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Hypochondria - symptoms and treatment of hypochondriacal disorder. How dangerous is hypochondria and how to get rid of the disease Hypochondria and deceit are characteristic of the carrier patient

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Surely you have a friend who, after every sneeze, begins to think that it could be severe pneumonia or even worse?

He “runs” to the Internet and absorbs information about the symptoms of these diseases. It seems to him that everything matches. Immediately from the computer he runs to the doctor, who says that this is ordinary laryngitis, but your friend doubts - maybe this specialist is incompetent?

Is the person described above a hypochondriac? Or is this a normal concern about your health? Is such suspiciousness a character trait or is it still a serious mental illness? Let's figure it out.

Hypochondriac - who is he and what are the signs of the disorder?

Hypochondria is a mental illness in which a person is too suspicious of his or her health.

To better understand what is a hypochondriac, we will describe the main characteristics point by point:

Types of hypochondria

Based on the degree to which the patient is suspicious, there are 3 types of hypochondria:

Obsessive- increased attention is paid to all possible manifestations of the disease.
Super valuable- every symptom seems to be a sign of a serious illness.
Delusional- the patient “knows” that he is already sick with something that poses a mortal threat to his health.

Causes of hypochondria

Scientists tested the personality characteristics of people with hypochondria. It turned out that they anxious and overly suspicious, impressionable– this applies not only to one’s own health, but also to all factors of both the internal and external world.

Characterized by increased sensitivity to irritants. There is an assumption that the normal impulses that the organs send are perceived by hypochondriacs as dangerous. That is, there is a failure to recognize what is normal, and what is worse - a cry from a diseased lung or heart for help.

Education also plays an important role. If the child was raised in constant fear for his health, he will continue to obsess over it when he grows up. There is also the opposite option, when children can attract the attention of mom or dad only when they are sick. Therefore, this scheme of attracting care is used later.

If a person has suffered a strong or, then his psyche has become less stable and resilient to everything. After this, increased attention to all details may also appear in order to catch a sign of a threat in time.

Psychologists say that every person has strong fear of dying. Therefore, hypochondria is a prime example of a defense mechanism to push that fateful day a little further.

It’s just that in some people this mechanism is poorly regulated (from birth or due to some ups and downs in life), as a result of which anxiety begins to go off scale, even when a harmless or even far-fetched symptom appears.

How to help a hypochondriac

Treatment for hypochondriacs is aimed at reduce anxiety both internally and specifically regarding your health. In this case, psychotherapy of different directions is used: art therapy, family therapy. During the session, situations and living conditions that throw a person out of balance are discussed.

Conducted auto-trainings– the client is directly taught to calm down on his own, without the help of a therapist. These are various exercises that do not require any special conditions. They also advise you to do yoga, drawing, embroidery - anything that concentrates your attention.

Rational psychotherapy is an important element in treatment. Because she is the one doing correcting false thoughts. The psychologist gives clear reasons why a person cannot immediately get sick if he touches a seat on public transport.

They also explain to the patient where such suspiciousness comes from and make it clear that it will be much easier for the person to live without it. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to completely stop being interested in your health. You just need everything in moderation.

It is important to choose a suitable general practitioner for the patient, so that if he wants to check his suspicions, the hypochondriac turns only to him. So that he does not go to different specialists who may speculate on his suspiciousness.

If the patient’s condition is very serious in terms of the development of hypochondria, then it is possible try placebo pills(sugar pill without medicine) and say that this is the best cure for his “serious” illness at the moment.

Thus, the patient feels that his words about “deteriorating health” are believed and favorably accepts the treatment. Accordingly, since there was no disease, the patient is “on the mend.”

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site

Why does hypochondria develop?

Hypochondriacal disorder is a multifactorial disease, which suggests that the development of mental disorders is caused by several factors at once. This syndrome is often observed as one of the symptoms of many mental illnesses. Hypochondria as an independent disease is observed quite rarely. Just a few years ago, it was generally accepted that the cause of the development of this disease was neurotic disorders. However, a more in-depth study of this disease revealed the fact that hypochondria has a close relationship with psychoactive disorders and organic brain damage.

