Excessive concern for health is a long-standing condition whose severity can vary over time. It is usually accentuated with age and in times of stress. It is an obsessive and irrational concern about suffering from some health problem in general. It can also be called hypochondria, which is characterized by the marked imagination of the person about the existence of physical problems. In addition to that concern, in some cases there are also misinterpretations of normal body sensations or symptoms that are interpreted as a disease or health problem.
Treatment focuses on the recovery of normal daily functioning. Normally, the treatment is usually psychotherapy, with the combined use of psychotropic drugs when necessary. In this Psychology-Online article we will talk about the excessive concern about health, its causes and treatment.
Index
- Is there a phobia of diseases?
- Causes of excessive health concern
- Treatments for hypochondria
Is there a phobia of diseases?
If our body shows signs that we may be sick, it is normal for us to worry. But excessive concern for health is characterized by a constant belief that you are suffering from symptoms characteristic of a serious illness. The person can become very disabled in their day-to-day life due to excessive worry.
If you are concerned about your health, the most reasonable thing to do is go to the doctor. When there is excessive concern for health, the person experiences very high levels of stress due to the symptoms real or imaginary even after the medical results have been negative and the doctor confirms that you are well.
Illness anxiety disorder
This goes beyond a normal concern for health, since when it is a disorder the worry interferes in the life of the person:
- Work or academic environment
- Functioning in daily life
- Create and maintain meaningful relationships
Causes of excessive concern for health.
Currently, we do not know the exact causes of excessive health concern (also known as hypochondria), but we do know factors that may be influencing:
- Have little knowledge of body sensations, diseases, or both. This can lead to the belief that a serious illness is causing these bodily sensations. This leads the person to look for evidence to confirm that they have a disease.
- Having a family member who is overly concerned for her health and that of her family members.
- Having had past experiences with serious illnesses. As a consequence, in adulthood the person experiences bodily sensations with fear.
- The health related anxiety it usually occurs in early to middle adulthood and can worsen with age. For older people, health concerns can focus on the fear of developing memory problems.
Other risk factors for developing hypochondria are:
- An event or stressful situation
- Having suffered abuse in childhood
- Have had a childhood illness or a parent with a serious illness
- Have a personality that tends to worry
- Excessive health checks with internet inquiries
Treatments for hypochondria.
Some of the treatment options for excessive health concern are:
Psychotherapy
The most common treatment for excessive health concern is psychotherapy, specifically cognitive behavioral therapy (TCC). CBT can be very effective in treating excessive health concern because it teaches the person skills that will help them manage the disorder. It can be done individually or in a group. Some of the benefits of CBT include:
- Identify the concerns or beliefs health related
- Learn other ways to interpret bodily sensations to replace inappropriate thoughts
- Increase awareness of how worries affect oneself and others
- Respond to bodily sensations and to symptoms differently
- Learn to cope more appropriately with anxiety and stress
- Stop avoiding situations and activities due to those bodily sensations
Avoid examining the body's signs repeatedly
- Improve functioning in family, work and social relationships, in general
Other forms of psychotherapy can be used to treat this health concern, such as stress management and exposure therapy.
Medication
In some cases, the treatment of choice (psychotherapy) is not sufficient and the combined use of psychotropic drugs is required. The most common psychoactive drugs are antidepressants (for example, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: SSRIs). It should be taken into account that the psychotropic drugs used in these cases have a series of side effects. It is important to review the most appropriate possible treatment options for each case.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Excessive concern for health: causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
