Hypochondria???

[Lisa2013]

Just out of curiosity how many of us thinks it's acceptable to be called hypochondriac??
IV done so much research and on the nhs website it stated we are basically hypochondriacs couldn't help myself but did make me laugh!!
IV always thought it's somebody who thinks they have illnesses constantly with no symptoms ect??!!. But in my situation I only think bad when I have symptoms for instants

Really bad Pain in breast = breast cancer
Headaches for day = brain tumour
Pain in chest =lung cancer
Lump on neck = neck cancer

List is endless but in all fairness we all have symptoms so it's not made up correct??

I don't believe it's the right word to use. It sounds so bad!! Xx

[Female healthanxiety]

Hmmmmm!

Think that word stems from many many years back and has just stuck!

People so say it like being a 'hypochondriac' is part of ones personality, but I for one know that that is not the case!

I'm a bundle of fun to be around when I don't have bouts of HA ruining my life!

We are our own worst enemy I'm afraid and it cannot be helped; our brain thinks faster then our reality!

[Fishmanpa]

Hypochondria is the medical term for someone who suffers from health anxiety. The definition is someone who worries, often obsessively, about having serious, often life threatening illnesses. No where does it say they don't experience symptoms. On the contrary, due to the relationship between HA, GAD, OCD, Depression etc. (all discussed on this website), there are often real physical symptoms associated with it. The difference is that in many cases, a simple niggle can turn into something serious in the sufferers mind, not unlike the examples in your post.

Positive thoughts

[venusbluejeans]

I think it is more a case of cyberchondria nowdays unfortunately with a lot more access to technology and self diagnosis.

Hypochondriasis or hypochondria (sometimes referred to as health phobia or health anxiety) refers to excessive preoccupancy or worry about having a serious illness. This debilitating condition is the result of an inaccurate perception of the body’s condition despite the absence of an actual medical condition.An individual suffering from hypochondriasis is known as a hypochondriac. Hypochondriacs become unduly alarmed about any physical symptoms they detect, no matter how minor the symptom may be, and are convinced that they have or are about to be diagnosed with a serious illness.

from Wikipedia

(from a non HA sufferer)

[Lin71]

Totally agree with the term Cyberchodria!

I've always been a worrier with health issues but in 'the old days' your only option was to go to the doctor and accept whatever verdict you were given. Or if you were a really committed 'hypochondriac' you could go to the library and look stuff up in medical books, but the information available was limited and really, who has the time to do that....?!

These days the information available is UNlimited....and inaccurate....and readily available just waiting to keep us up all night in a mad panic....that's the problem....!

Lin