Hypochondria: an illness of one's own choosing. Hypochondria: what is it Hypochondria symptoms

Hypochondria is a mental illness characterized by obsessive fear for one’s own health.. People with this mental disorder independently interpret their own sensations in their body and rarely agree with the opinion of medicine regarding the established diagnosis. Even the results of a laboratory examination do not change the opinion of such people regarding the presence of complex diseases. Let's look at what hypochondria is, symptoms and treatment, and other features of this disease.

Hypochondriacal syndrome is a condition where a person worries too much about their health

The mental disorder in question can act either as an independent disease or as part of more complex mental disorders. In the case of a severe form of this illness, the presence of conviction in the fact of the presence of incurable diseases cannot be “broken” with the help of criticism or correction. Most hypochondriacs believe that they have incurable diseases and cancer. Patients attribute to themselves the symptoms of AIDS, HIV and other diseases that are transmitted through sexual contact.

Hypochondriacal syndrome is quite common these days. According to statistics provided by researchers of this disease, the prevalence rate of hypochondria ranges from three to fourteen percent. Some patients, when visiting a doctor, often exaggerate the severity of the clinical picture. However, during a diagnostic examination, the presence of the disease is refuted. According to experts, the development of this disease is associated with the presence of a personal predisposition. Most often, various mental disorders are diagnosed in people with low self-esteem, suffering from obsessions and suspiciousness. It is from these symptoms that the disease in question originates.

There are two forms of this disease:

Sensoipochondria– this syndrome develops with a feeling of acute pain or other unusual sensations. In order to put his well-being in order, the patient begins to independently use various methods of traditional and folk medicine on himself. Despite the fact that diagnostics reveal the absence of serious diseases, patients constantly say that their condition is significantly worsening.
Ideoipochondria– the development of this form of the disease begins with the idea that there is a high risk of “catching” an infection. Gradually, this idea develops, and anxious thoughts intensify. This leads to the patient constantly visiting various clinics and undergoing the most expensive examination methods. The thought that he has a complex disease that occurs in a latent form haunts the person. Over time, all his thoughts revolve only around his own health, and the rest of his life is relegated to the background.

Hypochondria is a disorder that affects both men and women after 35-40 years of age.

Why does hypochondria develop?

Hypochondriacal disorder is a multifactorial disease, which suggests that the development of mental disorders is caused by several factors at once. This syndrome is often observed as one of the symptoms of many mental illnesses. Hypochondria as an independent disease is observed quite rarely. Just a few years ago, it was generally accepted that the cause of the development of this disease was neurotic disorders. However, a more in-depth study of this disease revealed the fact that hypochondria has a close relationship with psychoactive disorders and organic brain damage.

Often the disease in question manifests itself fully in patients with psychosis. In some cases, melancholy syndrome may have similar symptoms, where the patient exhibits a feeling of obsessive fear with the possibility of contracting a fatal disease. Schizophrenia in combination with hypochondriacal ideas is more pronounced, and the symptoms that the patient attributes to himself are often simply absurd.

Various psychotraumatic situations most often act as a trigger for the development of this disease.

Each person has their own threshold for perceiving stressful situations. Often, serious illnesses diagnosed in relatives and friends act as the cause of the development of the disorder in question. Emotional turmoil leads to the fact that a person begins to search for similar symptoms in himself. Also, one of the reasons for the development of hypochondriacal disorder may be the presence of severe somatic diseases suffered in childhood. In this situation, the patient experiences fears related to the fact that the disease has remained in a latent form, in order to return again after some time.

Constant worry about your own health poisons your life, makes it difficult to concentrate on work and often leads to depression

Clinical picture

Speaking about who a hypochondriac is, it should be mentioned that people with this mental disorder pay increased attention to their physical health. Hypochondriacs carefully control their diet and constantly analyze their feelings from eating. People with this disorder can name the exact time when the first symptoms of the disease began and describe what they were doing at the moment. Let's look at the main symptoms characteristic of this disorder:

Obsessive fear. According to experts in the field of psychiatry, there is a whole form of this syndrome, which is accompanied by constant worry about one’s own health. Despite the absence of visible causes, a person is constantly looking for symptoms of a complex disease. Obsessive fear forces the patient to take drastic measures aimed at reducing the risk of infection. The patient locks himself in his own home, avoids communication with other people, takes control of his pulse and blood pressure. In some cases, hypochondriacs even record the exact time when they felt a change in their well-being.
Super valuable ideas. In this case, the clinical picture has some similarities with the situation described above. However, here the patient takes more specific actions aimed at studying a specific disease. It is the signs of this disease that the hypochondriac constantly tries to detect in himself. The appearance of a feeling of discomfort or pain is interpreted in favor of this disease. This syndrome is called “overvalued” due to the fact that the patient forgets about everything except worry about an imaginary illness. When visiting a specialist, he requires special attention to his condition and the existing problem.
Crazy ideas. The presence of an “imaginary illness” in this situation is explained by the hypochondriac, the most illogical conclusions. The presence of delusional ideas indicates a severe form of mental disorder, which often overlaps with schizophrenia. Most often, patients with this form of the disease say that a chip is installed in their head, which contributes to the development of brain cancer. Also, patients often say that the government and special services influence people with the help of special radio wave rays, which cause the occurrence of serious diseases.

The symptoms that a patient with hypochondria experiences are referred to using the term “senesthopathy.” These symptoms have nothing to do with changes in the physiological state of a person, and are exclusively mental disorders. Such clinical manifestations are not tied to a specific area of the body and do not have a regular periodicity. However, senesthopathy can significantly reduce the patient’s quality of life due to a constant feeling of discomfort.

