Mortality stats - do you do this?

[spacebunnyx]

Hi,

I wanted to share my guilty secret with you... I obsessively look at mortality stats for different illnesses that I'm most afraid of. I do this through the National Office of Statistics and look at their cause of death tables. I feel bad for doing this because it's actually real people that have died not just numbers. But I find it reassuring to see that say only 1 or 2 people in my age group have died from condition x in England and Wales in the year x.

When I'm really bad, I'll sit there with a calculator and figure out my odds given lots of different variables.

Is this OCD? Does anyone do similar? Please tell me I'm not alone in this

Space xxx

[cpe1978]

I used to have this I am ashamed to admit. My brain works very logically and so I like to try and logic my way out of problems. To me it seemed sensible to know the odds. You wouldn't believe how much rubbish i now know.

That said, it is all part of the same piece. Whether you are on here asking about specific symtoms or whether you are looking at stats, it all has the same source of seeking reassurance and that is something we have to get out of to move forwards.

I have occasional moments of relapse, but in the main I no longer work out what the probability is of me having any of the diseases upon which my HA is based.

[unsure_about_this]

I hold my hands up yes I do this I am worrying about cancer, so have checked out every stat for my age group of each type of cancer. I have gone to great lengths to try and find stats for the rarer types of cancer for my age group.
As for diseases yes I have done this as well.

I have also done the age group for each type of cancer who get diagnosed with the cancer.

[Fishmanpa]

I looked at survival starts for my cancer but I actually had it! To do that for something you don't have and just fear is pretty deep... Damn! That's some insight into the illness for sure.

Positive thoughts

FYI:... it scared the bejeebers out of me! If I had believed the statistics, I wouldn't be here.

[blackbroom]

I'm also guilty of this! I think it's quite helpful to do it once and then have the facts to draw on to calm yourself down when you're in the grip of a very disproportionate fear, but if you find yourself continually doing it, it's obviously not as reassuring as you think it is and (like googling symptoms or asking friends and family for reassurance) may well be feeding the fear.

[Stressed32]

I don't look at stats but I do think of worst case scenarios and face those feelings. It helps me get past my anxiety when I do. Example, I just had a spot cut off of my skin that the Dr. Almost laughed at me over when I thought it was cancer. They must send all of that stuff off, and I'm of course worried...so I have already dealt w the worse case scenario and said to myself if it is cancer, I found it a week after it popped up...one positive about HA...not much crops up and lingers w.out us knowing...so it couldn't be that bad and they would just cut more out.

[spacebunnyx]

Thank you for your responses -I'm glad I'm not the only one!!

Blackbroom - I find it does calm me down up to a point, and then I start thinking what IF I'm that unlucky one.

Fishmanpa - yep it's pretty bad. I do actually wonder if people with HA get worse or better if they actually get diagnosed with something... Did you have HA before? Do you have it now? Tell you who I think are the worst with HA... Dr's. My mum's one - but I don't seek reassurance from her (any more!) and she always thinks the worst (guess I got it from her!) and so many times she's been proven wrong.

Stressed - I know what you mean - I think I do that automatically anyway!! But you're right it does prepare you!

xxx

[Darren1]

Hi,

I wanted to share my guilty secret with you... I obsessively look at mortality stats for different illnesses that I'm most afraid of. I do this through the National Office of Statistics and look at their cause of death tables. I feel bad for doing this because it's actually real people that have died not just numbers. But I find it reassuring to see that say only 1 or 2 people in my age group have died from condition x in England and Wales in the year x.

When I'm really bad, I'll sit there with a calculator and figure out my odds given lots of different variables.

Is this OCD? Does anyone do similar? Please tell me I'm not alone in this

Space xxx

No not done this but going to take a look!

Ive focused on mortality rates for cancer on websites. Specifically looking at grades and age at diagnosis.