Do you have a hypochondriac?

Hypochondriac neurosis, referred to as hypochondriasis, is a psychopathological concept in which one is overly concerned about one’s physical health, worried or convinced that one is suffering from one or more physical diseases, often complains of certain discomforts, repeatedly seeks medical attention, and the existence of the disease cannot be confirmed by various tests. According to foreign reports, this disease accounts for about 1% of all diseases. It usually occurs after the age of 4O and is more common in women than in men. The patient’s personality before the disease is often sensitive, suspicious, subjective, stubborn, self-centered, self-pitying and lonely. Patients often have self-referential or conditioned associations, such as seeing a friend die of lung cancer, which causes excessive concern about their mild chest pain, and medical influences such as what the doctor says, which causes the patient to be suspicious. Hypochondria can be broadly classified clinically into three symptoms: excessive concern about health, excessive attention to the body and sensory sensitivities, and hypochondriacal perceptions. Each of these three symptoms has different manifestations and constitutes a colorful clinical phase of hypochondriasis. Health concerns are manifested by the patient’s preoccupation with physical health and the disease itself. The patient is not unaware of the fact that being overly worried and anxious about the disease is detrimental to health, but he or she is unable to free himself or herself from it. The patient may accept the doctor’s explanation, but as usual, one concern is dispelled and then another one arises, or the patient claims to understand the reasoning, but cannot control himself. Excessive attention to the body varies. Some people pay constant attention to their heartbeat and pulse count, others pay special attention to their digestive function, and so on. In fact, if one focuses all one’s attention on changes in all parts of the body, one will find that the body is changing all the time. Any little discomfort is very easy to feel, once the point of attention is fixed here, this information will have an amplifying effect: the more uncomfortable you feel, the more uncomfortable seems to be serious, the more serious is more uncomfortable, and finally a fixed point of view is formed – here is sick. Hypochondriacs are convinced that they are suffering from a disease that does not actually exist, and although the reasons are not sufficient, they are by no means unfounded, and the patient’s reasoning is not obviously absurd. The hypochondriac’s suspicion is often directed at a definite organ disease, and the patient constantly seeks to investigate and verify the problem in order to clarify it. The patient often seeks medical attention and tests again and again in order to have his doctor also clearly diagnose him with a particular disease. If the result is negative, there may be a momentary wavering of the existing perception, but excessive attention is not turned away from the body. As soon as discomfort is found again, it is immediately claimed that the disease is still there, but it has not been detected. It is even believed that the most advanced instruments have not yet been manufactured and will certainly be detected later. Patients with hypochondria should visit a psychiatrist or psychiatrist as soon as possible, otherwise, they delay their illness and bring much trouble to their families. Patients often complain that their families do not care enough about them, and internists are bored and even annoyed by the pestering. Therefore, early detection and timely referral should be made.