Hypochondria
After obsessively Googling symptoms for four hours, I discovered 'obsessively Googling symptoms' is a symptom of hypochondria - Stephen Colbert
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Hypochondria: An Inside Look
WHEN The New York Times called, inquiring if I might pen a few words “from the horse’s mouth” about hypochondria, I confess I was taken aback. What light could I possibly shed on this type of crackpot behavior since, contrary to popular belief, I am not a hypochondriac but a totally different genus of crackpot?
What I am is an alarmist, which is in the same ballpark as the hypochondriac or, should I say, the same emergency room. Still there is a fundamental difference. I don’t experience imaginary maladies — my maladies are real.
What distinguishes my hysteria is that at the appearance of the mildest symptom, let’s say chapped lips, I instantly leap to the conclusion that…
Resources
A New Approach to Treating Hypochondria
Instead of focusing on patients’ unexplained symptoms, cognitive behavioral therapy encourages patients to replace unrealistic or unhelpful thoughts with more rational ideas.
The Worst Patients in the World
Americans are hypochondriacs, yet we skip our checkups. We demand drugs we don’t need, and fail to take the ones we do. No wonder the U.S. leads the world in health spending.
Cyberchondria: The Good, The Bad, and The Neurotic Side of Internet Diagnosis
IN TYPICAL GEEKMOM fashion when someone in the family gets sick, I hit my favorite medical sites to diagnose their illness. Sometimes this helps us avoid an expensive trip to the doctor and other times it causes us to make an appointment. Since I am a bit of a hypochondriac and have just enough medical knowledge to be dangerous, I usually jump to the worst possible disease that even remotely matches the given symptoms. I just recently diagnosed myself as a cyberchondriac, but I digress.
The Hypochondriac's Guide to Which New Killer Disease Will Kill You
If you're already afraid of humans in the same room as you, here's how to responsibly freak out on the viral news — about the SARS cousin, the Chinese bird flu, and now wild polio in Somalia — before it goes viral in the wrong way.
14 gifts for the hypochondriac in your life
From my disease-fearing brain to yours.
20 Struggles Of Being A Hypochondriac
I know a bunch of other people can relate to this ridiculousness. It's actually pretty comforting to know that I'm not alone in this. So here are 20 struggles of being a hypochondriac.
Could Your Kids Inherit Your Hypochondria?
The likelihood appears to be higher if at least one parent has anxiety.
Dear worried well, the internet is not your friend
A twitching eyelid is usually a sign that you’ve had too much caffeine, or not enough sleep; however, some websites will also tell you that it’s an early sign of multiple sclerosis. While some people find it easy to compartmentalise this type of information and prevent it from becoming a cause for concern, for others worrying thoughts can be difficult to control, leading to increasing levels of anxiety.
Evolution and Angst: Charles Darwin Was a Worrier
The intrepid explorer and scientific maverick appears to have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks.
Google Wants to Help You Research Medical Symptoms Without Activating Your Hypochondria
The good news here is that by showing off an array of possibilities Google will now be less likely to lead patients directly to cancer—or whatever other worst-case scenario the algorithms would have prodded you toward in the past. With Knowledge Graph, you should immediately see a wider range of possibilities, making it a little harder to immediately assume the worst. It’s also a promising development for beleaguered physicians tired of panicked patients bringing in reams of inaccurate information to the consultation room.
Grieving Made Me a Hypochondriac
There was a link between my imagined illness and my very real loss.
Growing Pains Created A Hypochondriac: Cure It With Laughter
I spent much of my life unnecessarily worrying over my health, spending hours on WebMD, and the mayo clinic self-diagnosing every little bump, bruise, lump or ache.
Health anxiety: What hypochondriasis really should be called
I never actually use the term “hypochondriasis,” mainly because it’s not particularly useful. These individuals have a real disorder: It’s just not physical. It’s also known as “health anxiety”, a term I swear I came up with on my own, completely independently from Wikipedia. Because that’s what it is: an anxiety disorder.
How Being A Hypochondriac Can Help Make You Rich
If you’re a self-admitted hypochondriac, the way to get rich is to channel your health anxiety into significant money making activities as more than a few self-made millionaires have done. If you become obsessed with researching your conditions, then your time and energies will be all expended doing so.
How Hypochondriacs Say ‘I Love You’
The evening I convinced my boyfriend that he had leprosy defined a moment in our relationship that I can best describe as glorious. Leprosy represented a gold medal in my lifelong pentathlon of hypochondria, and I had never been remotely close to it before. A little-known fact about hypochondriacs is that we don’t just tell ourselves that we have food allergies, epilepsy and alien hand syndrome (yes, it’s a thing). We are happy to persuade others they do, too.
Hypochondriacs May Worry Themselves Sick (Literally)
Heads up, hypochondriacs: In case constant worry about your health wasn’t bad enough, a recent study shows fretting may put you at a greater risk for illness.
I Heard Your Doctor Is a Hypochondriac
Hey, I heard your doctor is a hypochondriac. He is a friend of a friend of mine, so I happen to know this as an unquestionable fact. I thought you should know.
Internal Affairs: On Hypochondria
It takes no small amount of ingenuity to extrapolate from Have I forgotten my iPhone again? to I must have Alzheimer’s, but we are always ready for disaster, if never quite ready enough.
It Must Be Cancer: How I Came To Terms With My Hypochondria
Hypochondria, you see, is like a dementor — those soul-sucking creatures from the Harry Potter books. It sucks not my soul, but every ounce of rationality, every ounce of sanity out of me, leaving only sheer panic. It takes my self-respect with it too. What kind of 23-year-old is reduced to hysteria by a minor ache?
Listen up hypochondriacs, how do you want to be remembered?
We all worry about our health from time to time, at least to some degree, but some people worry excessively about catastrophic consequences of seemingly benign symptoms. They’re known as hypochondriacs.
Me, my brain and hypochondria: is fear of illness a problem or a curious blessing?
There is no simple answer as understanding mental health can be a complex process — but an exploration of culture, history and how the brain works is a start.
The Hypochondriac's Guide to Which New Killer Disease Will Kill You
If you're already afraid of humans in the same room as you, here's how to responsibly freak out on the viral news — about the SARS cousin, the Chinese bird flu, and now wild polio in Somalia — before it goes viral in the wrong way.
The Psychology of Irrational Fear
Why we're more afraid of sharks than car accidents, and of Ebola than flu.
The truth about WebMD, a hypochondriac's nightmare and Big Pharma's dream
WebMD is the most popular source of health information in the US, and is likely to dominate your Google search results for almost any medical question you have. According to its editorial policy, WebMD promises to empower patients and health professionals with "objective, trustworthy, and accurate health information." But is WebMD actually trustworthy?
When It's All in Their Heads
Hypochondria deserves as much respect as any other ailment, these physician-bloggers say, because there’s underlying anxiety at work.
Hypochondria: An Inside Look
The point is, I am always certain I’ve come down with something life threatening. It matters little that few people are ever found dead of chapped lips.
Hypochondria Support Group
Hypochondria refers to excessive worry about having a serious illness. Hypochondria is often characterized by fears that minor bodily symptoms may indicate a serious illness, constant self-examination and self-diagnosis, and a preoccupation with one's body. Many individuals with hypochondriasis express doubt and disbelief in the doctors' diagnosis.
Doctors Could Use a Little Hypochondria
Why medical students panic too much and M.D.s too little.
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