Can worrying about a certain illness create the symptoms of it?

[Jennabarker]

I'm wondering because I started to get all my symptoms after I started to worry about a tumor.

[darkside4k]

I definitely have experienced that phenomenon with multiple "illnesses" in the past.

[Mummybee]

I wonder this too... I hope it's true

[darkside4k]

It's definitely true. I've had it happen when fearing colon cancer, brain tumors, etc.

[Sphincterclench]

100% possible. the brain is an amazing organ.

[Mummybee]

I wonder how far this can go? To what extent have people experienced symptoms of what they fear, only to have them go when they stop worrying or a relieved of concerns?

[PanickyGuy]

I've been told by my therapist that it's a condition called psychosomatic. If you are seeing a CB therapist, I'd ask them about that.

[swajj]

Yes anxiety can definitely affect you that way. I think one of the main reasons I eventually overcame my HA was because I was able to see how ridiculous it all was. I would think I had something like liver cancer, get tests, find out I didn't have it, accept I didn't have it and within a few days I would start having the symptoms of something else. With the help of my psych I was able to see how my thought processes were perpetuating my anxiety. I think if HA sufferers could recognise their faulty logic they would be well on the way to recovery. So each time you get over your fear of one illness only to start experiencing the symptoms of another say to yourself "what are the chances?". Your own logic will tell you that if your last imagined illnesses turned out to be nothing then the chances that your current imagined illness is real are almost zero.

[Miznuvem0412]

It sure can and once you loose the fear of it the symptoms disappear. Take for example hiv people tend to have all the symptoms and once they receive their negative results everything symptoms magically disappears

[Fishmanpa]

I've been told by my therapist that it's a condition called psychosomatic.

Exactly. The mind can do things you can't even imagine. My experience with my wife's illness has shown me things I wish I could forget but to her?... it was as real as anything else.... but it wasn't...

Positive thoughts

[PanickyGuy]

Exactly. The mind can do things you can't even imagine. My experience with my wife's illness has shown me things I wish I could forget but to her?... it was as real as anything else.... but it wasn't...

Positive thoughts

Indeed. And in rare cases it can get so bad, that it can actually cause a real physical ailment in some people. I've read about this in books, which gave hospital cases as examples with this condition. There were people who actually became blind, but the doctors found no physical cause for it. The patient's vision just shut down. They were blind, but they really weren't blind. Then some days later or months later, they could see again. Their brains just shut down their optic nerves, I guess.

There was also this other case, were a girl couldn't feel anything in her hand and most of her arm. They couldn't figure out what was causing it and they ran all kinds of tests, including the old needle poke test, but she still didn't feel a damn thing. There again it was like her brain shut down part of the nerves going to her arm\hand.

Those were some extreme cases, but apparently it can get to that level with some people. It's amazing how a human brain can do that, but then again, there are a few people in this world, who actually slow their heart rate down to almost nothing and bring it back up to a normal rate again. Mind boggling. :wacko:

[Shazamataz]

Yes, most definitely.