The realisation that I had health anxiety was one of the major steps on my road to recovery from it. It's not easy to accept as you think that you have a real disease. But here are some of the signs of it:
1. You badger your doctor for tests - you keep going to the doctor and push them to arrange the tests you think you need (after extensive Googling) to rule out whatever it is you think you have.
2. All your tests come back normal - from blood tests to MRI scans, all the tests you have all come back within normal limits. Maybe something's a bit off, e.g. high potassium, which sends you running back to Dr Google.
3. You can't help yourself from Googling symptoms - you frequently consult Dr Google for advice and reassurance.
4. You go from OK to 'I'm going to die' in an instant - this is kind of like a panic response. You're just sat there watching the TV and you feel a twinge in your chest. In 1 second you go from relaxed to 'I'm having a heart attack HELP', and this may escalate into a full-blown panic attack.
5. Your mind is focused on your symptoms all the time - you're constantly thinking about your symptoms, and it disrupts your life. It makes you cancel things, it affects your relationships, social life, work life. You're in a cycle of constant worrying about your body.
6. You avoid medical things on TV - even a static online ad about stroke symptoms can send you into a free fall of panic. You refuse to watch House or Casualty or similar programs lest they remind you of your own terminal diseases, or scare you. You hate it when you overhear people talking about people who have died.
7. A fear of funeral parlours - you hate going to funerals (who doesn't), but this is more than just hate - it's pure fear. You hate even seeing a sign above a funeral director's door.
8. You hate hospitals - because they remind you of health stuff. You see ill people and it makes you scared that you're going to wind up like that.
9. When you go away for a day or weekend, your symptoms radically improve - this was the key one for me. I would sit at home for weeks on end locked in a horrible cycle of symptoms and anxiety. But if I had to go away for something, holiday or work excursion, I would find that my mind was so distracted that I would not have time to notice any symptoms, or dwell on them if they did happen. Distraction is probably the most important part of the health anxiety 'cure'.
10. You don't want to do stuff - you just have a general apathy to anything.
11. You don't look forward to things - what's the point of looking forward to my birthday meal tomorrow, I'll probably be dead by the end of the day.
12. You confide in your partner/spouse - I was constantly telling my wife what was up with me just in case it escalated. I needed an outlet and she was it. I burdened her with all my symptoms, looking back I think what was I doing??? I even went as far as telling her if I'd had any medication, e.g. 'I just took 2 ibuprofen for a headache', so that if I ended up in A&E she could tell the doctors what I'd taken and when. Ridiculous I know, but not at the time!
Do any of these resonate with your own situation?
If they do you probably have health anxiety.
The good news is that you can get completely better.
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Originally Posted by WhyWhyWhy
