Do you think health anxiety is a form of self harm?

[hopeful1]

As I left my GPs office the other day with another health complaint I said off the cuff as I left: i dont know why i torture myself like this. Because of my background (abused as a child, many disasters along the way and PTSD) I got myself wondering if i actually do this health anxiety thing as some form of self harm.Its as though i inwardly feel i dont deserve to have a happy life so i sabotage it. I am aware that health anxiety is prevalent in lots of people for all sorts of reasons but this comment came out of the blue from myself and got me thinking what the hell am i doing to myself. What do you think. Has anyone else had lightbulb moments?

[swajj]

No.

[O_O]

I guess it could be... I imagine it stems from different places for different people. I know that I sometimes worry I'm being punished or I'm cursed and that's why there's something wrong with my body (if there even is something wrong with it)!

[hopeful1]

I've tried to find an answer about my health anxiety for many years. It seems so unfair that some people glide through life without a care. I do feel like you that it's some form of punishment. I thought I was doing well not self harming as many people do with my past but perhaps this is self harm in a different form. Just a thought.

[Fishmanpa]

Self harm? Not in the technical physical sense but many of the behaviors such as Googling often cause severe self inflicted mental anguish and in that sense, it's self harm.

Positive thoughts

[daisyflower]

I agree with Fishmanpa that googling etc is like self harm to someone with health anxiety. We know it won't make us feel better in the long run but the short term relief that it 'may' bring (usually not, though) is enough to make us do it.
I have a phobia of doctors/tests and tend to avoid going for as long as possible. This could be classed as self harming as I refuse to go get worrying things checked out and yet sit at home, driving myself crazy with worry and making the symptoms worse.
It could also swing the other way; we value our bodies so much and want to keep living so badly that we are terrified of getting ill.

[melfish]

I wonder about this too. I've never had an urge to physically self-harm, but regularly put myself through the wringer mentally. I am very hard on myself, feel undeserving and never good enough, have a history of fearing rejection and abandonment (which I've largely worked through), all of which stemmed from having been adopted. Due to the timing of my latest and greatest battle with it, I do I wonder whether HA is an additional form of self-flagellation.

---------- Post added at 08:18 ---------- Previous post was at 08:18 ----------

*Adoption is terrible for mental health, folks, don't try it at home

[Mav]

Honestly, I never chose to be so anxious with my health (I mean I did but it felt like I had no choice in the matter) so it was no self induced harm so I don't think I could label my anxiety as self harm however, I know in the darkest times it was torturous and definitely harmful.

[budgie1979]

I never thought of it that way, because I have never had the urge to self-harm, but in a way both things tend to have a strong component of control. For me, HA is mostly about my desire to have control over every aspect of my life and inability to just accept that there are things I cannot control. Whereas with self-harm, I think people often do it as a way to feel in control over some aspect of their life when they otherwise feel helpless.

[hopeful1]

Thanks Fishmanpa for the CBT link, I've had a quick look and it looks quite amusing and informative at the same time, will work through it. It can't do anymore harm than I do to myself mentally already! I know how I got to this state, have seen counsellors regarding my past and have resolved a lot of issues except this health anxiety thing. It's the last hurdle I'm determined to beat. Fed up with it. Thanks.