Hypochondria is often mentioned in every day conversations and even on television and movies. It is characterized as a laughable condition in which a person simply believes he or she is sick all of the time; however, this condition is much more serious than that, and it deserves attention.
Officially known as hypochondriasis, the condition is defined as “worry over an imagined illness with exaggeration of symptoms, no matter how insignificant, that lasts for at least six months and causes significant distress.†The condition can develop on its own, but most commonly follows generalized anxiety disorder or depression. Rather than being a joke, hypochondriasis deserves just as much concern as depression or any other anxiety disorder.
Sufferers of the disease often do not see it as harmless, and the condition can easily shift from a quirky, neurotic, and minor character trait into a dangerous obsession. Arthur Barsky of Harvard Medical School says, “Illness often becomes a central part of a hypochindriac’s identity.†For someone with hypochondriasis, believing that a disease is present is not an after thought; it occupies the mind relentlessly. Many skeptics believe that this is just a way to get attention; however, it has been proven in several studies and by many academics, that sufferers really do feel genuine distress and suffer from actual anxiety.
Many of us Google random health issues that may come up – from a sore throat, to swollen lymph nodes, to a minor stomachache. Hypochondriacs, however, can find the search results on the Internet particularly troubling, and often cannot tell the difference between sound medical advice, and the rantings of an uninformed teenager.
With the simple Google search for “swollen glands,†the first result was a forum in which a user had posted that they had a swollen gland, and it turned out to be Stage-4 lymphoma which led to the person’s ultimate demise. The posts listed under were all reactions of other users, terrified by the post and believing that they also suffered from the same condition. For a hypochondriac, this advice would convince them that they indeed had the disease to a point of unhealthy obsession. The Internet, and its medical advice, are the newest enemy of hypochondriacs.
Some symptoms of hypochondria include an obsession or intense fear about having a serious medical issue, worrying that minor symptoms mean that there is a serious issue present, seeing doctors repeatedly, frequently switching doctors due to lack of trust, continuously talking about symptoms, and most of all, thinking they have a disease after simply reading or hearing about it.
If you or a loved one start obsessively worrying over a health problem, even after being told by a doctor you are in perfect health, you may have hypochondria. At this point, the best thing you can do is not go to a family doctor, but to a mental health professional who can help you get back on the road to true health. Remember, most mental illnesses are treatable.
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