In today's world, where not everyone can withstand the race for a prosperous life, depression has become commonplace. But few people suspect that among them a mental deviation is hiding, known as hypochondriacal delusions.
Sometimes it manifests itself as a belief in a serious illness (cancer, AIDS, tuberculosis, and so on), in other cases - in irreversible changes in internal organs (the stomach has torn, the intestines have become confused, the lungs have rotted). The last mentioned situations are called nihilistic hypochondriacal delusions.
Definition of mental disorder
Hypochondriacal syndrome is when the patient is convinced of the presence of a serious disease that threatens his he alth. For the first time this deviation was registered in the times of Ancient Rome. For example, we can recall K. Galen, who was looking for the source of the disease under the cartilage in the area of \u200b\u200bthe ribs. There is an opinion that thanks to his actions this syndrome was called hypochondriacal (hypochondrion).
Single disease or side effect?
Beginning the research, experts initially referred tohim as a separate disease. But after receiving the first results, they realized that this syndrome occurs as a result of exposure to many pathologies of the psyche.
How the hypochondriacal syndrome manifests itself depends on the underlying pathology. Therefore, having studied all the symptoms, experts divided them into separate types of hypochondria.
Causes of hypochondriacal delusions
Even today, the factors that influence the appearance of hypochondria are not fully understood. Psychiatrists suggest that the risk group includes emotionally unbalanced people. Consider the main risk factors:
- The patient misunderstands the meaning of the word "he alth". He believes that a he althy person cannot experience discomfort in his body, so he perceives any discomfort as a serious illness.
- Suspicious individuals who become anxious at the slightest trouble.
- Blood relatives suffer from hypochondria.
- The child has been ill with a serious illness and is afraid of a repeat of the situation in the future.
- There are terminally ill people in the inner circle.
- The mother was too protective of her child, constantly looking for signs of terrible pathologies in his well-being. Over time, the child grows up, but continues to fear for their he alth, copying the behavior of the mother.
- The patient loved a man who died as a result of a dangerous disease.
- The man could not resist the violence against his body.
- Chronic pessimist.
- The patient was not taught how to express his feelings properly.
Characteristic symptoms of developing pathology
In hypochondriacal delirium, the patient behaves as follows:
- The patient goes from one extreme to another. That is, he is afraid to go to the doctor, believing that he will find a fatal pathology in him, or, conversely, visits him too often without special need.
- A person keeps the state of his own body under vigilant control (massages the stomach in search of foreign formations, examines the internal walls of the oral cavity, observes discharge from the genitals, and so on).
- Any illness is perceived by him as a mortal danger.
- Close circle constantly hears complaints about feeling unwell and endures questions about the signs of deadly diseases.
- The patient believes that he has a specific disease, even detailed studies confirming the he alth of the organs cannot convince him otherwise.
- Studying the symptoms of certain diseases, the patient involuntarily looks for them in himself. And certainly finds.
- The patient cannot clearly articulate the reason for feeling unwell, therefore he is limited to general words (it hurts under the ribs, the stomach does not work, and so on).
- Potential patient pestering doctor with requests for research, although there is no particular reason for this.
- If the specialist did not confirm the presence of a fatal disease, the patient turns to the second / third doctor until he hears the desireddiagnosis.
Known forms of hypochondria
Depending on how the hypochondriacal syndrome manifests itself, psychiatrists distinguish several forms of pathology:
- Anxiety-hypochondriac syndrome. It occurs as a result of prolonged depression, sudden psychosis and stress. Nervous, the patient perceives any discomfort as a sign of cancer or other deadly disease. Such thoughts are exhausting, a person is afraid of the expected diagnosis, possible treatment, complications or death, analyzing all the changes in life when he receives official confirmation of the disease. The patient regularly undergoes examinations, and when he receives the conclusion that he is not sick, he goes to another specialist, believing that the first doctor does not understand anything in medicine.
- Depressive-hypochondriac syndrome. Under the influence of strong experiences, a person begins to believe that he is seriously ill. The expectation of a fatal illness is depressing, the patient moves slowly and speaks unintelligibly. He gets tired quickly, sleeps poorly, eats little. The mood falls, the person feels guilty for reasons that are not worth attention. Even after a study that indicates the normal state of the patient's body, his condition continues to deteriorate due to the influence of the depressive-hypochondriac syndrome.
- Astheno-hypochondriac syndrome. After serious psychological tests, a person looks for signs of pathologies in his own you. He complains of a breakdown, constant headaches, general discomfort or pain in some area of the body. The patient does not sleep welland does not eat anything, is constantly irritated and reacts strangely to external stimuli. As a rule, the examination does not indicate the presence of a specific disease, but the patient does not believe the results and continues the examination. Reinforcing his beliefs are symptoms that get worse with every stress he experiences.
- Delusional-hypochondriac syndrome. It develops as a consequence of severe pathologies of the psyche, for example, schizophrenia.
- Hypochondriacal-senestopathic syndrome. Appears under the influence of pathologies of the psyche or malfunctions of the circulatory system, which are localized in the region of the brain. The clinic of the hypochondriacal syndrome consists in the physical sensations of crawling over the body, touch, vibration, and so on. In some cases, patients believe that there is a foreign object inside their body: a bug, a spider, or some object.