Many patients perceive “hypochondriac illness” so acutely that they talk about possible death due to lack of proper attention from medical workers. A hypochondriac is a person who shows increased demands in relation to his condition, which is accompanied by an attempt to achieve maximum participation from everyone around him. Often, hypochondriacs self-medicate with the most expensive and potent medications. Uncontrolled use of such medications leads to the development of side effects, which are regarded as symptoms of an “imaginary disease” that the patient has invented for himself.

It should also be said that constant exposure to emotional stress can lead to a disorder of the autonomic system, which becomes the cause of the development of a real disease. Thus, mental disorder contributes to the development of truly serious diseases. In addition, constant public and media attention to various diseases can worsen the situation. Having heard about a virus outbreak on the radio or read on the Internet about an epidemic of infectious diseases, a hypochondriac begins to constantly look for similar symptoms.

According to psychoanalysts, the development of hypochondria is facilitated by various Internet resources, where in real time you can find descriptions of the symptoms of many diseases and put them into one complex and difficult to diagnose “disease.” On some forums you can even find people having similar problems.

Like any mental disorder, hypochondria requires treatment from a psychotherapist

Treatment nuances

How to get rid of hypochondria on your own? It is quite easy to answer this question, since it is impossible to cure hypochondria on your own. Even in the case of a mild illness, the patient needs immediate treatment and psychotherapy. A timely diagnosed mental disorder allows you to avoid more dangerous consequences for the life and health of the patient.

The pre-hypochondriacal condition is quite difficult to diagnose, due to the need for differential somatic diagnosis. Only after the possibility of the presence of real illnesses has been excluded should mental treatment begin. Many people suffering from hypochondria only increase the duration of their illness due to the lack of proper attention to mental health. The use of potent drugs to treat “imaginary diseases” often leads to the development of side effects.

It is the side effects of the medications taken that are perceived as symptoms of an “imaginary disease.” Due to their presence, it is almost impossible to convince the patient that there is no real threat to health. An attempt to correct the mental state can lead to the development of conflict due to misunderstanding on the part of the patient. That is why it is very important for the patient to feel support and care from close relatives. When showing care, you should pay as much attention as possible to maintaining a certain balance, so that empathy does not transform into overprotection. Often, it is the patient’s relatives who contribute to the development of hypochondria, showing excessive concern for his health in childhood.

Hypochondria can have a variety of causes, from simple suggestion to a serious mental disorder

When a child’s colds are perceived too sharply by those around him, then in the presence of “imaginary illnesses” at a more mature age, the patient begins to demand increased attention to his condition. Indifference to the child's health can also negatively affect his future life. It is precisely this reason that most often gives rise to hypochondria, since a person with a mental disorder wants to draw the attention of those around him to his person.

Therapy methods

Hypochondriacal syndrome should be treated only with complex methods. Complex therapy includes the use of antidepressants and antipsychotics, as well as psychocorrection. Psychotherapy methods are selected based on the severity of the syndrome and the individual characteristics of the patient.

Most often, individual psychotherapy is used, which is based on building the right relationship between the patient and the specialist. This technique is used with those patients who “open up” to a narrow circle of people. During a psychotherapy session, the doctor teaches the patient how to behave and react correctly to the symptoms of an “imaginary illness.” It is this model of behavior that the patient must adhere to.

Often, the suggestive method is used to treat hypochondriacal syndrome. This technique is based on a targeted impact on the patient’s psyche. The goal of suggestive therapy is to completely break the existing attitude and behavior pattern. In order to achieve results, hypnosis and immersion of the patient in a trance are used.

In order to achieve lasting results, it is very important to contact a specialist in a timely manner. A prolonged absence of necessary therapy can lead to catastrophic consequences for the patient.

In ancient times, hypochondria was associated with problems in the upper abdomen, which is why the disease received its modern name, which is translated from Greek as “in the hypochondrium.”

Subsequently, the connection between hypochondria and bodily ailments was lost, but the name remained.

Today, a hypochondriac is a person who is overly concerned about his own health and the presence of non-existent diseases.

Some consider hypochondria a simulation, while hypochondriacal syndrome is an independent illness. To understand what hypochondria is, the symptoms and treatment of this disease, it is necessary to find out the causes of its occurrence.

Hypochondria refers to a person’s belief that he or she has a particular disease. Typically, the patient makes one or more diagnoses and continues to believe in them, despite the results of examinations and the opinions of specialists. Most often, hypochondriacs “find” themselves with oncology, problems with the gastrointestinal tract and heart, and diseases of the genital organs.

The variety of manifestations of hypochondria, the inability to consider it a full-fledged mental illness - all this does not allow us to identify the exact cause of the disease. At the same time, physiologists were able to discover several processes that may be “to blame” for the onset of the disease.

These include:

disturbances in the functioning of the cerebral cortex;
first manifestation of delusional disorders;
incorrect perception by the cerebral cortex of impulses received from internal organs;
dissonance between the cortex and the functioning of the autonomic nervous system.

As a rule, hypochondria appears as a result of mental changes that arise against the background of a certain disease.

Most often, excessive suspiciousness accompanies neuroses - specific forms of mental illnesses.

According to doctors, hypochondriacal syndrome can develop against the background of organic pathology - neoplasms, injuries and inflammatory processes in the brain. As for age, the disease can appear at any time: in childhood or old age. It is worth noting here that hypochondria is a sure companion of senile dementia or dementia. In childhood, the disease appears only in the presence of a genetic predisposition.

Stress and anxiety arising from fears, family troubles and problems at work can provoke the development of hypochondriacal syndrome.

