Hypochondria is a human psychopathological condition that manifests itself in constant and continuous concern and worry about one’s health. A person is afraid of getting sick with some disease, perceives his sensations as unpleasant or threatening his normal functioning.
Often hypochondriacs diagnose themselves and believe that they suffer from some incurable pathology. In other words, a person with hypochondria turns into a kind of machine that records all his sensations and interprets them into diseases and symptoms.
Causes of hypochondria
There are many hypotheses and assumptions about the causes of hypochondria. But researchers are unanimous on one thing: hypochondria occurs against the background of a depressive disorder. Scientists have shown that patients suffering from depression experience a significant increase in any complaints for which there is no physical reason.
Hypochondria also contributes to:
- disturbances in the functioning of the cerebral cortex; - distorted perception by the cortex of impulses from internal organs; — initial manifestations of delusional disorders; - a disturbance between the work of the autonomic nervous system (responsible for the autonomous functioning of organs) and the cortex.
Clinic
The symptoms of cancerophobia are extremely varied. It can look like a reactive state (the easiest option), persistent neurosis and even psychosis with hallucinatory-delusional disorders.
Cancerophobia neurosis can be expressed to varying degrees (according to an interview with Alexander Methodovsky, deputy chief physician for medical work at the St. Petersburg City Clinical Oncology Center; AiF, 2010):
- A person is afraid of cancer, but does not take any action. Although the thought of a possible illness often arises in him, he is able to pull himself together and not subject his entire life to diagnostic searches.
- The person is afraid of cancer and is constantly being examined. Although he understands that his suspicions are not supported by anything, he cannot cope with them. He constantly imagines what will happen when he dies, feels sorry for his children and other relatives, is anxious, and suffers from insomnia.
- A person is afraid of cancer, is constantly examined, takes “preventive” medications, eats kilograms of cauliflower and pineapples, because he read that they prevent the occurrence of malignant diseases, and generally adheres fanatically to a healthy lifestyle.
- A man is sure that he has cancer, which doctors simply cannot detect, and no one understands his torment and suffering. People often hate them because they don't have cancer and don't know what it's like. Perhaps he is convinced that his tumor was found a long time ago, but is being hidden.
- There is another option. A person is so afraid of discovering a tumor that he deliberately avoids going to the doctor and undergoing examinations aimed at identifying the tumor. Essentially, this is an animal reaction at the level of instinct - to hide or run away when danger arises. Sometimes the fear of cancer is so great that people do not go to the doctor even if they observe frightening symptoms.
Symptoms, complaints and course of the disease
Every practicing doctor has encountered hypochondriacs in his practice. People with this pathology often present all sorts of complaints, look for many diseases, and do many additional examinations. However, their results are usually absolutely normal.
Hypochondria is divided into 3 types:
1. Obsessive. 2. Super valuable. 3. Delusional.
Patients with the obsessive form are anxious and suspicious, overly concerned about the state of their health, and constantly analyze all the processes occurring in the body. An attack of hypochondria can be triggered by viewing medical advertisements or an ambiguous phrase from a doctor. Patients with the overvalued form have similar symptoms, but they are characterized by an acute psycho-emotional reaction to the slightest physical discomfort (for example, a runny nose). The most complex and severe form of hypochondria is delusional.
It is characterized by: confidence in the presence of an incurable disease, attempts to dissuade are interpreted as “even the doctors have given up on me,” there are attempts to commit suicide, as well as depression, delusions and hallucinations.
Etiology
The current understanding of malignant tumors in society looks something like this:
- Cancer is always death.
- Cancer appears out of nowhere, it is impossible to prevent it, the fight against it is futile.
- The treatment offered by modern medicine - surgical methods, chemotherapy, radiation therapy - is always very difficult to tolerate, accompanied by unpleasant side effects and rarely leads to recovery.
- All other diseases are curable. At least they do not inevitably lead to death.
