In a society where health information is numerous and often alarmist, attention to one’s well-being can become an obsession. L’hypochondria is a condition of discomfort characterized by a excessive concern about having or possibly developing a disease.
Those who suffer from it interpret in an amplified way new physical sensations or bodily signals, which are read as pathological. From here, an alarm condition is triggered which it creates states of anxiety which can come to compromise the quality of life, even in the case of adequate medical reassurance. Hypochondriacs are often seen as people who seek attention, but in reality for many of them the pathology has an important emotional cost.
Hypochondria: the causes
“It usually develops in young adults, around 18-20 years of age. Among the factors involved, the genetics: anxiety disorders or other psychiatric pathologies tend to recur in the families of these patients. Also experiences of major illnesseswith exposure to the concept of danger or even death, can be a triggering factor», he intervenes Paula Mosinipsychologist and psychotherapist of Humanitas Psico Medical Care.
«Another component can be represented by others stressful events not necessarily related to the disease, such as trauma or abuse. Finally there is thesocial learning: if you have an anxious parent, who sees danger everywhere, this can be absorbed as a vision first by the child and then by the adult».
Various levels of awareness
«In hypochondriac patients they exist various levels of awareness: it can be high in those who are able to reduce and play down their anxieties, or very low, when a person is convinced they are in danger. In this case, the idea of having something bad is triggered, even if it is a common sore throat», says Mosini. «The patient goes to the doctor, ask to do unnecessary tests, is never satisfied with the doctor’s answer or even with the reports with negative results. A pathological doubt creeps into them that he always needs confirmation.’
Hypochondriasis: how to cure it
«There are people with a non-serious picture who live with hypochondria without consulting a specialist. However, their symptoms rarely resolve on their own: they may have periods of well-being, but a slight adverse event is enough to trigger the symptoms. The most serious patients, on the other hand, need to psychological paths, psychotherapysometimes accompanied by pharmacological therapy when there are significant levels of anxiety», concludes the specialist.
The administration of certain drugs, such as serotoninergici and in some cases also benzodiazepinecan help counteract the insecurity and distress of the symptoms.