Often the disease in question manifests itself fully in patients with psychosis. In some cases, melancholy syndrome may have similar symptoms, where the patient exhibits a feeling of obsessive fear with the possibility of contracting a fatal disease. Schizophrenia in combination with hypochondriacal ideas is more pronounced, and the symptoms that the patient attributes to himself are often simply absurd.

Various psychotraumatic situations most often act as a trigger for the development of this disease.

Each person has their own threshold for perceiving stressful situations. Often, serious illnesses diagnosed in relatives and friends act as the cause of the development of the disorder in question. Emotional turmoil leads to the fact that a person begins to search for similar symptoms in himself. Also, one of the reasons for the development of hypochondriacal disorder may be the presence of severe somatic diseases suffered in childhood. In this situation, the patient experiences fears related to the fact that the disease has remained in a latent form, in order to return again after some time.

Constant worry about your own health poisons your life, makes it difficult to concentrate on work and often leads to depression

Clinical picture

Speaking about who a hypochondriac is, it should be mentioned that people with this mental disorder pay increased attention to their physical health. Hypochondriacs carefully control their diet and constantly analyze their feelings from eating. People with this disorder can name the exact time when the first symptoms of the disease began and describe what they were doing at the moment. Let's look at the main symptoms characteristic of this disorder:

Obsessive fear. According to experts in the field of psychiatry, there is a whole form of this syndrome, which is accompanied by constant worry about one’s own health. Despite the absence of visible causes, a person is constantly looking for symptoms of a complex disease. Obsessive fear forces the patient to take drastic measures aimed at reducing the risk of infection. The patient locks himself in his own home, avoids communication with other people, takes control of his pulse and blood pressure. In some cases, hypochondriacs even record the exact time when they felt a change in their well-being.
Super valuable ideas. In this case, the clinical picture has some similarities with the situation described above. However, here the patient takes more specific actions aimed at studying a specific disease. It is the signs of this disease that the hypochondriac constantly tries to detect in himself. The appearance of a feeling of discomfort or pain is interpreted in favor of this disease. This syndrome is called “overvalued” due to the fact that the patient forgets about everything except worry about an imaginary illness. When visiting a specialist, he requires special attention to his condition and the existing problem.
Crazy ideas. The presence of an “imaginary illness” in this situation is explained by the hypochondriac, the most illogical conclusions. The presence of delusional ideas indicates a severe form of mental disorder, which often overlaps with schizophrenia. Most often, patients with this form of the disease say that a chip is installed in their head, which contributes to the development of brain cancer. Also, patients often say that the government and special services influence people with the help of special radio wave rays, which cause the occurrence of serious diseases.

The symptoms that a patient with hypochondria experiences are referred to using the term “senesthopathy.” These symptoms have nothing to do with changes in the physiological state of a person, and are exclusively mental disorders. Such clinical manifestations are not tied to a specific area of the body and do not have a regular periodicity. However, senesthopathy can significantly reduce the patient’s quality of life due to a constant feeling of discomfort.

Many patients perceive “hypochondriac illness” so acutely that they talk about possible death due to lack of proper attention from medical workers. A hypochondriac is a person who shows increased demands in relation to his condition, which is accompanied by an attempt to achieve maximum participation from everyone around him. Often, hypochondriacs self-medicate with the most expensive and potent medications. Uncontrolled use of such medications leads to the development of side effects, which are regarded as symptoms of an “imaginary disease” that the patient has invented for himself.

It should also be said that constant exposure to emotional stress can lead to a disorder of the autonomic system, which becomes the cause of the development of a real disease. Thus, mental disorder contributes to the development of truly serious diseases. In addition, constant public and media attention to various diseases can worsen the situation. Having heard about a virus outbreak on the radio or read on the Internet about an epidemic of infectious diseases, a hypochondriac begins to constantly look for similar symptoms.

According to psychoanalysts, the development of hypochondria is facilitated by various Internet resources, where in real time you can find descriptions of the symptoms of many diseases and put them into one complex and difficult to diagnose “disease.” On some forums you can even find people having similar problems.