Risk group

Cholerics - very emotional people - are most susceptible to hypochondria.

Most often, the disease affects suggestible individuals exposed to the influence of the media. A typical hypochondriac is an intelligent and well-read person who watches programs about health and reads articles on medical topics.

Based on what he has read and viewed, the hypochondriac discovers certain symptoms and “makes” diagnoses that no doctor can challenge.

Typically, such patients undergo examinations in clinics for years, which, for known reasons, do not reveal anything. The excessive complaints of hypochondriacs can be justified by the fact that they cannot independently control the manifestations of this syndrome (this is the main difference between hypochondria and fears for their own health).

Typically, hypochondriacs are found among pensioners and young people who are subject to the influence of others and absorb negative information. A separate category includes students of medical institutions who, during their studies, have to pass through information about various diseases. At the same time, hypochondria can appear in a representative of any gender.

Patients at risk are:

with neuroses and psychoses;
with the presence of delusional ideas;
elderly people who refuse to acknowledge their old age;
with problems in intimate life and communication.

Today on TV there are constantly advertisements for medicines and programs telling people about the emergence of new diseases. Adding fuel to the fire are medical information sites whose pages list the symptoms of various diseases. All this contributes to the development of hypochondria in both pensioners and young people.

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Symptoms

Hidden hypochondria can appear in every person who fears for their health.

However, for a real hypochondriac, experiences develop into real mania.

True hypochondria occurs in the form of sensory or ideogenic reactions. In the first case, the patient experiences real painful sensations, which his consciousness hypertrophies into voluminous complaints that do not correspond to the real state of health.

In the second case, the patient forms false ideas about painful sensations. Moreover, the patient can bring himself to such a state that real problems arise in his body.

Interestingly, the appearance of painful sensations can be triggered by any everyday activity, from eating to going to the toilet. In this case, the development of the disease is facilitated by excessive fixation on sensations, which contributes to the formation of complaints and their intensification.

A typical hypochondriac is constantly in a state of anxiety. All his conversations boil down to complaints, which begins to irritate those close to him. Over time, the patient develops multiple complaints, which are called senestopathies. These include such “symptoms” as difficulty breathing, a lump in the throat, burning of the skin, pain in the limbs, intestines, chest, etc. There are cases when hypochondriacal syndrome was transferred to others.

Separate types of hypochondria are “hypochondria of children” and “hypochondria of parents” - conditions in which people experience painful experiences about their loved ones.

Communication with patients allows us to identify two symptom complexes: obsessive and asthenic.

In the first case, painful sensations and constant obsessive complaints predominate, and in the second case, complaints of severe weakness predominate. Some patients experience panic attacks due to self-hypnosis.

Lack of treatment can cause the development of hypochondriacal personality shift. In this case, the fictitious signs of the disease worsen, and the person enters a certain rhythm of life and falls out of society.

Characteristic features of this condition are visits to doctors of various specialties, requests for surgical operations, and the desire to get into prestigious medical institutions.

Diagnostics

To diagnose hypochondria, you must first make sure that there are no real diseases. For this purpose, standard studies are carried out: analysis of stool, blood and urine, ultrasound examination, etc. If the examination excludes the presence of health problems, the patient is transferred to the hands of a psychotherapist or psychiatrist.

There are cases when it was not the hypochondriacs themselves who turned to doctors, but their entourage, tired of the constant complaints of a loved one, their suspiciousness and anxiety.

Treatment of mental disorder

When choosing a program for the treatment of a hypochondriac, it is necessary to take into account the main cause of this disease.

If the patient is completely adequate, treatment is carried out using psychotherapy methods.

This includes group, rational, individual psychotherapy, social therapy and hypnotic influence.

If the doctor sees the need for medication correction, antidepressants and tranquilizers can be used on the patient.

Therapy also involves the use of methods such as aesthetic therapy and reflexology.

When treating a hypochondriac, it is necessary to correct disturbances in the cerebral cortex, to establish connections between the autonomic part of the nervous system and the cortex. If the disease is a companion to schizophrenia, it may be necessary to use powerful antipsychotics and place the patient in a hospital. In any case, treatment is based on the work of a psychotherapist/psychiatrist and the support of loved ones.

To prevent illness, people who are emotional and susceptible to other people's influence are recommended to visit a psychologist, undergo preventive therapy, and engage in auto-training. Physical activity, communication with people, travel, and caring for pets have proven themselves well in preventing the syndrome. To avoid re-development of the disease, you should avoid watching medical programs, specialized websites and reading health magazines.

Thus, hypochondria is a disease that can significantly complicate the life of any person. If a loved one develops signs of hypochondria, you need to encourage them to see a doctor. Otherwise, the disease may develop into a personality shift, which will reduce the chances of a full recovery.

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Hypochondriacal depression– an atypical affective disorder characterized by a combination of depressive symptoms and manifestations of hypochondria. The patient feels depressed and is overly concerned about his or her health. A person interprets the state of internal organs pessimistically, distorts natural sensations, perceives with fear any problems in the functioning of the body, anticipates his own ill health, or is overwhelmed by an obsessive conviction of the presence of a difficult-to-treat somatic illness.

The patient believes that doctors are inexperienced or deliberately hiding the truth from him, while he believes that he correctly diagnosed his own illness. The hypochondriac’s doubts do not disappear even after numerous medical examinations and tests. A person with hypochondria stubbornly refuses to agree with the objective arguments of doctors. He is convinced of the futility of medical manipulations and is confident of the inevitable unfavorable outcome of the disease.

