Health anxiety awareness documentary?

[GirlAfraid23]

Has there ever been one? And also do we think there should be one?

There's a lot of misunderstanding surrounding this illness and not a lot of people arw aware of how seriously it affects lives.

I wonder if it would ever be a possibility?

[countrygirl]

Channel 4 did a programme series a few years ago where people with HA lived together in a house and they had intensive psycho therapy of different sorts to see if it helped. I was actually interviewed by the programme makers but living in the north of the country I was too far away from London to be considered to take part.

The programme did explain quite well how HA was affecting the sufferer and their families and even their Drs but it was not overly sympathetic and of course came across as something that can be fixed quickly. Maybe if we were all given intense psycho babble in a luxury surrounding for a month we would all be better but can't imagine the nhs paying for this!

I could relate very strongly to a couple of the peopel who took part - there was one scene where the lady was at her Drs and insisted her bp be taken ( she used to go once a week to Drs for this) and every time her bp was very very slightly up but she would not believe Dr that this was due to her terror and once home it would be normal. the Dr also explained how she felt so frustrated that her patient never ever believed her about anything medical but also needed to see her every week for reassurance.

One lady had a headache in the "house" and she was panicking like mad that it was sign of something fatal ( I could feel her panic so much as we know what its like) the Dr who was in the "house" seemed to be quite cruel to her because he would not give her any reassurance but this was part of the treatment. We can all imagine how we would feel if someone refused to reassure us

So its been done and I doubt it will be done again as there is no sympathy for us generally.

[swgrl09]

This is very interesting that you brought this up. I am working towards my masters degree in marriage and family therapy and am currently in a class all about DSM IV (the diagnostic manual for psychology/psychiatry). We were on the topic of hypochondria/health anxiety, and I was shocked at how almost everybody in my class did not even know somebody with this problem, and here I am sitting in the audience fitting the description on all counts.

I guess I thought there were more of us out there! Or maybe we just aren't comfortable being open about it, as I totally feel that way.

[GirlAfraid23]

Country girl, i didnt realise that.

Do you know where I can find a link to watch it?

Channel 4 did a programme series a few years ago where people with HA lived together in a house and they had intensive psycho therapy of different sorts to see if it helped. I was actually interviewed by the programme makers but living in the north of the country I was too far away from London to be considered to take part.

The programme did explain quite well how HA was affecting the sufferer and their families and even their Drs but it was not overly sympathetic and of course came across as something that can be fixed quickly. Maybe if we were all given intense psycho babble in a luxury surrounding for a month we would all be better but can't imagine the nhs paying for this!

I could relate very strongly to a couple of the peopel who took part - there was one scene where the lady was at her Drs and insisted her bp be taken ( she used to go once a week to Drs for this) and every time her bp was very very slightly up but she would not believe Dr that this was due to her terror and once home it would be normal. the Dr also explained how she felt so frustrated that her patient never ever believed her about anything medical but also needed to see her every week for reassurance.

One lady had a headache in the "house" and she was panicking like mad that it was sign of something fatal ( I could feel her panic so much as we know what its like) the Dr who was in the "house" seemed to be quite cruel to her because he would not give her any reassurance but this was part of the treatment. We can all imagine how we would feel if someone refused to reassure us

So its been done and I doubt it will be done again as there is no sympathy for us generally.

[daisycake]

I remember watching that, with my aunty. Both us thought it a bizzare thing that could never happen to us .. Funny how things change isn't it. I'm sure if you google there were threads on here, I remember finding them once. Think a member from here was possibly on the programme.