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Assoc. DR. Taha Can Tumanwarned about health anxiety, also called hypochondria.
Assoc. Dr. Tuman explained that health anxiety is the constant worry that a person has or will have a serious illness, even if he does not have a physical illness, or even if he has a physical illness, it is disproportionate to it.People with health fears are hypersensitive to physical sensations. They constantly scan their bodies, they react sensitively to every symptom, no matter how small, and body sensations are interpreted as a symptom of a serious illness. They want to know the reason for every little change in their body. They are very worried about their health. They fear that they have a serious illness. They find it difficult to keep thoughts about the illness out of their minds. They assume that their risk of developing the disease is high. The perception of health-related threats is high. They think that they cannot tolerate or cope with the illness.” he said.
“PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS CAN INCREASE THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION”
Assoc. Prof. pointed out that these people think that if they get sick, the outcome will be catastrophic. Dr. Tuman continued as follows:
“They think that their body is weak and debilitated and that they are unable to cope with the disease. Normal physical symptoms such as sweating, shaking, heart palpitations, chest pain, numbness, and tingling are catastrophized. Because thoughts of the illness preoccupy them so much, they find it difficult to concentrate on their daily activities. They may be called “hypochondriacs” by those around them. They think that if he becomes seriously ill, it will all be over. If a disease is mentioned, they may think they have it too. The inappropriate and dysfunctional coping behaviors they develop to manage health anxiety cause their health concerns to increase even further. “Dysfunctional coping behavior such as frequent tests and examinations, the need to have the doctor confirm that you are not sick, constant research about illnesses on the Internet and avoidance behavior such as avoiding conversations about the illness and visiting patients, no desire to go there B. ins hospital, further increasing health fears.
“PARENTS’ ATTITUDE DURING CHILDHOOD CAN INCREASE THE RISK”
Assoc. Dr. Tuman explained the reasons for this situation as follows:
“Parental attitudes in childhood, living together for a long time with a chronically ill person, taking on the role of patient, external factors that increase the sense of threat, such as during the epidemic period, thinking that one is cognitively weak and cannot cope with the illness. ” play a role in the development of health anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral techniques may be used in treatment, such as preventing excessive focus on physical symptoms, shifting attention from the body to the environment, practicing awareness exercises such as focusing on the five senses, examining cues of catastrophizing and other cognitive distortions , cognitive interventions such as developing alternative thoughts and preventing dysfunctional and inappropriate behaviors and avoidance behaviors. “Health anxiety negatively affects the quality of life, social, professional and family functioning of the person and also leads to an increase in personal health expenses and a financial burden on social security providers due to unnecessary analyzes and examinations.”
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