Number of Mole Threads

[Rennie1989]

Hello

I'm not quite sure where these have come from, but there seems to be a boom in mole and skin cancer threads. This is my lazy way of answering all of them:
- Malignant Melanoma is a very rare form of skin cancer!
- If you have a mole that is new or has changed (follow ABCDE) then for your own piece of mind SEE A DOCTOR.
- There is little point in asking us whether you should or should not get a mole checked. If it is causing you that much distress and concern then get it seen bey a doctor.

Let me explain what ABCDE is:
Asymmetry - is it an odd shape?
Border - is it jagged and irregular?
Colour - is it different shades of brown?
Diameter - is it more than 6mm in diamtere?
Evolve - has it changed over time?

Take care and stay safe.

[Catherine S]

The boom usually happens in the summer months Rennie, when people worry about the sun aggravating or activating any existing moles I guess. But a good guide thanks.

ISB x

[spacebunnyx]

there's a lot of articles in newspapers that seem to fuel HA. I keep getting emails that my annual mole check is due!!

[Fishmanpa]

The boom usually happens in the summer months Rennie, when people worry about the sun aggravating or activating any existing moles I guess. But a good guide thanks.

ISB x

That was mentioned in the cheeky thread I started with the pic of the mole and it's a good point. Apparently, there are a lot of adverts on the TV about it (I don't even own a TV). I've noticed that one of the more interesting aspects of HA is the psychological impact of the media on symptoms. In fact, there was an interesting thread posted concerning the impact the media has on HA.

For example, when Peaches Geldolf died, there were a plethora of threads concerning sudden death syndrome. When there is a thread about undetected bowel cancer, BOOM... there are several threads about it. I've actually looked at that over the last few months and compared the number of similar threads that link up to a story in the Daily Mail and the correlation is obvious to me. Also, someone posting about a specific ailment and/symptoms with the tag "anyone else get this?" will spark similar threads and fears and they seem to take on a life of their own as people jump on the "yes, I get this too" bandwagon. While the post is reassuring to the OP in that they're not alone, I feel it has a negative overall affect as it just reinforces the symptoms. While it's often acknowledged that it's a symptom of anxiety, it doesn't stop the influx of what I consider to be negative reinforcement.

I believe it's a somewhat common symptom and psychological aspect of HA from what I've learned. Even when there's a logical explanation, the sufferer will latch onto it as the reason they have a similar fear or symptom and run with it.

Stopping that train of thought requires a different mindset and way of thinking about things. That's how and why CBT works so well. some of the exercises are specifically geared to make you logically question your thought process. It's personally worked for me when I've used some of the techniques for dealing with depression and "scanxiety". It take discipline and work but it does work :)

Positive thoughts