Hypochondriacal disorder - a very common mental disorder, which is accompanied by a person's extreme concern about their own he alth. A patient with a similar problem is sure that he is suffering from some serious disease, even if there are no objective symptoms of the disease. Sometimes a person's conviction is so strong that the body begins to simulate certain signs.
Statistical studies confirm that anxiety-hypochondriacal disorders are very common. That is why people are looking for more information. Why does the problem appear? What symptoms are accompanied? What therapies can modern medicine offer? What complications can pathology lead to? Can you handle it on your own? The answers to these questions are of interest to many.
Hypochondriacal disorder: ICD-10 and general information
Of courseFirst you need to familiarize yourself with the basic information about this disease. According to the ICD-10, this pathology belongs to the group of psychotic disorders of the somatoform type - it has been assigned the code F45.2.
This disease is accompanied by increased anxiety about one's own he alth, a constant search for certain symptoms, which is often accompanied by the development of psychosomatic disorders. For example, if a patient is convinced that he has heart problems, then from time to time he feels quite physical pain in the chest, which, however, is not associated with a violation of the myocardium, but with the psychological state of the person. Senesto-hypochondriac disorder is completely reversible - symptoms can be eliminated with the right approach to treatment.
As evidenced by statistics, both women and men are equally susceptible to pathology. The disease proceeds in waves - periods of exacerbation are replaced by weeks, months and even years of relative well-being. Hypochondriacal disorder, as a rule, is activated after 50 years. Although cases of its development in younger patients are also known.
Most often, hypochondriacal disorder is an independent mental pathology. Nevertheless, sometimes too scrupulous attitude to the state of one's own he alth is one of the signs of schizophrenia. The same problem is often found in patients with clinical forms of depression.
Are the causes of the disease development known?
Why do hypochondriacal disorders develop? In fact, to date, this questionthere is no clear answer. Nevertheless, scientists put forward some hypotheses:
- Genetic predisposition plays a role.
- Some experts associate the development of hypochondriacal disorders with a violation of the perception of certain stimuli from the internal organs. As a result of these "distortions", a person interprets normal physiological reactions (eg, rapid heartbeat, skin sensitivity, etc.) as pathological.
- Of course, one should not discount the upbringing and conditions in which a person grew up. For example, a child may adopt a hypochondriacal pattern of behavior from a parent. Children very quickly learn that faking an illness gives them advantages, such as extra attention, freedom from daily responsibilities, etc.
In any case, it should be understood that the activation of the disorder in almost all cases is associated with stress, psycho-emotional trauma, some cardinal changes in lifestyle, etc.
Hypochondriacal disorder symptoms
You can make quite a characteristic portrait of a person suffering from a similar problem. Such individuals, as a rule, are self-centered - in society they can talk for hours about their imaginary illness, while practically not showing interest in the needs of those around them. Since loved ones rarely support the person's ideas about the state of his he alth, the patient feels depressed, abandoned, alone.
Hypochondriacal disordersaccompanied by other symptoms. A person is firmly convinced that he has a particular disease. He, of course, immediately goes to the doctor, describing the symptoms.
Based on alleged violations, the patient independently diagnoses himself, even if this is contrary to the decision of the doctor. If specialists do not agree with the diagnosis, the person continues to convince them that the disease is real, that there is a need for additional examinations.
The patient often turns to doctors of various profiles. Sometimes a person himself understands the absurdity of his assumptions about the disease, but can not control either his behavior or the level of anxiety.
Hypochondriacal somatoform disorders are characterized by impaired perception of reactions from the body. Bloating, an accelerated pulse - all this only confirms the patient's suspicions that he has a serious pathology.
Reacting negatively to assumptions can easily anger a person, provoke an outburst of anger and aggression. The patient is almost always depressed. Anxiety-hypochondriacal disorder is often accompanied by emotional instability, insomnia, and other not-so-pleasant symptoms.
Despite the fact that imaginary diseases can affect any organ system, in most cases, patients with hypochondria suspect that they have pathologies from the heart or digestive tract.
If the patient, despite all efforts, does not receive support from doctors (confirmation of the diagnosis), he can turn to the peoplehealers or even self-medicate, which is fraught with real he alth problems.
All the attention of the patient is directed to an imaginary disease. At the same time, signs of some real illness (for example, a common cold or other infection) are persistently ignored by a person, not perceiving them as something serious.
What can the disease lead to without therapy?
Hypochondriacal personality disorder cannot be ignored. In the absence of appropriate therapy, the disease can lead to dangerous complications:
- People with this condition often have trouble communicating with others, even their closest friends and family.
- Constant worry about he alth can lead to depressive disorder.
- It is possible to develop an anxiety syndrome, anxiety, increased nervousness. Patients become too nervous, often showing aggression.
