6 Misconceptions People With Health Anxiety Have

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Health anxiety is a term that combines two disorders from the DSM-5: somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder. Previous versions of the DSM called it hypochondriasis. And from this term came the pejorative label, hypochondriac.

People with health anxiety obsess over bodily functions like breathing or their heartbeat; physical imperfections like skin blemishes; or physical complaints like headaches, stomachaches, and lightheadedness. When you have health anxiety, you catastrophize even minor things. In this video, I discuss some of the common misconceptions or distorted beliefs that you can have with health anxiety.

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Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[Caringsoul]

Health anxiety is a whole lot harder when you have to go through it all alone. If you have support through it that's great but for those who goes through it alone, i feel you 💯 😢

[heavenlycute]

My biggest fear is that I will one day learn to ignore my health anxiety and immediately get ill 😔

[dodgdurango]

You know it’s bad when you’re so scared and convinced that you don’t do any research because it’ll scare you more

[goldencatcyrielle]

Crying felt so good after days of anxiety. Cry when you need to, people.

[Oilyoxygen]

Having fallen in to a Health Anxiety hole recently, this video helped a lot- I couldn't help but laugh at how accurately this described everything I was doing and thinking.

[__MPires__]

Its kinda crazy how many people are ignorant to this mental issue in the comments.
Thank you for the video. Health anxiety is a living hell. And only people that actually have it, know what it feels like.
Hang in there, eventually you'll come to terms with it and accept it. And you can finally start to live life.

[wildfirevivi]

You have managed to break me out of a massive hypochondria anxiety episode within the first five minutes of this video, thank you.

[serenity]

I think you missed the other side of Health Anxiety - the avoidance of tests, avoiding doctors avoiding anything to do with medical conditions and a deterioration of health. Also it can grow arms and legs.... fear of taking pills, fear of blood tests etc., etc.,

[emilymulvihill]

I have health anxiety. Recently I was massively triggered by finding a lump in my breast while feeding my newborn - especially bc my mother died from breast cancer years ago. The lump turned out to just be a cyst but the anxiety it causes me is *debilitating*. I am CONVINCED the Dr missed something and obsess over ever little sensation I feel now. I frequently have spiralling worries about “not being my own advocate” and demanding more tests. It is unbelievably difficult.

If you struggle with health anxiety too -you aren’t alone!

[mooselove]

I think a big part of this comes from seeing docs who didn’t even look up from their keyboard, didn’t touch the person, didn’t get blood tests. I felt like I was going crazy asking dr about my symptoms and kept getting drs that said “anxiety”. Finally saw a woman at the clinic one day who ran tests and found I have health issues- nothing major but they need management.

Medical gaslighting is very real and more common than this disorder

[jztmhgx]

Seeing or hearing hearing of someone, but say battling cancer automatically makes me think that I will go through the same thing. My anxieties up for days and I assume that every aching pain I have will end up malignant. I constantly think about those people and what they may be feeling during their treatment and that they are missing out on life. I think that is my biggest fear is missing out on life.

[jl]

I have so much respect for phychiatrist and doctors who make medications for mental health and treat people you guys saved my life my jobs, my relationships, my family and everything, i know this is a anxiety video but just wanted to give a shoutout to people like you

[politereminder]

I was _misdiagnosed_ with health anxiety together with school refusal as a child.

This pissed off my African parents who then ignored or punished me whenever I expressed health concerns after that misdiagnosis.

My darling father only spanked me _once_ in my life. It was for being too sick to go to school. 😭😭😭😭 Turns out, I had a VERY REAL illness – a severe case for Fibromyalgia by age 9.

When I turned 18, I sought diagnosis for myself , which I got at age 22.

Many years later, My mother still thinks the "school refusal" diagnosis is a hilarious story to tell to anyone and everyone 🙄 (she's kinda narcissistic, so publicly putting down her kids is a pastime 🤷‍♀️)

This brought tears to my eyes just now. 😔

[AntonioDal.]

Although I believe in health anxiety in some cases, it is also used as an excuse by some doctors to get rid of complex/difficult patients or as a way to compensate for the lack of clinical reasoning or knowledge. If a test doesnt find a physical cause for a symptom, saying that it’s psychological is also a false ilness belief derived from ‘argument from ignorance’.

[johnmoore]

Here's what I find very detrimental to my mental health and health anxiety: we are bombarded by drug commercials and health awareness messages on tv. It's like someone constantly at your elbow telling you you may be ill. Wish the U.S. would ban drug commercials as most countries do.

[hearthrawb]

Been dealing with this heart anxiety for 5 years now. Can be difficult from all aspects of my life but I know there's a way out and it's our ticket to living a long and fulfilling life. I don't personally know any one of you but I feel connected each and every one of you because of this. I empathize with all of you and I know it's not easy but rest assured this can be managed and we can life strong enduring lives. Cheers to life!

[SweetAngelBoy]

It's interesting looking back on the time when I didn't know what health anxiety was. I remember wondering "what the hell does that even mean?" And surely enough after suffering from my first panic attack, this is EXACTLY what happened to me!

I immediately became a hypochondriac, I also suffer from extreme paranoia, I was never like this before so this whole thing is very much new to me. But what a strange thing to suffer from though... I panic everyday, and my mind is never at ease. And my body is constantly drowning in this dark sea. No matter how normal I might seem to some people, they don't know what's in my mind and how my brain thinks... the constant catastrophizing. And truly awful symptoms that comes with it is an absolute hell on earth!

[pebbleinyoshoe]

I have health anxiety - I’m scared all the time, past few weeks I’ve just come to terms we all die - I’ll die but until I do being anxious is just my life. So I’ll live my life and die when I do.

[mia]

I feel that people need to believe in themselves more, everyday tell yourself that your body is amazing, you trust that it functions very well to support everything you need, you take a moment to appreciate your body every day.
You can breath, you can run you can jump, you can think and you can talk!! There is a million of things to be appreciated, your heart is working SO HARD to keep you alive and you should NOT waste time to doubt its function.

And your anxiety of sickness will be gone forever.

[TheWorstThingEver]

When I was a senior in high school, I went through a period of months where I obsessed about my heartbeat. I went to the emergency room one night, thinking I was having a heart attack. The doc did some tests and said, "There is nothing physically wrong with you." A follow up EKG was also normal. I realized all of it was in my head. I took up video games because when I was gaming, I wouldn't think about the health stuff. That was more than 20 years ago. I still game to this day, just to distract myself from whatever I might otherwise be obsessed with.