Hypochondriacal depression is often chronic with periodic relapses. Hypochondria is characteristic of emotional, suspicious, easily suggestible individuals. Neurosis is common among elderly and senile people, among teenagers. Hypochondriacal depression often occurs in medical university students who “try on” the symptoms of the diseases being studied. A larger number of patients with hypochondria are female.

Most hypochondriacs are erudite, well-educated, well-read people. They like to improve their level of education on their own, using available sources - websites on medical topics, books by traditional healers, sensational television programs.

Causes of hypochondriacal depression

The foundation for the emergence of hypochondriacal depression is a specific personal portrait formed due to the characteristics of childhood. The cause of future hypochondria is overprotection of the child and anxiety of the parents. Overly caring adults closely monitor the health of their offspring, running to the doctor because of the slightest scratch. They constantly frighten the child with the fact that he can catch a cold, get hurt, or become infected. Protect the baby from any contact with a potentially dangerous environment. They give clear examples of how a careless person fell ill with a fatal disease. Parents require immediate communication from the child if any unusual beliefs arise.

Adults constantly criticize doctors for their illiteracy and irresponsibility. They say that in our country medicine only cripples patients. From early childhood, parents put a non-functional attitude into their children’s heads, the essence of which is: you need to fight for health yourself and you should sound the alarm at the slightest sign of illness. The child absorbs the parent's way of thinking, becoming a suspicious and wary person.

The hypochondriac pays close attention to internal processes. Actively uses self-observation of the body, thus trying to displace interpersonal problems, conflicts in society, and painful loneliness from the sphere of consciousness. Many patients with hypochondriacal depression have difficulties in social interaction and have often been misunderstood and rejected by society. They have a very narrow circle of friends and are burdened by the lack of personal and friendly relationships.

Instead of making efforts to create and maintain meaningful contacts, it is more convenient and easier for hypochondriacs to use “flight into illness,” justifying inactivity by ill health. The only acceptable communication option for patients with hypochondriacal depression is to regularly notify others about painful symptoms.

Many people with hypochondria are self-centered people. They are fixated on themselves and indifferent to the problems of others. They are not accustomed to being interested in the well-being and experiences of loved ones. At the same time, they require people to pay attention and respect for themselves. The spiritual life of selfish people is very poor and boring; often their only “interlocutor” is their own body.
Hypochondriacs are characterized by suspicion, touchiness, and vindictiveness. Patients with hypochondriacal depression are often convinced that those around them are plotting and plotting against them. They try their best to identify ill-wishers and are in anticipation of an enemy attack. At the same time, sizzling feelings of anger and hostility destroy the hypochondriac’s body from the inside, creating physiological symptoms of imaginary diseases.
Hypochondriacal depression often occurs in people with low self-esteem who are prone to self-blame and self-flagellation. Patients with hypochondria on a subconscious level want to be punished. Finding illnesses in oneself is a way to achieve “justice” of life for people who consider themselves unworthy to live in this world.
The cause of the manifestation of hypochondriacal depression is often physiological changes in the body's functioning caused by stress factors. When faced with extreme circumstances, a person, in addition to a psychological shock, is faced with unpleasant sensations from the autonomic nervous system. The naturally determined inability to change the physiological state through the efforts of will greatly frightens an anxious person. A person does not correctly interpret the manifestations of a crisis during VSD, which is why he develops an erroneous understanding of his condition.
Negative personal experience. A long-term illness, forced temporary isolation from society, staying in uncomfortable clinical conditions, unpleasant manipulations, and painful sensations create a fear of recurrence of the disease in the future. A person strives with all his might to prevent such a traumatic experience, so he observes the body in order to catch the first symptoms of ill health. The psyche has a unique ability: the more we listen to the signals of the body, the more persistently we think about illnesses, the sooner signs of illness will develop.
Death or serious illness of a relative. For example, when a loved one who considered himself healthy is given a terrible diagnosis, and he soon dies, spending the last days of his life in agony. Against this background, an anxious, suspicious person has obsessive fears for his health.

Symptoms of hypochondriacal depression

This atypical affective disorder is represented by two groups of symptoms: depressive and hypochondriacal syndrome.

Signs of depression are:

the predominance of a bad mood regardless of actual circumstances;
inability to enjoy enjoyable activities;
loss of interests, indifference to current events;
decreased performance and deterioration of labor results;
the emergence of ideas about the meaninglessness of further life due to poor health that cannot be eliminated.

The motor activity of a person with hypochondriacal depression is characterized by instability and unpredictability of changes in the “poles”. A patient with hypochondria, overwhelmed by obsessive experiences, spends most of his time alone, locked within his apartment. He doesn't want to take any action. The subject feels weak and exhausted, unable even to carry out banal hygienic procedures. He refuses to communicate with friends, answers questions from relatives in monosyllables, and stops performing household functions and work duties.

Suddenly, a person with hypochondria may experience an attack of rage. He begins to reproach his loved ones for not paying enough attention to his condition. He accuses his relatives of not caring for him properly and not wanting to put himself in the position of a sick person. A patient with hypochondria blames his household for being the cause of his ill health. He says that in order to satisfy their benefits, he was forced to work hard, and regular overload undermined his health. He makes claims that due to the need to provide for his spouse and children, he could not fully rest and deprived himself of many benefits, at the same time he does not respond to the fair arguments of his relatives and denies their well-founded arguments. Statements from relatives that he is exaggerating his ill health drive the hypochondriac into a state of rage. In a state of passion, the subject loses control over his actions and can cause serious harm to others.

As a rule, after a fit of rage, a period of “painful insight” occurs. A person with hypochondria is convinced that only he himself must fight to save his life. A person convinced of the presence of an incurable disease makes an appointment with different doctors and insists on using all existing diagnostic methods.