Like any mental disorder, hypochondria requires treatment from a psychotherapist

Treatment nuances

How to get rid of hypochondria on your own? It is quite easy to answer this question, since it is impossible to cure hypochondria on your own. Even in the case of a mild illness, the patient needs immediate treatment and psychotherapy. A timely diagnosed mental disorder allows you to avoid more dangerous consequences for the life and health of the patient.

The pre-hypochondriacal condition is quite difficult to diagnose, due to the need for differential somatic diagnosis. Only after the possibility of the presence of real illnesses has been excluded should mental treatment begin. Many people suffering from hypochondria only increase the duration of their illness due to the lack of proper attention to mental health. The use of potent drugs to treat “imaginary diseases” often leads to the development of side effects.

It is the side effects of the medications taken that are perceived as symptoms of an “imaginary disease.” Due to their presence, it is almost impossible to convince the patient that there is no real threat to health. An attempt to correct the mental state can lead to the development of conflict due to misunderstanding on the part of the patient. That is why it is very important for the patient to feel support and care from close relatives. When showing care, you should pay as much attention as possible to maintaining a certain balance, so that empathy does not transform into overprotection. Often, it is the patient’s relatives who contribute to the development of hypochondria, showing excessive concern for his health in childhood.

Hypochondria can have a variety of causes, from simple suggestion to a serious mental disorder

When a child’s colds are perceived too sharply by those around him, then in the presence of “imaginary illnesses” at a more mature age, the patient begins to demand increased attention to his condition. Indifference to the child's health can also negatively affect his future life. It is precisely this reason that most often gives rise to hypochondria, since a person with a mental disorder wants to draw the attention of those around him to his person.

Therapy methods

Hypochondriacal syndrome should be treated only with complex methods. Complex therapy includes the use of antidepressants and antipsychotics, as well as psychocorrection. Psychotherapy methods are selected based on the severity of the syndrome and the individual characteristics of the patient.

Most often, individual psychotherapy is used, which is based on building the right relationship between the patient and the specialist. This technique is used with those patients who “open up” to a narrow circle of people. During a psychotherapy session, the doctor teaches the patient how to behave and react correctly to the symptoms of an “imaginary illness.” It is this model of behavior that the patient must adhere to.

Often, the suggestive method is used to treat hypochondriacal syndrome. This technique is based on a targeted impact on the patient’s psyche. The goal of suggestive therapy is to completely break the existing attitude and behavior pattern. In order to achieve results, hypnosis and immersion of the patient in a trance are used.

In order to achieve lasting results, it is very important to contact a specialist in a timely manner. A prolonged absence of necessary therapy can lead to catastrophic consequences for the patient.

Each of us has a tendency to worry about our own health. But sometimes a person develops and grows internal anxiety, excessive fear, incomprehensible painful sensations and completely unreasonable fear for his life appear. In this case, they talk about the development of hypochondria - one of the types of mental pathology.

Currently, the frequency of hypochondriacal syndrome is quite high.

Symptoms of hypochondria

Note:hypochondriacal experiences are not a separate disease (as most psychiatrists believe), but they accompany many neuropsychiatric diseases, as well as pathologies of other organs and systems.

The classifications of this ailment are very diverse. Terms and definitions are specific and difficult to understand. Our task is to simply try to understand what kind of condition this is, what exactly the patient himself feels, and how the people around him and the attending physicians look at him.

True hypochondria can occur in the form of:

sensory reactions. In this case, the patient develops painful sensations, which in his consciousness are hypertrophied (exaggerated) into voluminous complaints that clearly do not correspond to the real severity of the existing health changes;
ideogenic reactions. This option forms in the patient false ideas about the existing painful sensations. Sometimes disturbing ideas and fears are so strong that, due to the characteristics of the nervous system, changes in internal organs can actually occur in a sick person. Thus, a hypochondriac can himself cause interruptions in the functioning of the heart, although no objective reasons for them are found during examination.

The structure of hypochondriacal disorder has three main components:

patient's pain;
disturbances in the emotional sphere;
specific thinking disorders.