Varieties of delusional hypochondria
It is found in several variants:
- Paranoid hypochondriacal syndrome, which consists in the appearance of obsessive thoughts: voices sound in the head, even at the cost of incredible efforts, unwilling to subside; sudden hallucinations, when the patient thinks that worms have settled in his body, insects have flown, and so on; physical delirium, leading to false sensations of the harmful effects of the environment (cosmic rays, radiation).
- Paranoid hypochondriacal syndrome is the expectation of a serious pathology that official medicine does not want to confirm. As a result, the patient is aggressive towards treating specialists, believing that they do not want to noticethe real reason for his poor condition. Cases of the reverse situation are known: the patient does not believe the results of the examination, indicating the presence of a fatal disease, accuses doctors of wanting to conduct experiments on him.
- Cotard's syndrome, known as nihilistic delirium, - the patient is sure of his death or the absence of a soul. He convinces those around him that his life is supported by otherworldly entities, waiting for the completion of a certain task.
- With the further development of the paranoid variant, a more severe stage occurs - paraphrenic hypochondriacal syndrome. Its characteristic symptoms are the unreality of the cause of the disease (the patient is sure that aliens are experimenting on him).
Presence of a combination of diseases
The presence of one disease does not exclude the occurrence of another. There are cases when quite distinct symptoms of hypochondria were found in patients from somatic departments: obsessive thoughts or states of severe anxiety. The situation of such patients was aggravated by the inattentive attitude of doctors and nurses, as well as too straightforward statements about the development of the disease and future prognosis. Unwittingly, they negatively affected the condition of sick people, contributing to the development of the hypochondriacal syndrome.
Diagnosis of psychological deviation
Hypochondriacal syndrome is very insidious. It is difficult to diagnose it due to the fact that the patient is constantly in the constant field of view of doctors, regularly passingresearch in search of various diseases. It may take many years before the patient turns to a psychiatrist and finds out the real diagnosis, which is guilty of persistent he alth problems.
But this is not always the case. The idea that mental illnesses are something terrible and shameful, which is better not even to be remembered in a decent society, has firmly settled in our mentality. Unfortunately, while the patient is looking for the cause of his suffering in other areas, denying the psychiatric nature of the disease, his situation is aggravated, cutting off the person from any social ties.
But not everything is as sad as it seems at first glance. If you diagnose hypochondria in time and start treatment in a timely manner, then it is quite possible to achieve impressive results. But when the disease is advanced, even the most eminent psychiatrists will not be able to help a hopeless patient.
Treatment of pathology
In the early stages of hypochondriacal delirium, certain actions must be performed:
- regularly relax the exhausted body: yoga, hobbies, herbal baths, favorite music;
- forget about the existence of medicine and not try to study the symptoms of a new disease;
- try to protect yourself from stress that can aggravate the general situation;
- accustom yourself to a sleep schedule to provide the body with proper rest;
- love active sports, leaving less free time for harmful thoughts.
For any doctor, the important points are the formation of a trusting relationship with the patient, as well as psychological work withthe close environment of the patient, which does not always understand what to do with such a person. Hypnosis, meditation, auto-training, herbal medicine, homeopathy remain the most popular methods of treatment.
In medical prescriptions, both folk remedies (motherwort, valerian, lemon balm) and pharmaceuticals (antidepressants, sleeping pills) are often found. If the syndrome is combined with neurosis, such patients are prescribed antipsychotics.
Before treating hypochondriacal syndrome, the doctor warns the patient that this nonsense is a pathology of an individual, so the maximum that he can do is to alleviate the manifestation of symptoms, making life easier for the patient. And whether he will be completely cured or not depends only on himself.
Can I self-medicate?
Not in every case it is worth treating yourself, all the more you do not need to rely on the help of other people, even if they are close people. The patient himself is not able to determine the degree of development of the pathology, and in the case of outside interference, completely unexpected results are possible. Therefore, any therapy should be started only after consulting a specialist who will study all the symptoms and take control of the treatment of hypochondriacal syndrome.
All psychiatrists specify that on the path of self-treatment, individuals with a strong will and unbending character can hold on. This is due to the fact that the neurotic state is very obsessive and sometimes fills the entire consciousness with fears. It takes a lot of moral strength to resist them.
Self-therapy begins with the work of a psychologist, when the patient is fully aware of the presence of such a pathology, convinced of the absence of suicidal thoughts and received confirmation from a specialist. From this moment begins independent work. Its essence is to occupy the brain with something more important and increase the level of socialization. A positive bonus will be the assistance of the family, which will help to understand the causes and eliminate them.
Motherwort, valerian, chamomile, mint, lemon balm or pharmacy herbal mixtures are allowed to be used as medicines. "Valesan", "Bifren", "Valeron" or "Persen" will help to strengthen their impact. But only the doctor should prescribe them, not the patient himself.
The patient should work productively on the path of his socialization, not forgetting about study and work. When new fears appear, they can be thrown out in conversations with loved ones or in online communication. It is advisable to constantly learn new skills, and, having fixed another useful skill, reward yourself with something tasty.
Those who expect quick results will be disappointed. Such a deep disease is eradicated gradually, step by step. The best option would be to start working on your own self-esteem, then move on to the perception of yourself and identification in society. When these stages are finally worked out, you can proceed to self-realization. If, with hypochondriacal delusions, the patient believes that he has realized all his desires and received a well-deserved success in society, he has practically no chance of returning to his past state.
