Am I one too?

[HoldingoutforHope]

I have been dealing with some constant worries about multiple different health issues for a long time now. Currently its an ALS/MS fear, last year it was a skin cancer worry and the year before that I thought I was going blind because of eye floaters :doh:

I have never been properly evaluated but does it sound like I suffer from health anxiety? My dad has anxiety and hes being medicated for it and I heard it can be genetic since my aunt and grandmother both have health anxiety. I am not entirely sure if I DO have it or if Im just crazy..:shrug:

[CleverLittleViper]

It certainly sounds like health anxiety.

I know with mine, I flip flop between diseases. Since I was around 10, I've had a heart attack or two (they were very prolonged, chronic heart attacks that somehow I was able to function well with...:winks:) breast cancer, HIV, lost all my hair and teeth, skin cancer, MS, so you can see, I'm a chronic mess!

That's how you know you suffer with HA, I think. If you can recognise a pattern of behaviour within yourself, and see that you do have a tendency to worry about diseases you may or may not have, a lot more than the regular Joe.

Mine is episodic. I can go years without a visit to the doctors, without a worry, and then, bam, I'm there four times in a week. :doh: What sets mine off, I've realised, is the changing of the seasons. Recognising the pattern, one would think, would make it easier for me to overcome the anxiety. :lac:

I don't think it's genetic, per se. I think it may be a learned habit. If you have a relative around you that is constantly stressing about their health, particularly when you grow up, it is likely or common that a child would/could develop some of their traits.

My mum, I would say, has more than a pinch of the hypochondriac in her, and has since I was a child. The worst thing my dad ever bought her? A book on health and illnesses! :roflmao: It wasn't long before she was declaring this, that and the other is wrong with her.

Perhaps, somewhere in my childhood, I picked up on this, and absorbed some of that habit into myself. Then, I always was a very fearful, cautious child that would imagine that I'd fall down a steep hill and break my neck, when my friends would race down it. :doh:

Only you and your doctor can determine whether it's HA or something else, and if it is determined to be anxiety, perhaps your doctor can give you help for it. Either through a referral to a therapy group, or medication for it.

What symptoms lead you to believe you have MS? It's my current fear, at the moment too.

[HoldingoutforHope]

Its mainly ALS that I have a fear of at the moment because it started with muscle twitching in my thighs that slowly developed into full blown panic. Right now Im feeling vibrations in my feet and Im always checking my hands and feet for fasciculations or movement. My doctor isnt worried about me because Ive seen her three times in the last month and she has seen people with ALS and she says I dont fit the bil :B.

Im in counseling right now and Im considering medication but its hard for me to accept that this is all anxiety and not the disease.

[anthrokid]

It does sound like anxiety, particularly given that you have had multiple worries about medical conditions which have been proven NOT to be the cause of your symptoms. It also sounds like you have a bit of support with counselling. However, for a 'real' diagnosis for anxiety, you'd need to consult with your GP or a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. I'd recommend having a chat with your GP about your worries, how irrational they are, and your family history. If you feel that the counselling alone is not helping alleviate your symptoms or worries, then medication may be a viable option. However, this is a discussion you should have with a doctor or mental health professional.

[Frankie123]

I agree with the comments above. I think you definitely have health anxiety and you need to get help for it now before it gets deep rooted. It is more common than most people think and your GP will be sympathetic. If you need medication there are many good options out there. You will be surprised how much better you will feel when you manage to share your fears with a health professional.