A hypochondriac is never satisfied with the results of the examination; he is convinced that “the donated blood was mixed up with another person’s test,” “the ultrasound machine was not working properly,” “the doctor is not properly qualified,” “the doctor is deliberately not telling the truth.”

In such a situation, hypochondriacal depression can reach the level of delusional disorder. Convinced of the negligence of doctors, a person with hypochondria begins to complain to all possible authorities. He tries to gain public support by tirelessly talking about “stupid doctors,” actively disseminating false information on social networks and becoming a regular visitor to medical forums.

Not receiving the desired reinforcement from society, the hypochondriac begins to heal himself. Convinced of the presence of a certain physical illness, he purchases pharmaceutical drugs and takes pills without observing the dosage. The patient tries on himself all existing folk remedies, visits healers, healers, and magicians. After meaningless energetic activity, the hypochondriac begins a period of loss of strength. He again becomes passive and inhibited.

Signs of hypochondria are:

excessive concern about health;
confidence in the presence of a serious, difficult to diagnose disease;
fears that timely medical care will not be provided in case of a sudden deterioration in health;
panic fear of developing complications of an imaginary illness;
anticipation of the upcoming painful treatment, painful medical procedures;
obsessive thoughts about the hardships and deprivations associated with staying in the hospital;
regular occurrence of annoying “pictures” of one’s own disability;
irrational fear of premature death.

Symptoms of hypochondriacal depression are the appearance of painful, debilitating, unpleasant sensations without clear localization in the body or emanating from internal organs, on the skin. Senestopathies occur in the real absence of physiological defects. The patient indicates that pain “migrates” throughout the body; he feels “heaviness,” “transfusion,” “pressure” in different parts of the body.

In severe cases of hypochondriacal depression, delusional inclusions are determined. The patient assures those around him that his “internal organs have decomposed,” “his body is rotting,” “his intestines are filled with molten liquid,” “a lead ball is inserted into his head.”

The main symptom of hypochondria is distorted interpretation of harmless and non-dangerous physiological phenomena. At the same time, the patient ignores the possibility of a traditional explanation for the unpleasant sensations. For example: with a headache, a person is convinced that he has a brain tumor. He is not satisfied with the explanation that cephalalgia naturally occurs during mental stress. If a person coughs in a dusty, dirty room, he claims that he has tuberculosis. He interprets pain in the stomach as a manifestation of a peptic ulcer, not taking into account that the pain syndrome is provoked by his prolonged fasting.
Typical sign of hypochondria– constant monitoring of health indicators. The patient can measure blood pressure and body temperature every half hour. Once a week he will undergo clinical blood and urine tests. Convinced of the pathology of some organ, the hypochondriac will perform an ultrasound using not one, but five machines. The hypochondriac monitors the condition of the mouth, hair and nails. Records frequency of urination and bowel movements.
With hypochondriacal depression, sleep disorders naturally occur. In the evening, the patient is burdened by the fact that he cannot fall asleep. At the same time, worrying about lack of sleep does more harm than the actual fact of insomnia. A hypochondriac may experience panic fear before going to bed, because he is sure that some dangerous attack will happen at night. Having fallen asleep, he has nightmares where he sees himself confined to a wheelchair or on his deathbed.
A symptom of hypochondriacal depression is a change in eating behavior. Most often, the patient loses his appetite, eats little and loses a lot of weight. At the same time, a person interprets weight loss as a sign of a fatal disease.

Treatment methods for hypochondriacal depression

Orthodox medicine and traditional psychotherapy do not yet have the resources to rid the patient of all manifestations of hypochondriacal depression. Treatment of atypical affective disorder is a difficult task, since the disease is protracted, often chronic, with a high risk of relapse. Therapy of hypochondriacal depression is complicated by the fact that patients associate mental suffering with an imaginary somatic illness, and try to find arguments confirming the correctness of their assumptions. Drug treatment of patients with hypochondria is often contraindicated, and when carried out it brings the opposite effect - a deterioration in the person’s well-being. This is due to the fact that prescribing pharmacological agents to a hypochondriacal patient strengthens his confidence in the existence of physiological pathology. Therefore, the leading role in the treatment of hypochondria is given to psychological support and psychotherapy.

The choice of individual methods of psychotherapy is justified by the fact that the hypochondriacal components of depression often serve as a way to hide and repress unresolved personal conflicts. A person who is unable to admit the existence of disharmony between the inner world and the environment uses imaginary problems in the body as a defense mechanism to shift the vector of attention from the need to solve real problems to thinking about imaginary diseases.