When sensory reactions the source of painful sensations arises from ordinary physiological acts: eating, sleeping, exertion, communicating with people. Let's say, while eating, there is a slight difficulty in the passage of hard food through the esophagus. A healthy person will not pay any attention to this moment. Against this background, a hypochondriac will develop a whole chain of thoughts that aggravate sensations to a pathological level. The leading role in this case belongs to self-hypnosis. The patient feels as if food is stuck in the esophagus, causing cramps and coughing, difficulty speaking and shortness of breath. The fixation of consciousness on sensations gradually leads to the formation and intensification of hypochondriacal complaints.

A hypochondriac develops states of anxiety (fearfulness) and suspiciousness. Consciousness becomes fixated on problems, all conversations with others come down to one’s health and complaints. Excessive concern for one's own health appears. The patient begins to irritate his loved ones with his behavior.

Over time, a person suffering from hypochondria develops individual multiple complaints, with specific sensations and manifestations. In medicine they are called senestopathies: lump in the throat, inability to breathe, pain in the heart, intestines, limbs. Patients describe their complaints very colorfully and picturesquely.

In some cases, hypochondriacal complexes can be transferred to others.

Often encountered in practice:

parents' hypochondria– excessive and obsessive concern for the health of their children;
hypochondria in children- a similar manifestation, but this time relating to the painful experience of children about their parents.

Those suffering from these types of hypochondriacal syndrome, in their over-concern, are in a constant depressed mood, experiencing fears and anxiety. Hypochondriacs exhibit obsessive and even overvalued ideas.

Note:patients often believe that people around them, and especially medical personnel, do not see their suffering due to their incompetence and do not want to help.

Depending on the prevailing behavioral traits of patients, hypochondria is distinguished:

alarming type– the patient experiences painful experiences about health problems (all treatment seems inferior, insufficient, incorrect to him);
depressive type - the suffering person falls into a depressed state of mind (hopelessness develops, thoughts appear about the futility of treatment);
phobic type– in this case, fears of death, complications, and the development of other diseases, especially deadly ones (for example, cancer, tuberculosis), come first.

When communicating with a patient, two predominant symptom complexes can be identified:

asthenic– behavioral traits are dominated by complaints about a fictitious super-weak state;
obsessive– in this case, constant and obsessive complaints and painful sensations dominate.

Hypochondriacal manifestations depend on the neurosis the patient has. In hysterical forms, complaints are demonstrative, expressive in nature.

Neurosis with obsessive ideas “fixates” the patient on a painful state.

A special form of manifestation of hypochondria is senestopathy. These are pathological sensations, manifested by very unusual complaints - “the head is red-hot like a furnace”, “itching inside the skull”, “pendulum-like oscillations of the brain”. Senestopathies can be both local and generalized (general) in nature - “the passage of current discharges throughout the body,” “burning of the skin of the whole body.”

Senestopathies can occur against the background of existing brain diseases (encephalitis, meningitis, arachnoiditis).

Without treatment, it often develops hypochondriacal personality shift. All complaints and symptoms worsen. The patient subjects himself to a certain mode of life, in which desocialized traits increasingly appear. A person “switches” between doctors of different specialties, requiring more and more attention, diagnostic procedures and treatment. Strives to get into more prestigious medical institutions. Patients may insist on having completely unnecessary surgical procedures.

Some hypochondriacs may experience severe attacks of fear against the background of constant complaints.

Note:Some psychiatric schools have identified hypochondria as a separate disease, based on the fact that the clinical manifestations of this pathology come to the fore in relation to the underlying disease.

Hypochondriacal manifestations can occur as a separate symptom complex in severe mental illnesses (schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis). Patients with this form present complaints that are colored in fantastic colors. For example, a patient assures doctors that his “heart is not working” or “his brain has leaked into his stomach.”

Hypochondria in most cases accompanies existing mental changes against the background of the underlying disease. Most often we are talking about. These are specific forms of mental illness, the so-called “minor” psychiatry. The main difference between “borderline” psychiatry and major psychiatry is that those suffering from neuroses are quite critical of themselves and the changes they have.

Important:Understanding the essence of the disease is the main factor for proper treatment. The patient begins to actively participate in the therapy process, helping the doctor.

