Found this article really interesting

[LF87]

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fighting-fear/201305/the-treatment-health-anxiety

I read this earlier and found it interesting because of the recovery techniques mentioned. I've had CBT int the past, and was always told that confronting your fear head on is the absolute only way to recover. But with health anxiety we are discouraged from reading up about our 'diseases'.
What do you think? I'm not suggesting anyone get on Google by the way. Just wondered peoples opinion? Because I do fear the urge to Google as well as the HA itself. Because I know how anxious it will make me. But this is almost the same as telling a person with hygiene OCD to stay away from toilets seats... Do you know what I mean? Could actually be stunting our own recovery.
Just wanted to see what you guys thought :) x

[Lin71]

Interesting indeed.

I definitely don't agree with:

'B. You need to learn about the illnesses you fear. Knowing a little is scary. Knowing a lot is reassuring.'

For me the more I read the more I fear...the more detail I read about disease, treatment, and possible outcomes the more I can 'see' it happening in my own life. I can see what they're getting at, if you read something like 'cancer is a deadly disease' and no more, that is obviously a scary statement. But when you start reading about probability, and the fact that a lot of people do survive awful illnesses I guess that could make you feel better and more empowered. Perhaps that's what they mean but it won't apply to many HA sufferers.

I do like this! :

'Do not ask your doctor to do tests or prescribe drugs he does not think to do on his own initiative.'

I agree with this, a problem that many of us have is not trusting the doctor!

Thanks for sharing.

[cattia]

I think there is a difference between finding out about an illness that you fear in order to demystify it and obsessivly researching it to get reassurance that you don't have it. It's the difference between avoidance and reassurance seeking. I suppose if you had OCD and were germ phobic, you would be encouraged to face up to dirt which you were afraid of but also stop hand washing which would be reassurance against dirt and a compulsion. It's confusing because they seem to be suggesting that we should seek information to expose ourselves to our fear, but in a non compulsive or reassurance seeking way. I don't know what i think about it. I do know that the more I Google, the more my anxiety increases and the less in control I become. I certainly think googling is bad.

[Serenity1990]

Interesting indeed.

I definitely don't agree with:

'B. You need to learn about the illnesses you fear. Knowing a little is scary. Knowing a lot is reassuring'




I sort of agree with it. I thought I had MS recently, due to googling and a little background knowledge. The more googling of symptoms I did the more it fitted with what I had. However once I delved a little deeper into some of the academic stuff and really understood how it worked, I realised the symptoms couldn't possibly present in the way they did with me.

I'd say it's best to know nothing about these illnesses, awful to know a little, and even worse to know a bit more. However knowledge moving from a simple list of symptoms to an actual (albeit basic) understanding of the mechanics of the illness is helpful IMO.

[Fishmanpa]

There's some sense in what the article said. I see much of the behaviors here on the boards and with the doctors treating people. Endless tests for reassurance for one. It seems the health system is at fault for this as there are not enough resources to address the psychological issues that are evidently present. That accounts for many feeling "fobbed off". The waiting list for CBT and other mental health assistance is ridiculously long and many don't have the resources to seek help privately.

Researching and knowing the disease would only be helpful if one was already in CBT therapy and able to exercise the techniques in a rational way. Doing so in an emotionally fragile state would only serve to exasperate the situation.

Positive thoughts