Caring for one's own he alth is an important matter for every person. There are people who, to a greater or lesser extent, neglect this matter, and there are those who maniacally look after themselves, look for some flaws in themselves and literally make an elephant out of a fly. Only in words everything sounds ridiculous and ridiculous, but in reality such signs serve as a signal that a hypochondriacal neurosis is developing. A person plunges himself into a state of illness, makes the brain think that some kind of illness lives in the body and thereby destroys himself.
What is hypochondria?
Let's start with the exact wording of this term. Hypochondria is a neurotic disorder that is accompanied by constant anxiety about one's own he alth. A person becomes suspicious, he attributes some kind of illness to his individual organ or organism as a whole, when in fact there is nothing of the kind at all. To fully understand what hypochondria is, you should refer topsychiatry. It can be either an independent disorder of the central nervous system, or a consequence of another, serious mental illness. Hypochondriacs are known by sight to all doctors of the local polyclinic. They are constantly being examined, complaining about various pains, “improper functioning” of one or another organ, the presence of some undesirable symptoms. In fact, after the examination, it turns out that the body is completely he althy.
Causes of illness
Suspicious individuals who are prone to depression and constant worries, as well as people with a high degree of suggestibility, are clear candidates for such a disease as hypochondria. Symptoms and treatment is a purely individual matter, since each person has this disorder in its own way. The most common cause of its occurrence is a traumatic situation, for example, the death of a loved one from a heart attack. As a result, a person ascribes to himself a heart defect and is completely sure that the same fate awaits him. Also, hypochondriacal neurosis can be based on phobic states - a wild fear of getting sick. In such cases, one of two diagnoses can be made. The first is hysterical neurosis, since the behavior of the patient is accompanied by appropriate behavior. The second is obsessive compulsive disorder, when the patient regularly repeats certain rituals and is haunted by obsessive thoughts.
Symptomatics
The patient himself in the office of the therapist (surgeon, ophthalmologist or cardiologist - whomanything) can voice a variety of symptoms of their own malaise. They can start with stomach pain and end with a change in skin color. In reality, things are a little different:
- Hypochondria syndrome introduces a person into a state of weakness, depression, makes him irritable, deprives him of sleep and attentiveness.
- Well, as we said above, purely mental symptoms - fear of getting sick and excessive concern for one's own he alth.
It should be noted that if such deviations in a person's thinking have just begun to appear, you should immediately contact a psychotherapist. In this case, they can be pacified and completely eliminated so that the patient does not even realize that he had hypochondria. Symptoms and treatment in the later stages of the disorder are more complex. In this case, the patient develops certain personality traits on a pathological basis, which are almost impossible to correct.
Structure of disease
Mainly hypochondriacal neurosis consists of three components:
- Non-existent human pain.
- Emotional instability.
- Specific thought disorder.
This can be explained as follows. For example, during the meal traces a slight difficulty in its passage through the esophagus. Each of us would simply swallow it all down with water and forget. The hypochondriac immediately begins to think about this topic, saying that the work of the esophagus is disrupted, the food is stuck there, causingcough, shortness of breath, disturbed his speech and did not get into the stomach so that all the useful substances were absorbed, and, consequently, the body did not receive the required dose of vitamins, it would not be able to work normally … All this collapses on a subconscious level, and the person simply forces feel pain and discomfort that doesn't exist.
Disease variations
In medical practice, very often there are people who are concerned about the he alth, only not of their own, but of their closest relatives. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups: hypochondria of parents and hypochondria of children. The first obsessively care about the he alth of their child, constantly leave him at home, treat and take care of more than required. The latter worry that their ancestors are aging, therefore, their body wears out and becomes more susceptible to various ailments. It is worth noting that the symptoms of hypochondriacal neurosis in women in particular are not only taking care of themselves, but also of their child. Therefore, it is the beautiful half of the population that is more susceptible to this mental disorder.
Types of hypochondria
Depending on the course of the disease, doctors have learned to distinguish three of its types.
- Anxious type - the patient is constantly tormented by feelings that he may feel unwell. One or another organ constantly “breaks” in him, non-existent pains appear and are accompanied by obsessive thoughts on this topic. It constantly seems to him that the doctors he has already visitedincompetent. And soon he will find a real specialist who will detect his illness and cure it.
- Depressive type - against the background of invented diseases, the patient falls into a depressed state of mind. He sees any treatment as hopeless and hopeless.
- Phobic type - in this case, hypochondriacal neurosis causes a feeling of fear that this disease will be replaced by another, more serious one. Or the patient is afraid of death.
Prevention
Oddly enough, most patients who are affected by this disorder remain adequate people in all other areas of life. Therefore, the psychiatrist tells them in detail about how to overcome hypochondriacal neurosis, and together they set to work. In a number of procedures there may be social therapy, group psychotherapy. In this case, a person meets people who suffer from the same things as himself, and gradually changes his ideas about what is happening. As an individual practice, hypnosis, relaxation, various mental instructions are used. Patients are strongly encouraged to practice yoga and meditation, read educational books and communicate with people.
Hypochondriacal neurosis: treatment, drugs, procedures
It happens that the patient simply does not see the real horizons, and it is impossible to convince him. He refuses to visit a psychiatrist, does not believe that all this is the result of only his thoughts. In such cases, medical intervention is necessary, on the basis of whichundergo therapy in the doctor's office. Most often, hypochondriacs are prescribed nootropics and antidepressants, if the case is especially neglected, then tranquilizers. The choice of the drug is purely individual, so it is impossible to give exact names. In parallel with the drugs, the patient takes acupuncture sessions, reflexology or su-jok therapy. Along with this, psychiatrists advise to engage in so-called aesthetic therapy. It is necessary to visit flowering gardens, admire the sea or mountains - in a word, enjoy the beauties of nature that soothe and pacify.
Advice for those who surround a hypochondriac
Most often, family and friends are very skeptical about such "fictitious" diseases. They call such people imaginary patients, malingerers, or "actors." Few people know that such an attitude only exacerbates their difficult condition. It should be remembered that this is not at all a pretense and not an acting game, but a real mental disorder that eats a person from the inside. Close people need to express understanding and empathy for the “diseases” of the hypochondriac, support him, listen and understand. This practice is used by psychiatrists, who listen carefully to all complaints of pain and discomfort and take them seriously. Talking about this, the patient gradually moves on to the true causes of these "pains", and in most cases it turns out that boredom, inner emptiness, sadness and depression stand behind them.