Hypochondriacal syndrome may accompany organic pathology– brain pathologies (inflammatory processes, injuries, neoplasms). Often, hypochondria is a faithful companion of senile diseases that occur with developing dementia (dementia).

Plays a certain role genetic predisposition. Hypochondriacal experiences also occur in children.

Family troubles, problems at work, in educational institutions, fears in anxious individuals can serve as an impetus for the development of painful sensations and experiences.

When starting to develop treatment tactics for patients with hypochondriacal syndrome, it is necessary to take into account the main cause of the developed disease.

If the patient is adequate, then preference is given to psychotherapeutic methods - individual, rational and group psychotherapy, hypnotic influence, social therapy.

If necessary, medication correction is prescribed using tranquilizers and antidepressants.

Reflexology and aesthetic therapy are widely used in the treatment of hypochondria.

Preventive actions

To prevent the development of the disease, those suffering from hypochondria should undergo periodic preventive courses of treatment, visit a psychologist, and engage in auto-training techniques. Sports activities, travel, communication with people, keeping and caring for animals are very useful.

People who have to deal closely with hypochondriacs at home or at work should understand that a patient suffering from this pathological condition is not a pretender or a deceiver. He really suffers, experiences pain, fears. It is necessary to show sensitivity and the ability to be very patient with him.

The patient’s reaction to a lack of understanding of his condition (often serious) can be resentment, rejection, and hostility. It is surprising that compassion in this situation has a positive effect on the course of the disease. The hypochondriac does not get rid of his suffering, but begins to endure it very patiently and fight against it.

Psychiatrists use this phenomenon to achieve a serious relationship with the patient. Over time, it is possible to understand what exactly lies at the basis of a particular case of hypochondria. The patient, gradually moving away from discussing his painful sensations, reveals the original cause of the ailment. These may be feelings of emptiness, boredom, fear of the future, conflicts, lack of self-realization, and children's complexes. Often the factors that provoke the onset of the disease are intertwined. Competent ability to defuse these experiences is the main guarantee of “dissolving” hypochondria.

How to get rid of hypochondria and how to behave with a hypochondriac? You will get answers to these questions by watching the video review:

Lotin Alexander, medical columnist

Hypochondria (hypochondriacal disorder, hypochondriacal syndrome) is a pathology characterized by exaggerated concern for one’s health and a persistent belief in the presence of a serious illness, despite the objective absence of this pathology.

From 3 to 14% of all patients visiting doctors of various specialties suffer from hypochondriacal disorder.

In some cases, patients themselves are so convinced that they have a disease that they are able to convince even doctors of this. This condition is called Munchausen syndrome.

Causes

Hypochondria can be either a separate disease, classified under the ICD-10 subcategory hypochondriacal disorder, or it can be observed within the structure of schizotypal disorder.

This syndrome can also occur as part of a depressive disorder (). Negative experiences and a severe psycho-emotional state are reflected in the somatic state of a person.

The causes of hypochondria are not yet fully understood. Scientists offer the following explanations for the occurrence of hypochondria:

there is some hereditary predisposition to the development of hypochondria;
a certain role in the formation of this mental disorder is assigned to disturbances in the perception of stimuli from the internal organs, as a result of which ordinary stimuli are interpreted as pathological;
the direct factor that triggers the development of hypochondria is traumatic events or severe somatic illness;
Another significant factor in the development of hypochondriacal disorder is the imitation of a hypochondriacal model of behavior that the child saw in adults and was convinced from personal experience of receiving increased attention, privileges or the removal of responsibilities due to the illness.

Most often, the occurrence and persistence of symptoms of the disease has a close relationship with difficulties, conflicts, and unpleasant life situations, but the patient himself denies the psychological cause of his disease.

Portrait of a hypochondriac

People with hypochondriasis are characterized by self-centeredness, little interest in the needs of others, they consider themselves offended, unloved by others, abandoned.

A person suffering from hypochondria is convinced that he has a serious illness. To diagnose it, he visits a variety of doctors. Often normal sensations are interpreted by a person as painful; he regards them as symptoms of a serious pathology.

After doctors conduct all kinds of examinations, but do not find any data confirming the diagnosis that the hypochondriac has already made for himself, he begins to bring more and more new arguments, talk about all sorts of “felt” symptoms.