- People with this problem often endanger their he alth. In this case, we are talking about dangerous (and often completely unnecessary) diagnostic procedures, taking medications, especially those that were not prescribed by a doctor. Unauthorized drug treatment can cause very real harm to the body.
- Many patients, for one reason or another, begin to abuse alcohol, take drugs.
- Some people develop suicidal tendencies. For example, cases are known when patients were stated in the opinion that theirthe disease is incurable, resulting in depression and suicide.
As you can see, the list of possible complications is very large, and there is a possibility of death.
"He alth Hypochondria": what does it mean?
Hypochondriacal personality disorders, as already mentioned, are often associated with a person's belief in the presence of a non-existent disease. However, the opposite situation is also possible. Some people deny the presence of certain diseases, even if they have dangerous symptoms. The belief in excellent he alth can be dangerous, because a sick person does not see a doctor on time, refuses to diagnose, ignores recommendations regarding treatment, which often leads to dangerous, sometimes even fatal consequences.
Diagnostic measures
In fact, diagnosis is rarely difficult. An experienced specialist just needs to get acquainted with the patient's medical record - it will surely contain a huge amount of information about the tests and diagnostic procedures performed, during which no physical abnormalities could be detected.
Of course, sometimes you need to re-diagnose in order to make sure that there is no disease. The patient is then referred to a psychotherapist. In this case, it is very important to differentiate hypochondria from depression, schizophrenia and other disorders. Only afterthis can be a therapy plan.
Drug therapy
Fortunately, hypochondriacal disorders are quite successfully treatable. Forecasts for patients who agreed to accept the help of a specialist in time are quite favorable.
Immediately it should be noted that the treatment in this case should be comprehensive - it includes taking medications, regular appointments with a psychotherapist, and constant work on yourself at home.
Drug therapy helps to cope with mood swings, increased anxiety and other symptoms that prevent a person from thinking and responding adequately to the situation. The treatment regimen depends on the characteristics of the clinical picture.
- Quite often, patients are prescribed antidepressants. These medications not only help manage mood swings and depression, they also relieve other symptoms of hypochondriasis, such as intrusive thoughts and behaviors. This medicine is also effective if hypochondria is associated with depressive states.
- Anxiety-hypochondriacal disorders are treated with sedative drugs and more powerful tranquilizers to help patients calm down, cope with constant anxiety and insomnia.
- Unfortunately, often hypochondria is one of the symptoms of schizophrenia. With such disorders, it is simply impossible to do without antipsychotics.
Naturally, it is impossible to use such medicines on your own in any case, since they have a huge amountrestrictions and improper use can lead to various side effects. With such therapy, the doctor must constantly monitor the patient, if necessary, adjusting the dose and schedule.
How can a psychologist help?
Drug treatment of hypochondriacal disorder must be complemented by psychotherapy. Methods and means of treatment in this case are selected individually - it can be psychoanalysis, suggestive psychotherapy, etc.
In any case, during therapy it is very important to figure out what exactly caused the activation of a hypochondriacal disorder, whether it was a severe emotional shock or mental complexes, pathological behaviors acquired in childhood. Only after that you can work with the problem.
When it comes to obsessive hypochondriacal disorder, then at some point group therapy is included in the treatment regimen. During the meetings, patients can share their stories, feelings, problems and effective solutions. But the most important function of group meetings is to have constant support from people with the same problems.
What can you do yourself?
Is it possible to defeat the disease on your own? In fact, it is difficult to cope with hypochondria by sheer force of will, which is why patients are advised to seek qualified help. However, some things you can do yourself:
- There are no magic pills and herbal teas that can cure hypochondria in one day. The treatment of any psychological disorder is a constant work on oneself. And first of all, you need to determine what caused the development of the disease. You need to remember childhood, stressful situations, certain events in life, after which the hypochondriacal disorder worsened.
- Experts recommend gathering together and carefully examining all your medical records, examining the results of tests and diagnostic procedures. Surely the documents confirm that no disease exists - you need to hold on to this thought, scroll it over and over again.
- Don't forget that your thoughts and beliefs affect how your body works. Negative emotions trigger various hormonal reactions, which affect the functioning of every organ, including the immune system. Constant stress can eventually lead to the development of a very real disease.
Don't be ashamed of the problem and refuse to see a specialist - an experienced psychotherapist will help you deal with the causes of the disease much faster.
Are there preventive measures?
Unfortunately, there is no specific prophylaxis of hypochondriacal disorder - it is difficult to notice the prerequisites for the activation of the syndrome. If seizures have taken place and with the help of medications and psychotherapy the problem has been de alt with, then the person needs to provide the most comfortable environment and peace. strong stress,emotional overstrain, a sharp change in living conditions - all this can provoke a new wave of the disease.
When the first symptoms of an exacerbation appear, you need to contact a psychotherapist. The sooner treatment is started, the more likely it is to deal with the problem as quickly as possible.