How to treat hypochondria? The main condition for overcoming hypochondriacal depression and preventing the return of the disease is to recognize the existence of a problem in the psycho-emotional sphere and be ready to transform the inner world. It is this step that often becomes difficult and impossible for hypochondriacs. Psychotherapists often encounter the fact that patients with a confirmed diagnosis refuse the doctor’s attempts to provide assistance and do not want to consider the painful condition from a psychological perspective. Many patients with hypochondriacal depression are obsessed with finding out if they have an illness and finding a doctor who could confirm this illness. Often, hints from a psychologist and psychiatrist about the need to use psychotherapeutic methods of treatment are regarded by patients as the doctor’s inability to understand them and a deliberate reluctance to prescribe “miracle” pills. Therefore, the primary action of the doctor is to interest the patient in the state of his inner world, stimulate him to work on himself and motivate him to transform his worldview.
How to get rid of hypochondriacal depression? It is necessary to explore personal history and establish the circumstances of the traumatic experience. During psychotherapeutic sessions, the doctor helps the patient to objectively assess the conditions of his growing up, analyzing the system of rewards and punishments adopted in the family. The psychotherapist recommends that the hypochondriac think about whether the attitudes learned from his parents are benefiting him. The doctor points out that the existing stereotypical way of perceiving internal and external processes interferes with a full life, lowers a person’s self-esteem, and impedes personal growth. The doctor motivates the patient to make adjustments to the value system formed in childhood, which ultimately frees the mind from obsessive ideas about one’s own ill health.
How to get rid of hypochondria on your own? To gain emotional and psychological stability and eliminate irrational beliefs, a person must live in harmony with himself and the world around him. It is necessary to learn to perceive events in life correctly, objectively, and not distortedly. You should not focus on minor problems of the body and tiny negative phenomena of everyday life. We need to stop “making mountains out of molehills” by turning ordinary problems into disasters.
How to deal with hypochondria? A person needs to choose priority life goals and understand exactly how he wants to live. If the acceptable conditions of existence for a subject are illness, then he will never get rid of hypochondriacal experiences. When an individual chooses the goal of good mental and physical health, he acts to avoid harm to his body.
How to deal with hypochondria? An important rule is that you need to stop living in the past and focus on the future. We need to stop reliving past failures, grievances, episodes of illness over and over again, and even more so transferring past adversities to the present. The hypochondriac must learn not to allow a certain problem from the past to spill over into his present.

If psychotherapeutic treatment does not show the desired effect, the doctor's efforts are aimed at minimizing hypochondriacal fears and depressive symptoms. In case of severe, persistent hypochondria, the patient is prescribed powerful pharmacological agents. The basis of drug treatment is tricyclic antidepressants with the active ingredient amitriptyline. For severe behavioral disorders, this drug is combined with antipsychotics. Amitriptyline can also be used in combination with dibenzopyrazinazepine derivatives, for example: mianserin.

It is advisable to treat hypochondriacal depression in a hospital setting. After discharge from the hospital, the person should continue treatment with antidepressants at home. You should not change the treatment regimen or dosage of the medication yourself. A hypochondriac is recommended to be examined by a psychiatrist at least once every three months. It must be remembered that recovery involves not only medical efforts and taking medications, it is, first of all, painstaking work on oneself, the care and attention of the patient’s relatives.

Hypochondria is an exaggerated concern about one's health and a belief in the presence of a certain illness, despite test results that exclude it. Hypochondria can be both an autonomous disease and one of the symptoms of a more complex disorder.

People with a suspicious character or those who constantly complain about their health are also popularly called hypochondriacs. But the disease in question is mental and requires the attention of a specialist and special treatment.

According to statistics, hypochondriacal disorders occur in 3-14% of people with health problems. European doctors claim that they are typical for 10% of the population, while American doctors say about 20%.

Most often, hypochondriacs suspect digestive problems, heart disease, and brain disorders. Among them there are both women and men. As a rule, hypochondria appears between the ages of 30 and 50, but it also occurs among young or older people.

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To find out how to cope with hypochondria, it is better to consult a specialist. He will refer you for an examination and determine the source of the disease, physical or mental disorders. The reasons may be the following:

Asynchrony in the activity of the cerebral cortex.
The first indicators of neurosis.
Disturbances in the functioning of organs that send incorrect impulses to the brain.
A very suspicious character that cannot be controlled.
Age-related changes.
Lack of attention.
Past serious illnesses.

When making a diagnosis, you first need to exclude the possibility of a disease. For this purpose, all tests are done, ultrasound examination of internal organs and other procedures depending on the complaints are performed. If after this the doctor diagnoses “hypochondria”, the patient is referred to a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. However, most often it is not the patients themselves who come to specialists, but their family members.

Recognize the problem

Pay attention to the symptoms and signs of hypochondria. A person with this disorder is quite emotional. He probably knows what he is sick with and confidently points out the signs of a serious illness.

People suffering from hypochondriacal disorders respond inadequately to minor physical changes. Even a runny nose can be perceived by them as a manifestation of a serious illness.

The person requires testing and medical attention. The situation is aggravated by the fact that information about any illness can be found on the Internet, and on TV every now and then they show programs about incurable diseases that are difficult to recognize.

A hypochondriac is a person obsessed with his health. He constantly follows a diet, swims in an ice hole, takes vitamins and other supportive medications. It seems to him that the doctors are not sufficiently concerned about his condition and are not concerned with his health. Often such people sue doctors and medical institutions. They believe that they know better how to treat themselves.

A hypochondriac is distinguished by suspiciousness and a feeling of oppression. A person only talks about his health problems, which often makes others nervous.

It happens that a healthy person, as a result of overexertion, sees signs of a imaginary illness. But real hypochondria is close to mania.

Such a disease can manifest itself as sensory reactions (a person really experiences pain, but exaggerates it), as well as in the form of ideogenic reactions - fictitious sensations, which, however, can appear under the influence of the nervous system. For example, a person can cause arrhythmia or cough. This allows us to classify this disease as psychosomatic.

There are three main types of hypochondria:

Obsessive – continuous anxiety about one’s body, which the person suffering from this disease cannot overcome without outside help. This type is characterized by the fact that a person does not think about seeking medical help. He only suggests this or that disease, but is not sure of its presence.
Overvalued is an exaggerated concern about one’s own health. People use a variety of ways to support it, not trusting traditional medicine and doctors. He considers the slightest ailment a sign of a terrible illness and a reason for treatment.
Delusional – unhealthy thoughts, visions, depression, which can lead to the worst consequences.