A person can regularly visit doctors of various specialties, demand repeated consultations, ask for additional (absolutely unnecessary) examinations, write letters to various authorities, complain about doctors, and even threaten them if they refuse to follow his lead.

Symptoms of the disease

Hypochondriacal disorder is a disease that meets the relevant criteria of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) and is coded as F45.2.

The main signs of hypochondriacal disorder:

persistent belief that there are no more than 2 physical diseases, which persists for at least six months;
persistent preoccupation with a perceived deformity or deformity;
unfounded variable complaints from internal organs;
ordinary sensations are interpreted by a person as evidence of a pathological process;
independent formulation of a diagnosis - a person himself, based on his imaginary symptoms, makes a diagnosis for himself, although it completely contradicts generally accepted criteria;
persistent denial of doctors’ assurances that there is no objective evidence of the presence of this disease; even if a person calms down and stops arguing with doctors, this will only be for a short time, after some time he will again begin to look for confirmation of his illness;
low mood;
Hypochondriacal disorder can be diagnosed only after schizophrenia and mood disorders (including) have been excluded.

Additional symptoms of hypochondria can be various obsessions, when a person is overcome by doubts about whether he has this or that pathology. Quite often, patients understand the absurdity of these thoughts, but cannot get rid of them.

Obsessive thoughts about one illness may be replaced by obsessive fears about the development of another disease.

Manifestations of an imaginary disease are widely localized, often affecting the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems.

When initially visiting a doctor, an emotionally inexpressive, monotonous presentation of complaints is typical, supported by extensive medical documentation that has accumulated during previous examinations. If you try to dissuade such a person, he will easily become affected. And this leads to another common manifestation of hypochondria - hysterical behavior aimed at attracting attention to oneself and one’s illness.

Hypochondria health

There is one more special condition that I want to touch on - health hypochondria. At its core, it is the opposite of hypochondria.

If a patient suffering from hypochondriacal disorder is sure that he has an incurable disease and tries his best to find evidence of this, then there may be another extreme. A person has symptoms of an incurable pathology that are detected by a doctor, and they are determined using objective research methods. And the patient himself considers himself absolutely healthy, and no doctors’ arguments about the presence of a serious illness are important to him.

Health hypochondria is very dangerous in cases where urgent treatment is necessary, and a person is confident that he is healthy and refuses treatment, risking death.

Who is susceptible and what is the prognosis?

Most often, hypochondria is observed in children, adolescents, elderly people and suspicious individuals.

Elderly people are very concerned about their health. A detailed description of the existing symptoms, comparing them with those that others have is one of the most favorite pastimes of grandmothers.

Sometimes a disease occupies a person’s consciousness so much that it reaches the point where he or she devotes all his energy to furiously searching for more and more symptoms of the disease, while simultaneously complaining to all authorities about the low qualifications of the doctors who examined him.

The disease is most easily tolerated and best treated in young people, without concomitant personality pathology.

Treatment

Treatment of hypochondria should be carried out by a psychiatrist only after a detailed examination of the patient.

So, how to cope with hypochondria, what is effective?

Drug treatment

If it has been possible to exclude other mental and somatic pathologies in a person, then the drugs of choice in the treatment of hypochondriacal disorder are antidepressants and tranquilizers:

Antidepressants not only help improve mood, but also help cope with obsessive thoughts and ideas;
tranquilizers have an anti-anxiety and sedative effect, they are indicated for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and hypochondria.

As I already indicated above, attacks of hypochondria can be observed in the structure of depressive disorders. The choice of psychiatrists in such cases is the use of antidepressants, which affect both depressive symptoms and hypochondriacal syndrome.

In the presence of severe hypochondriacal symptoms approaching the delusional level, in cases where the hypochondriacal syndrome is one of the schizotypal disorders, the use of antipsychotics cannot be avoided.

Psychotherapy

How to cure hypochondria without using drugs? You can resort to psychotherapy.

Along with drug treatment, psychotherapeutic techniques are actively used. Thanks to psychotherapy, it is possible not only to understand why hypochondria arose and to influence the etiology of the disorder, but also to influence a person’s behavior pattern and beliefs.

