Suggestibility.

[puppyskin]

does anyone feel easily influenced by things that people say,my mum is always telling me X has had a heart attack or X has died,,,even if people say i look pale etc...this flips me out,or if a friend says are you ok? can panic me,why do i feel so vunerable?

[Sarah Louise]

Hi, Because you feel vulnerable and scared of the underlining issue which sounds like dying. I am so scared of this which is why i worry about every little ache and pain i think if i have anything serious i am going to the doctors to get it sorted incase it is anything serious then they can catch in time and i will survive. When you hear about people dying it would make u feel vulnerable because its the thing you may fear. And when someone tells you, you look ill you may associate that with being being ill and something bad happening.
I always get more panicky when i hear a story of someone who has died or if something bad has happened to someone i worry about it for ages.
So your not alone x

[puppyskin]

dunno about you but it makes me feel very selfish,i wish i could worry about others but i guess its become ingrained in me.x

[Going home]

I was answering another thread earlier and mentioned this very thing. I think most people are suggestable, which is why we can be hypnotised. We all have that inner voice that we listen to. Someone's only got to mention Volcanic Ash to me and I feel like i can't breathe! So yes, I do think that most health anxiety sufferers are super-sensitive to suggestability..look at how we react when we read Google :scared15:

Anna xx :)

[puppyskin]

i would say its a lot of paranoia too,i remember being convinced the world was gonna end in 2000,that was a major scare,oh the joys of anxiety. andrew.x

[guitarpants]

Suggestibility is a hallmark of both anxiety and depression. I think it stems from a loss of confidence in ourselves perhaps.

[pollyanna]

totally agree with all the posts, i especially freak out if people say i look tired or pale, or if i have a 'weird moment' and im with someone i am always asking if i look allright, oh the joys of anxiety....

[zippy]

Yes thats me all the time i dont like it if someone says i look pale or tired but then i am always asking my friend if i look ill.I think i always look ill and no one else ever does and i start thinking they are lying to make me feel better.During bad phases i cant read the papers or watch anything medical and i freak out if someone talks about someone being ill or died.

[sarah dell]

hi i get this too constant worry over health etc but i am getting better thanx to sertraline and i am so anti meds!i also have pmdd pms but worse! :)