What are the dangers of hypochondriacal disorders and how to overcome them? Most people view a hypochondriac as a simple bore or pessimist. He is considered weak, so they try to listen to the patient, understand and help in everything. This only aggravates the situation.

The worst thing is not that the hypochondriac is constantly in tension because of his suspiciousness and depressed state, but that he can start taking medications on his own, which in fact he does not need at all. This leads to major problems with the kidneys and liver.

Take action

Hypochondria is not easy to treat, as patients cannot accept and deny that they suffer from a mental disorder. They believe that they will only waste time getting rid of this illness, and meanwhile their “real” illness will be neglected and become incurable.

In the fight against hypochondriacal disorders, the specialist works on the patient’s behavior and internal judgments. Changing the way of thinking helps the patient get on the path to recovery. The initial stage is the most difficult: here it is important to be able to build a trusting relationship with a person and find common ground. In general, treating hypochondria requires an integrated approach.

The people around him play a special role in the recovery of a hypochondriac. As a rule, they are the ones who first think about how to deal with the hypochondria of a person close to them.

Often, relatives are overprotective of the patient or, on the contrary, ignore his complaints, mistaking them for pretense and banal whining. Neither behavior is correct. In the first case, the hypochondriac only takes root in the idea that he has a disease. In the second, he feels abandoned and begins to worry even more about his health, because no one cares about him.

Firstly, family and friends should realize that their relative or friend has hypochondriacal disorders, which greatly affect his state of mind.
Secondly, if a person wants to talk, there is no need to refuse him this. Also, you should not convince him of the absence of the disease he is talking about. It is better, on occasion, to unobtrusively draw the attention of the person suffering from hypochondria to the fact that you also have his symptoms, but they do not threaten your health and do not even require treatment.
Thirdly, work will help to distract from anxious thoughts, so involve the patient in homework, especially in the fresh air.
Fourthly, without pressure and deception, you need to convince the hypochondriac to see a specialist. The attending physician knows best how to get rid of hypochondria. Then the relatives are responsible for the high-quality implementation of the doctor’s recommendations and taking prescribed medications.

About 400 methods of building psychotherapeutic trainings are known. Among them are individual, family, group and others. The selection of treatment is determined by the individual characteristics of hypochondria and the patient’s attitude to a particular technique. As a rule, in this case several methods are used at once.

Drug treatment of hypochondriacal disorders is a last resort. The reason is that medications can reassure a sufferer that they have a serious illness. Also, many refuse to take medications or abuse them. It should be understood that medications are used solely to get rid of hypochondria as a symptom of another disease. Author: Alexandra Pushkova

– a mental disorder from the group of somatoform disorders. It is manifested by constant concern about the state of one’s own health, persistent suspicions of the presence of a serious, incurable or fatal disease. The complaints of a patient with hypochondria are usually concentrated around one or two organs and systems, while the assessment of the severity of their condition and the degree of conviction in the presence of a particular disease is constantly changing. The diagnosis is established on the basis of complaints, anamnesis and additional research data. Treatment – psychotherapy, drug therapy.

General information

Hypochondria (hypochondriacal disorder) is a mental disorder manifested by constant concern about one’s own health and persistent suspicions of the presence of a serious illness. According to some researchers, patients with hypochondria make up 14% of the total number of patients seeking help in general medical institutions. Opinions about the prevalence of hypochondria among men and women vary.

Some experts argue that men are more likely to suffer from this disorder, others believe that the disease equally often affects representatives of the weaker and stronger sex. In men, hypochondria usually develops after 30 years, in women - after 40 years. In 25% of cases, despite adequate treatment, there is a deterioration in the condition or no improvement. In half of the patients the disorder becomes chronic. Treatment of hypochondria is carried out by clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists.

Causes of hypochondria

Mental health experts identify several causes of hypochondria. Endogenous factors that provoke the development of hypochondria include hereditarily determined character and personality traits: suspiciousness, excessive impressionability, anxiety, hypersensitivity. It is assumed that a specific interpretation of bodily signals is of some importance - a feature characteristic of all types of somatoform disorders. Patients with hypochondria and other similar disorders perceive normal neutral signals from various organs and systems as pathological (for example, as pain), however, what this interpretation is associated with - with disorders of the brain or with changes in the sensitivity of peripheral nerves - remains unclear.

Psychologists consider parents’ excessive concern about the child’s well-being and severe or long-term illnesses at an early age as exogenous factors causing the development of hypochondria. A real or imaginary threat to one’s own health encourages a patient suffering from hypochondria to show increased attention to their bodily sensations, and the conviction of one’s own illness creates fertile ground for the formation of a “sick person’s position.” A person who is convinced of the weakness of his health involuntarily looks for illness in himself, and this can become the cause of hypochondriacal experiences.

Acute stress, chronic traumatic situations, depression and mental disorders of a neurotic level play a certain role in the development of hypochondria. Due to mental and emotional exhaustion, mental vulnerability increases. The attention of a patient with hypochondria begins to randomly focus on various insignificant external and internal signals. Increased attention to the work of internal organs violates the autonomy of physiological functions, autonomic and somatic disorders occur, which the patient interprets as signs of a serious illness.

Experts believe that hypochondria is a pathologically acute instinct of self-preservation, one of the manifestations of the fear of death. At the same time, many psychologists consider hypochondria as “the inability to be sick,” which can manifest itself as both pathologically acute and pathologically weak reactions to disturbances in the functioning of the body. It has been established that patients with hypochondria, when identifying a really existing somatic disease, pay less attention to such a disease than to their hypochondriacal experiences, sometimes perceiving the real pathology as insignificant and insignificant.

