illnesses like alzheimers (which btw is horrific and runs in my family) should have the option to take life ending drugs IMO.


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## maosuzaki (Feb 1, 2013)

You're not alone. I have a bad case of hypochondria as well. Lately, I've been experiencing strange pulsations and vibrations throughout my body, mostly in my legs. I freak out time and time again that I could have DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and it scares me to no end. Sure, I haven't been all that active in the course of the past few weeks...But I haven't had any warmth, swelling, or redness in my legs at all. And the pain isn't completely excruciating to the point where I'm rolling around on the floor, screaming bloody murder. From what I've been told by others who have had DVT, the pain is extreme. :C


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