Health anxiety
Reasons for Health anxiety
Health anxiety, often known as hypochondria, is a psychiatric problem in which the person continually worries about their health, even when there is no cause to believe they have a serious illness. While a painful incident, such as the death of a loved one due to sickness, can provoke health anxiety, there are situations when no evident reason exists.
If you have this terrible illness, you may experience fear every time you cough or feel a pang, sending your adrenaline into overdrive as you become certain that something is really wrong.
People who suffer from health anxiety routinely see their doctor or other health experts and are often disregarded or pushed aside. They may not be suffering from a significant medical ailment, but worry may have a terrible effect on their quality of life. Because they have been handled so dismissively, they are concerned that the doctor may not have adequately checked their physical problems and that something has been overlooked, adding to their anxiety. Another concern is that patients suffering from health anxiety may begin to avoid seeing their doctor, either because they have been disregarded in the past or because they are afraid of being reminded of their sickness. In the process, if they get very ill, they may not receive the necessary treatment.
Health anxiety is frequently associated with other diseases, such as depression (which can actually contribute to some of the physical symptoms that they are concerned about, such as weight loss or increase) or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
If this describes you, you should be aware that you are likely to stay in a vicious spiral of worry, overreaction, humiliation, and more anxiety until your health anxiety is resolved.
The Covid pandemic, which began in 2020, has presented a significant problem to everyone who is already concerned about their health. For months, health officials have been giving monthly updates on illness frequency and mortality rates, as well as advice on how to be safe and what to do if we contract the disease, making it nearly difficult not to think about the pandemic. Because many of the first symptoms of Covid are also similar to other conditions, it's impossible for anybody not to be concerned, and it's an especially stressful scenario for individuals who already suffer from health concerns.
Those suffering with health anxiety may manage their condition during these challenging times by incorporating some beneficial strategies, like as mindfulness meditation, into their everyday life, consulting with their health care provider, and possibly even enrolling in counseling, either online or over the phone, to obtain extra support during a tough time for all of us. A brief course of medicine may also be beneficial in some circumstances.
In general, health anxiety is curable, and we can assist. You may benefit from medicine in the short term, but you truly need a proper long-term treatment to ease your symptoms and help you make your life a brighter, happier place. CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is a well-established treatment for health anxiety. Your therapist can assist you in learning how to approach and think about your anxiety in a more positive way, which will allow you to manage your symptoms much more successfully.