Symptoms of hypochondria

Patients with hypochondria complain of pain and discomfort in various organs. Often they directly name the suspected somatic disease or in a roundabout way they try to draw the doctor’s attention to the possibility of developing a particular disease. At the same time, the degree of conviction in the presence of a certain disease varies from one appointment to another. Patients suffering from hypochondriasis can “jump” from one disease to another, more often within one organ or system (for example, at a previous appointment the patient was worried about stomach cancer, and is now inclined towards a diagnosis of peptic ulcer); less often, “migration” of painful diseases is observed sensations.

Most often, the concerns of patients with hypochondria are related to the state of the cardiovascular system, genitourinary system, gastrointestinal tract and brain. Some patients suffering from hypochondria are worried about the possible presence of infectious diseases: HIV, hepatitis, etc. The story about unpleasant sensations can be vivid, emotional or, on the contrary, monotonous and emotionally inexpressive. The doctor’s attempts to dissuade the patient cause a pronounced negative reaction.

The complaints of patients suffering from hypochondria are unique and do not fit into the clinical picture of a particular somatic disease. Patients with hypochondria often note the presence of paresthesia: a feeling of tingling, numbness or crawling. The second most common condition in hypochondria is psychalgia - pain not associated with the pathology of any organ. Senestalgia is possible - unusual, sometimes bizarre pain sensations: burning, twisting, shooting, twisting, etc. Sometimes with hypochondria, senestopathy is observed - difficult to describe, but very unpleasant sensations that are difficult to associate with the activity of any organ. In addition, patients often complain of general malaise, a feeling of unclear but global somatic distress.

Hypochondria affects the character of patients and their relationships with others. Patients become selfish, completely concentrated on their painful sensations and emotional experiences. They interpret the calm attitude of others towards their condition as a sign of callousness and callousness. There may be accusations against loved ones. Other interests become insignificant. Patients with hypochondria, sincerely convinced of the presence of a serious illness, spend all their energy on preserving the “remnants of their own health”, this causes the breakdown of close relationships, problems at work, a decrease in the number of social contacts, etc.

Types of hypochondria

Depending on the nature and degree of thinking disorders, psychiatry distinguishes three types of hypochondria: obsessive, overvalued and delusional. Obsessive hypochondria occurs during stress or is a consequence of excessive impressionability. It is more often detected in sensitive, emotional patients with a rich imagination. This form of hypochondria can develop after careless words from a doctor, another person talking about their illness, watching a program dedicated to a particular disease, etc.

In a mild transient form, hypochondriacal experiences often occur among students of medical universities (“third-year disease”), as well as among people who first came into contact with medicine due to profession, life circumstances, or ordinary curiosity (the famous “found all diseases except childbed fever ” from the story “Three Men in a Boat and a Dog” by Jerome K. Jerome). In most cases, such experiences are not clinically significant and do not require special treatment.

A distinctive feature of obsessive hypochondria is sudden attacks of anxiety and fear for one’s health. The patient may be afraid of catching a cold when going outside in bad weather, or afraid of getting poisoned when ordering food at a restaurant. He understands that he can take specific measures to protect himself from the disease or significantly reduce the risk of its occurrence, but this does not help cope with fear. Criticism in this form of hypochondria is preserved, thoughts about a possible disease are hypothetical, but anxiety does not disappear, despite logical conclusions and attempts at self-persuasion.

Overvalued hypochondria is a logically correct, understandable to other people, but extremely exaggerated concern for one’s health. The patient makes a lot of efforts, trying to achieve an ideal state of the body, and constantly takes measures to prevent a certain disease (for example, cancer). With overvalued hypochondria, attempts at self-medication, excessive use of “folk healing methods,” attempts to construct pseudoscientific theories, etc. are often observed. Health becomes an absolute priority, other interests fade into the background, which can lead to tension in relationships with loved ones, deterioration financial situation and even dismissal or destruction of the family.

Delusional hypochondria is a disorder based on pathological conclusions. A characteristic feature is paralogical thinking, the ability and need to “connect the unconnected,” for example: “the doctor looked at me askance - that means I have AIDS, but he is deliberately hiding it.” Delusional ideas in this form of hypochondria are often implausible and clearly fantastical, for example, “a crack has appeared in the wall, which means the wall is built from radioactive materials, and I am developing cancer.” A patient with hypochondria interprets any attempts to dissuade him as a deliberate deception, and perceives the refusal to carry out therapeutic measures as evidence of the hopelessness of the situation. Delusions and hallucinations are possible. This type of hypochondria is commonly seen in panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

Depending on the severity of hypochondria, treatment can be carried out either on an outpatient basis or in a hospital setting (environmental therapy). The main treatment for hypochondria is psychotherapy. Rational psychotherapy is used to correct erroneous beliefs. In the presence of family problems, acute traumatic situations and chronic internal conflicts, Gestalt therapy, psychoanalytic therapy, family therapy and other techniques are used. In the process of treating hypochondria, it is important to provide conditions under which the patient will constantly be in contact with one general practitioner, since contacting a large number of specialists creates a favorable environment for manipulation and increases the risk of unnecessary conservative treatment and unjustified surgical interventions.

Due to the high risk of developing addiction and possible fears of the presence of severe somatic pathology, which doctors allegedly hide from patients with hypochondria, the use of medications for this pathology is limited. For concomitant depression and neurotic disorders, tranquilizers and antidepressants are prescribed. Antipsychotics are used for schizophrenia. If necessary, the drug therapy regimen includes beta-blockers, nootropic drugs, mood stabilizers and vegetative stabilizers. The prognosis depends on the severity of hypochondria and the presence of concomitant mental disorders.