The chest scan of a patient with Covid 19 at Larrey Hospital in Toulouse, September 28, 2020. -
Tristan Reynaud / Sipa
Psychiatrist at Toulouse University Hospital, Barbara Combes discusses the case of hypochondriacs in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Between the multiple symptoms and its contagious nature, the coronavirus puts a strain on people with this pathology.
With its multiple and highly variable symptoms depending on the patient, from fever to stomach upset, coughing and loss of taste and smell, Covid-19 looks like a nightmare for hypochondriacs.
"Among the people concerned, we are really in the conditions to increase his fear of being ill, agrees Barbara Combes, psychiatrist of the Toulouse University Hospital.
Especially since we are talking about a contagious disease ... "
Before going any further, we must already agree on the term hypochondria.
Because after all, everyone can have a tendency to give excessive importance to pain that is ultimately benign.
“We do not calculate in grams per liter of hypochondria, as for diabetes or cholesterol, explains Dr. Combes.
It's the behavior that will count.
It becomes pathological when it interferes with your life, and that of your loved ones.
"
A very dark table
The divergent opinions of infectious disease specialists on the coronavirus, political decisions that are sometimes difficult to read and general uncertainty (when will the confinement end? What social and economic consequences?) Contribute to darken the picture.
"The more blurred the speech, the more general the situation - and we cannot do more general since it is global - the less there are rational explanations and the more people will imagine anything and everything for them. as for their relatives, details the specialist.
If in addition, you add situations of confinement ... For example, with a family of four in 20 square meters, without a garden, the person will be even more brought back to his own situation, or to his conflicts with the three other people.
"
Without outdoor recreation to escape, there is still TV, or the Internet and social networks ... "It's a trap, warns the Toulouse psychiatrist.
You are always going to find something that will comfort your obsession.
For a person terrified of catching Covid-19, the temptation to shut up in their house or apartment can be strong.
“In some students, we noticed a sort of dropout, with a tendency to isolate themselves in their room.
"
A unique number in Occitanie
In Occitania, people in psychological distress can listen to a unique number (05 34 39 33 47).
Since the spring and the first confinement, the medico-psychological emergency cells (CUMP) of the 13 departments of the region have indeed regrouped under the leadership of Barbara Combes.
This fall, at the end of the phone, the issues of terrorism and school bullying were added to other concerns, including the Covid necessarily.
“Many have great fears of dying, especially those who test positive,” says the regional coordinator.
The night, which falls earlier and earlier, also feeds "evening anxiety" which is sometimes unbearable.
This discomfort can result in seizures, which in some cases give the impression of not being able to breathe, as in the case of a severe form of Covid-19.
"Anxiety attacks can be very heavy, with a perception of death, and lead the person to be very out of step with reality", notes Dr Combes.
Psychological and traumatic support system by the #CUMP Occitanie.
Well done 👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/fsk8dELxxO
- Fanny Bounes (@RangueilAR) October 29, 2020
What then to do to support a hypochondriac in this particularly anxiety-provoking period?
“It is only the recognition of the suffering that allows us to help them, accompanied by the most scientific discourse possible: explaining what we know about the disease, what we do not know.
Neutral listening performed by a specialist is essential to break the vicious circle and gain distance.
Often two or three talks are enough to appease.
"
In the most acute forms, psychiatric monitoring may be required, accompanied by the taking of medication.
According to Barbara Combes, it is very difficult to quantify the number of hypochondriacs.
But, if there is not necessarily a typical profile in terms of sex or age group, an isolated person in economic difficulty will be even more vulnerable than usual in this period of extreme "non-socialization". .
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