Scientific information about the achievements of modern oncology is inaccessible to the population, and even uninteresting. But on the shelves of bookstores and on the Internet, at the disposal of those interested, there are a lot of opuses on this issue. Their authors know why cancer occurs and how to treat it, thereby hinting that doctors are powerless here and cannot do anything. There is a lot of information available to patients about cancer, but little of it corresponds to current scientific understanding. As a result, people do not know basic things about cancer, and the irrationality of fear has become so widespread that a cancer patient is perceived by others almost as a leper. I personally have repeatedly encountered the misconception that cancer is contagious.
The ubiquitous advertising of “unique” preparations made from various cartilages and roots, which are supposedly capable of curing both cancer and other diseases, also contributes to the spread of cancerophobia. Its recipients subconsciously form the idea that traditional medicine is not able to cope with cancer. It is also widely believed that in fact there is a universal cure for cancer, but doctors and pharmacists, fearing a decrease in their income, hide it. The accepted approach to informing patients - hiding the diagnosis until the last minute and maintaining their hope for recovery - also contributes to worsening the atmosphere of cancerophobia in society. Thanks to him, everyone knows about thousands of deaths, but at the same time they do not know about millions of cures.
By the way, in 2005, WHO recognized that silence about cancer is harmful, and fears that medical education of the population can lead to the development of cancerophobia are unfounded.
The current state of oncology is such that it can help a small number of lucky people whose tumor was detected at an early stage. Alas, cancer often manifests itself when the game is already obviously lost, and it is impossible to cure the sick person. Therefore, the main problem of modern oncology is the timely diagnosis of tumor diseases.
Treatment of hypochondria
The tactics for correcting disorders are determined by the type of hypochondria. As a rule, treatment begins with various types of psychotherapy (Gestalt therapy, art therapy, psychoanalysis).
Medications are also used - antidepressants, tranquilizers, antipsychotics. If the patient’s symptoms are manifestations of schizophrenia, powerful antipsychotics should be used. In severe cases, hospitalization is required. Sometimes the use of alternative medicine is justified. Most often it acts as a “placebo” effect. However, if decoctions and infusions of herbs help the patient, they can and even should be included in the treatment regimen for hypochondria.
We also recommend reading the article about Haloperidol.
Ministry of Health warns: fear is harmful to your health
It turns out that by worrying about our health, we only worsen our already poor health.
However, this is not a reason to relax and give up on your condition. On the contrary, short-term fear is even useful: fear keeps us from taking unnecessary risks and facing danger. In a state of stress, human memory works better, the sense of smell, vision and hearing become more acute, and all the forces of the body are mobilized. Only a long stay in a depressed state is harmful to our body.
The reaction to danger occurs instantly. Neural detectors sense danger and transmit a signal to the brain. The hypothalamus processes information, and the brain quickly gives the command: fight, run, pull your hand away from the fire, etc. In a state of stress, our body releases adrenaline, which is converted by muscles into energy. If it is not used up, tremor of the limbs and lips begins, and then it spreads to the whole body. Fear has a bad effect on all organs of our body and even contributes to the appearance of cholesterol plaques in blood vessels.
Fear is a disease that relaxes the soul, just as a physical illness relaxes the body. (c) Daniel Defoe
Fear, stress and depression contribute to the development of various diseases: ulcers, cancer, and the formation of metastases. Fear suppresses the immune system; a person who is constantly afraid often gets sick: either a cold, or flu, or ARVI.
Psychotherapist: If a person is afraid of illness and death, it means something is going wrong in his life
— What is the reason for increased anxiety and fear?
— According to the ICD-10 classification, anxiety-phobic and panic disorders belong to the group of neurotic ones. And any neurosis is always connected with the situation and carries two functions. On the one hand, this is a marker that something is going wrong in our life - neurosis shows dissatisfaction with life. On the other hand, the meaning of any neurosis is to solve the situation without solving it. Let me give you an example. Once, a young student girl came to the committee for selecting patients for hospitalization at the Neurosis Clinic. She talked about classic anxiety-phobic symptoms: she is afraid to ride in public transport, she feels bad, she is out of breath, she sweats, her heart beats faster. Let's start asking questions. It turns out that the girl entered the wrong institute where she wanted to study - the university was chosen by her authoritarian father. In the end, what does she get? She doesn’t go to college, but she has a good reason - she is being treated at the Neurosis Clinic, and most importantly, she doesn’t have to explain herself to her father. When we talk about a neurotic disorder, we must understand that the symptoms are just the tip of the iceberg, a kind of attempt to be “in the house.” Another classic example. During the First World War, an epidemic of pseudoparalysis occurs on the defense line - the soldiers simply cannot move. When they are sent to the rear, the violations go away. Is pseudoparalysis evil in this situation? No, because he saves people's lives.
