Desire to perform many unnecessary medical exams, obsess over seemingly harmless symptoms, the need to go to the doctor often and excessive health concerns are some of the symptoms of Hypochondria. This disease, also known as "disease mania", is a psychological disorder where there is an intense and obsessive concern for health, learn more in Excessive concern about health can be Hypochondria.
Some of the possible causes of this disease include excessive stress, depression, anxiety, excessive worry or trauma after the death of a family member. The treatment of Hypochondria can be done through psychotherapy sessions, with a psychologist or psychiatrist, and in some cases it may be necessary to take anxiolytic, antidepressant or calming drugs, to complete the treatment.
Main Symptoms of Hypochondria
Hypochondria can be identified through the presence of several symptoms, which include:
- Need to constantly carry out self-exams, making probes and analyzing signs and warts; Desire to constantly perform unnecessary medical examinations; Intense fear of having a serious illness; Excessive health concerns that end up damaging relationships with friends and family; Regularly monitor vital signs such as blood pressure and pulse, extensive knowledge of medicines and medical treatments, obsession with simple and apparently harmless symptoms; Need to see the doctor several times a year; Fear of having a disease after hearing the description of your symptoms; Difficulty accepting the doctors' opinion, especially if the diagnosis indicates that there is no problem or disease.
In addition to all these symptoms, the Hypochondriac also has an obsession with dirt and germs, which is revealed when he needs to perform basic tasks such as going to a public toilet or grabbing the iron bar of the bus. For a Hypochondriac, all symptoms are a sign of illness, because a sneeze is not just a sneeze, but a symptom of allergy, flu, cold or even Ebola.
How the diagnosis is made
Hypochondria can be diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist, who analyzes the patient's symptoms, behavior and concerns.
To facilitate the diagnosis, the doctor may ask to talk to a close family member or to the doctor who visits regularly, in order to identify the obsessive behaviors and concerns that are characteristic of this disease.