In the treatment of hypochondriacal disorder, suggestive psychotherapy and psychoanalysis are actively used, and to overcome obsessive hypochondria, group psychotherapy sessions are shown that can provide not only social interaction, but also support.

How to get rid of it yourself?

If the patient himself realizes that he has signs of hypochondria, this is commendable.

How to get rid of hypochondria and suspiciousness on your own, what needs to be done in order to overcome this illness?

First of all, you need to try to understand the causes of this disorder. Try to remember what traumatic situations preceded the onset of the disease, whose attention you wanted to achieve or who you were offended by?
Only after you understand the psychological causes of hypochondria and can understand what really led to its occurrence, you must try to let go of this situation. No matter what happens, you must behave like an adult: be able to forgive, be able to call problems by their proper names, let go of past grievances.
The next step is to carefully review all the medical reports, of which I think you already have quite a few. If all these tests, examination results, and doctors’ reports do not contain evidence that you have a serious pathology, then you do not have it. Believe it!
Remember that all thoughts are material, and therefore if you constantly think and prove that you are seriously ill, then you risk falling ill with some serious illness for real.

And to conclude my tips on how to deal with hypochondria, I strongly recommend that you read the article. All these available methods for overcoming depression will be appropriate in relation to hypochondria.

Be healthy and appreciate what you have now!

Hypochondria is a neurotic mental disorder that manifests itself in a person’s phobia in relation to his own health.

At the same time, the patient is clearly confident that he has a serious and dangerous disease that cannot be cured. In fact, these suspicions have no justification and in most cases are considered false.

Such a human condition, with timely diagnosis and correctly selected methods of treatment, can be corrected quite easily. The most important thing in this case is the attitude of the patient himself, since the speed of recovery depends on his efforts and efforts.

Characteristics of a depressed state

In medical terminology, the concept of hypochondria usually means exaggerated concern, which is largely aimed at a person’s well-being. The patient is completely convinced that he is seriously ill, and sometimes even medical examinations cannot convince him otherwise.

Hippocrates was the first to describe this type of mental disorder, after which Claudius Galen began to study this unusual condition in detail.

If we translate “hypochondria” from Greek, it will mean a disease of the internal organs, which are localized slightly below the area where the costal arch is located.

In the modern world, hypochondria can also be identified with an excessive state of despondency and pretense.

Hypochondriacal syndrome can be diagnosed as a separate disease, or it can also manifest itself in conjunction with another pathology, accompanied by additional symptoms. This fact was proven relatively recently, confirmed by very interesting results of the research.

In most cases, in practice, hypochondria closely interacts with disorders such as depression and anxiety. If you cure at least one of them, then the original ailment also disappears.

Medical statistics confirm the fact that today more than 10% of all people in the world are diagnosed with hypochondria.

And American scientists raise these figures to almost 20%.

Causes of anxiety

Unfortunately, modern scientists have not been able to establish specific reasons that could cause the development of the disorder. However, physiologists suggest that the following processes may play a huge role in the development of this disorder:

changes in the functioning of human brain structures;
violation of the correct perception by the cerebral cortex of impulses that come from internal organs;
the presence of delusional states, and later the manifestation of the disorders themselves;
malfunction of the autonomic system and cerebral cortex.

It has been noticed that when making a diagnosis, patients can quite vividly and colorfully describe the signs of diseases such as cancer, ailments of the urinary system, severe incurable infectious diseases and others.

Who is at risk

Hypochondria quite often manifests itself in those individuals who are very easily susceptible to various kinds of suggestion and react sensitively to all the data that comes to them from the media.

Among hypochondriacs, the most common people are elderly people, but there are also cases where children and even teenagers suffered from a similar disorder. In such a situation, their condition was considered unstable due to the fact that the children's brain very quickly and easily absorbs all the information that comes from the outside world.

The disorder is diagnosed in the same proportion in both females and males. Also very often, a similar diagnosis is made to medical students, who almost every day have to deal with various diseases and serious patients, as well as who draw information from textbooks about the pathological conditions of the human body.