That is why the main psychotherapy of a neurotic disorder is not about symptoms. These diseases cannot be cured only with antidepressants - in this case they will serve as anesthesia when visiting the dentist, nothing more. And although fears can be removed in 3 sessions with a psychotherapist, to consolidate the result, such patients need long-term, sometimes up to a year, work with a specialist. There is such a model in Gestalt therapy (one of the directions in psychotherapy - Ed.), which is called Cape Cod (named after the peninsula in the USA and translated as “Cape Cod”). One of the concepts of this model is “Sober Optimism”. It assumes that any system at any given time functions in the best way for itself, given the resources and map of reality. And when a patient comes to me with a neurotic disorder, I believe that this is the best that he could produce in this situation. My job is to find out what the reality map and resources are behind this. One of my favorite questions to ask these patients is: “What good are your symptoms doing for you?”
— Can disturbances in “internal chemistry” cause increased anxiety and phobias?
- Undoubtedly.
- And what substances are missing in this case?
— Most often, the drugs used in the treatment of anxiety-phobic disorders are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Anxiety, in fact, can be associated with a deficiency of serotonin (one of the main neurotransmitters, which is often called the “happiness hormone” - Ed.).
— If we are talking about a lack of serotonin, then what foods should you eat to reduce anxiety?
- This is complete nonsense. The advice “Eat chocolate and everything will be fine” does not work. We can only generally say that for health, including mental health, you need to eat right, sleep 8 hours, engage in physical activity, and not overwork at work. But I don’t believe in the help of any specific products. Do you know how much cottage cheese you need to eat for calcium to be absorbed from it? So many.
— Do you believe in a genetic tendency to develop phobias and increased anxiety?
- Not good. Rather, I believe that they take their roots in the family, first of all, this is upbringing. In other words, it is not the chemical exchange that is inherited, but the way of building relationships with different spheres of life. The neurotic reaction is inadequate, but again everything is determined by the context of the situation. Once upon a time, perhaps, the alarm was justified, the situation changed, but the “message” remained. Yesterday is a good habit, today resistance, tomorrow a disease. This is the principle of the formation of a neurotic disorder. There is a story about this. Mom makes a poppy seed cake and trims the edges. Her daughter asks her: “Mom, why are you cutting off the edges?” She replies: “I don’t know, that’s how it’s done here. Ask your grandmother." The grandmother doesn’t know either and sends her granddaughter to her great-grandmother. The great-grandmother says: “It’s just that before the stove was small - the whole pie couldn’t fit.” It's the same with anxiety.
— If you are talking about the education system, how can you instill in a child resistance to fears in the future?
“We need to minimize the “messages” without taking into account the context of the situation - the world is dangerous, anything can happen, be afraid, be wary, be careful, don’t trust anyone. Specifics are important. If a child is walking across the road, it is more correct to ask him to look first to the left, then to the right. That is, clearly indicate to him in which zone he needs to be careful. In this case, there will be no inadequate message - fear everything. And why? But because my mother taught me that way. In addition, it is necessary to support the child’s self-regulation. Giving him the opportunity to make his own decisions, get things done, form his own experience and test it. It is clear that when a child puts his fingers into an electrical outlet, it is time to intervene. In other situations that are not so dangerous, it is better to let him gain his own experience.
— One of the most popular pieces of advice for people with increased anxiety and fears is to switch.
- Excellent advice. If you have depression, don’t be sad; if you have pneumonia, don’t cough up pus. Advice doesn't work in therapy. They are absolutely as obvious to another person as they are to the one who gives them. The problem is precisely that a person cannot switch. The task of the psychotherapist is to understand together with the patient why this happens.
