When I worked as a therapist I would see many different clients with a variety of issues. One in particular was a woman who had hypochondria. A hypochondrium is a mental disorder where the person always thinks there is something wrong with their health. There are actually many people in society with hypochondria but it remains unnoticeable since health issues can be seen as something natural. So many people don’t know they are talking to someone who has hypochondria. I am going to share with you what are some typical behaviors a hypochondriac displays, how this disorder can have a negative effect on their life, treatment approaches for a hypochondriac and what people who are around someone who has hypochondria can do.
The behaviors of a hypochondriac can vary somewhat but in all cases the concern is over health. The woman who I was seeing had an extreme case of hypochondria. She would always complain about a variety of health issues. During our sessions she would tell me during the week she had a constant headache, felt nauseas and had pains run through her left arm. She was convinced that any day now she would be getting a heart attack. She also believed that she had cancer and that the medical professions didn’t diagnose her correctly. She would tell me she knows she has cancer because she has been losing weight drastically, feels fatigue most of the time and many times has been close to vomiting. She goes to the doctor a few times a week and makes frequent phone calls to her doctor. She has been doing this for a couple of years. Her doctor has given her a variety of tests but nothing has ever been found. Her doctor finally recommended that she see a therapist for the physically problems she has been having.
My client’s hypochondria have had a very negative impact on her life. It has affected her relationship with friends, family, coworkers and the medical professionals. For a long time friends and family would cater to her and help out as best they could. For example, they would take her to the doctor, cook for her and run her errands. It took a great toll of many people. Then eventually they stopped believing she has any health problems with the doctor continuously confirming that nothing was wrong with her health. She has also been fired from a couple of different jobs. She would call in sick frequently and complain at work that she wasn’t feeling very well. Her performance at work was poor and not up to standards so they would fire her. The medical professionals are fed up. It has been a waste of their time and energy in trying to find what is wrong with her. In the long run her mental disorder has caused her to feel stressed, anxious, frustrated, lonely and depressed.
Treating a hypochondriac can be challenging. There really isn’t a medication or a cure all treatment approach for this disorder. I have used cognitive behavioral therapy to help her. I have worked with challenging her on what her symptoms mean and how it is affecting her relationships with others. I have worked with her on focusing on other things in life other than her health. A psychiatrist who sees a hypochondriac may use the same approach but also recommend an antidepressant drug to help with the depression. She did improve somewhat when I was seeing her and how she is doing today I am not sure.
For friends and family members who know someone who has hypochondria one of the best things you can do is to accept them for who they are. They have a mental disorder and need help. You can discourage them from continuously make a visit to the doctors office and encourage them to seek help. Avoid falling for their complaints of health issues and instead preoccupy them with other activities and talk to them about other fun topics. Such a supportive approach will help reduce their ongoing concerns with their health and at the same time feel loved.