The risk group includes the following categories of people:

prone to developing psychoses of various origins and forms;
when diagnosing a patient of various types;
if you have delusional ideas;
in older people who cannot come to terms with the fact that they have begun to grow old;
a person who has trouble communicating with colleagues and friends;
in patients whose sexual life was not very successful.

It is also impossible to note the fact that hypochondria can very often be provoked by various types of advertising and Internet resources, since in them you can get an unlimited amount of information about medical terms and diseases, as well as medications.

Varieties of the syndrome

Depending on the symptoms that appear, the disease is divided into the following types:

What do hypochondriacs look like in real life?

Among the symptoms of hypochondria, doctors identify the following:

constant anxiety about one’s own health;
concern;
irritability;
prostration;
depression;
self-isolation;
loss of appetite;
the need to prove something to someone;
in some cases aggression;
drowsiness or, conversely, insomnia;
suicidal thoughts.

Symptoms of hypochondria are divided into several groups according to severity. These include:

Solving the problem yourself

In order to get rid of hypochondria, obsessions and conditions regarding one’s health, a hypochondriac will only need to make their own efforts.

For example, taking care of a new pet will help you to distract negative thoughts very well. By getting a puppy, a person will be completely immersed in an atmosphere of care and concern for the animal, while he will be able to take it for walks in the fresh air, which is very important in the treatment of this disorder.

A woman, for example, can take up knitting or embroidery. If the patient lives in a private house, then she can be asked to arrange a small garden and the front yard of the house (plant flowers and care for them throughout the entire period of their growth). Constant worries will not leave time to look for information about diseases in books or the Internet.

During the recovery period, it is necessary for the patient to devote a sufficient amount of time to rest and sleep. In order to relieve nervous and physical tension, you can go for walks in a park or forest. If possible, swimming and massage will be helpful.

Before going to bed, it is useful to drink a cup of hot tea based on chamomile, lemon balm or mint. Don't forget about your loved ones. Regular spending time and communication with them will benefit the hypochondriac.

Professional treatment

The first task that a doctor faces during the treatment of this mental disorder is a thorough examination of the patient’s general health. To do this, the following examinations are prescribed:

laboratory blood test;
laboratory urine analysis;
stool analysis;
ultrasound diagnostics (ultrasound);
electrocardiogram.

After receiving the results of the analysis, the attending physician may prescribe additional tests that will help him create a complete picture of the disease.

The purpose of such a thorough examination is to establish the general health of the patient. This will allow the specialist to fully understand what is currently happening in the hypochondriac’s head.

The main treatment methods used to treat hypochondria are medications and sessions with a psychotherapist. Specialists such as a neurologist and psychiatrist can also be involved in treatment.

Working with a psychologist makes it possible to change the patient’s perception and worldview. Regular sessions with a specialist help you look at the world with a more positive outlook and perceive it in a completely different way.

In order for the results to be absorbed and well consolidated, the support and help of close relatives is very important, because in In most cases, they are the ones who bring the hypochondriac to his first visit to the doctor! The duration of the therapy itself will depend on the severity and course of the disease itself.

Only a qualified specialist can prescribe medications. In most cases, psychotherapists prescribe antidepressants (Fevarin or Fluoxetine) to treat hypochondria.

In the same case, if the symptoms worsen, it is advisable to use a group of antipsychotics (or Seroquel) and tranquilizers (Phenazepam and Grandaxin).

The dosage and duration of taking the medicine is determined only by the attending physician. It is strictly forbidden to cancel or increase the dose of the drug on your own!

Danger Lurking

(syndrome) is not considered a death sentence for humans. Such people are perceived as an ordinary whiner or a liar.

The danger of such a disorder for a person lies only in the fact that he can independently prescribe medications to himself, which in turn can only harm his health (primarily the liver and kidneys can be damaged).

Preventive actions

In order to avoid the transition of hypochondria into a severe and dangerous pathology, you must follow the following recommendations:

In each case, symptoms will manifest themselves individually. The longer and more regularly the unpleasant signs of the disorder appear, the more the person’s health worsens.

Only competent and qualified specialists, as well as the support of family and friends, can help in this case!