- How then to talk to such people?
- With phobias, you can bring the catastrophic fantasy to its end in order to solve two problems - “talk out” fears, making them less scary, and reveal the structure of experiences. For example, a person says that he is afraid of fainting in the subway. We invite him to fantasize in first person in real time, as if he had already lost consciousness. He says that at this moment he is lying on the floor alone, helpless - usually these feelings are related to his real life. And then we begin to explore together how his life is built, how loneliness and helplessness arise. From phobia we move into the zone of significant relationships and then move towards intrapersonal conflict. I repeat once again that symptoms are just the tip of the iceberg, the entry point into the map of reality.
— What is the map of reality for hypochondriacs?
— My practice shows that, as a rule, fear of illness or death indicates dissatisfaction with life. When life is busy and you are completely satisfied, there is no time to think about illness. You live and rejoice.
— When they talk about cancer from “every iron”, it’s no wonder you become a cancerophobe.
— We must always remember that thoughts are material. If a person is fixated, for example, on cancer, but does not have the disease, this is a problem and a reason to go to a specialist.
— To an oncologist?
- No, to a psychotherapist.
© DoctorPeter
Cancer and cancerophobia
Cancer
- one of the severe forms of cancer. It has a malignant course and a poor prognosis if the disease is detected late. One of the leading causes of death in old age. According to statistics, the incidence of oncological diseases and cancer in particular in people suffering from cancerophobia is several times lower than in the general population.
This can be explained by several reasons
Firstly, people prone to phobias are usually physically healthy people and therefore diseases of internal organs are observed less frequently in them.
Secondly, due to fear for their health, they are distinguished by frequent (more than necessary) visits to doctors, examinations and tests, and therefore all their existing diseases are detected at an early stage, which allows for timely application of medical measures.
Thirdly, carcinophobes, due to their tendency to causeless anxiety, have well-developed vegetative centers that promote good capillary blood flow and, accordingly, high endurance of the body, which also determines good physical health.
How to protect yourself from cancer?
The most universal and proven method is medical examination. Regular and preventive observation by a doctor allows you to identify any disease in the early stages, cancer - at the stage of a precancerous condition. When the disease is just beginning, it is easier to cope with it.
For cancer patients, this rule becomes an obsession. They are ready, on their own initiative, to take tests for tumor markers (blood indicators indicating cancer) an infinite number of times, undergo examinations and consultations with oncologists.
How to get rid of the fear of getting cancer?
In mild cases, a consultation with a doctor is sufficient, at which it is enough to convince the patient that he does not have cancer or even a predisposition to it. It is very important if the doctor points out high anxiety and teaches how to cope with this anxiety.
Where does pathophobia come from?
Due to the characteristics of a person’s psychotype, his early childhood experiences and a certain amount of psychological immaturity, fears of contracting some disease may arise. Usually these are people with an anxious accentuation of character, prone to rapid asthenia and indecisiveness. During preschool age, they may have had the experience of emergency hospitalization due to injury or serious physical condition, as well as being raised by parents prone to excessive anxiety and overprotection. Such childhood traumas, superimposed on parental overprotection, cemented in the child’s memory the emotional reactions of adults to their state of health. And over time, they became components of the character of an adult.
When they talk about pathophobia, most often we are talking about fatal infections, cancer and diseases that disfigure the appearance and psyche of the patient. This includes the fear of being bitten and getting rabies, cancerophobia, fear of dirt, germs and infection, fear of going crazy, getting heart disease and some others.
Why am I a hypochondriac
Obsessive fears can be easily dissuaded. Hypochondriacs are diligent people and gladly listen to all the recommendations of people they consider competent. Therefore, some fears may go away, others may come, replacing each other. Nowadays, this is well facilitated by the Internet, from where anxious people get “useful” information, often completely far from reality, about a wide variety of ailments.
Over time, the tendency to phobic reactions is consolidated, acquiring an obsessive neurotic character.
