Do I have cancer, or are they just psychological delusions?

You wake up from sleep, you feel a pain in the head and numbness under the skin in one of the parts of your body, you jump out of your bed and go quickly to the nearest mirror, look at your face and contemplate your details, compare your eyes, perhaps the right eye looks bigger than the left eye, your doubts are raised, and you begin to worry, Does it make sense?

Is there a cancerous tumor inside my brain that is pressing on my left eye and making it smaller?

Is the tumor the reason behind the feeling of numbness under the skin and is the tumor itself the cause of the pain in the head?

You hold your phone, and start searching for symptoms through a search engine on the Internet, and when it is what you really fear, the search results tell you that you definitely have cancer and that you only have a few days left before the rest of the symptoms appear, respectively.

Well, what happens to you, happens to many people around the world, even the Swiss otolaryngologist Henrik Videgren composed a very nice and funny song entitled: Never search for your symptoms in the Google search engine, (and you can activate the Arabic translation on the video ), an indication of the prevalence of this phenomenon and this illusion of diseases that is created by the frequent search for symptoms through search engines, which will always tell you that there is something serious and incurable without realistic data about your disease and without medical examinations or pictures that make us more certain of the symptoms that we suffer from.

In this article, we try to guide you with scientific and medical steps to overcome hypochondriac disorder, and to get rid of exaggerated doubts and fears about some normal physical pain, in addition to analyzing the medical and psychological reasons that explain the cause and factors for the emergence of pathological anxiety disorder or hypochondriac disorder, and we offer you an answer With practical steps on the main question: Do I have cancer?

How do I get rid of the suspicion of having a disease?

What you should know

In the past, the term hypochondria was called, which means: illness or sadness that affects a person without a known real reason, or that it is a disease whose causes are hidden from everyone.

When all the medical examinations and x-rays indicate that the patient does not suffer from any organic defect in the functions of his body and in the places he complains about, even if the patient insists that there is a disease, then the closest medical guess is that these doubts, fears and pains are symptoms of psychological origin due to tension, anxiety or Going through difficult life circumstances such as losing a job, emotional separation or loss, the death of a relative due to an incurable or malignant disease, and other contextual triggers and difficult psychological conditions.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013, removed the term (hypochondria) for its negative connotations (2), and replaced it with two other concepts: somatic symptom disorder, and pathological anxiety disorder or what It's called a delusional disorder.

People with hypochondriacal disorder display persistent, unreasonable fear of a serious illness despite limited or no symptoms, discomfort with healthy bodily functions such as sweating, and worry about minor symptoms, interpreting them as serious illness, and exaggerating their severity.

Some may realize that their fear is unreasonable or unfounded, but they have nothing to do with it.

A person with a hypochondriacal disorder will often search his body for a sign of his suspected ailment, and for which he will constantly measure blood pressure or temperature, will search for it in search engines, and the visits to the doctor he will seek or avoid will not provide him with panic or even test results Negativity with complete reassurance, so that the affected person remains obsessed with thoughts of the disease, feeling that he is compelled to do these things to calm the anxiety he feels about his threatened health, feeling better for a short time before he begins to worry about the same symptoms or different symptoms again, and for this exact reason some researchers pick up Similarities between illness anxiety disorder in some respects and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In the case of a reviewer with hypochondriasis, the distress caused by this fear usually does not come from the physical complaints, but rather from the certainty that he or she will suffer from an incurable disease such as cancer, HIV, etc., and that the harmless physical symptoms are Indications of serious medical conditions or an impending physical health problem.

The problem is that the reviewer with delusional disorder is so nervous that his fears are psychological, that he may reject your suggestion to see a mental health professional.

Illness becomes part of the identity of the sufferer with pathological anxiety disorder, and is a common topic in their conversations.

This may cause internal frustration for him and those around him.

Even the affected person may exaggerate - for example - in sharing his health condition with others, seeking to reassure his loved ones about him, and perhaps wary of crowds, places or activities for fear of health risks.

The possibility of severe depression and even suicidal impulses increases, and patients with this disorder may even worry about their health to also worry about those around them.

This creates stresses that affect physical and mental health, putting Mr. X, for example, at risk of the following: financial hardship due to medical bills and unemployment, problems with job performance and frequent absenteeism, crises in emotional and family relationships, and finally the possibility of another health disorder mental disorders such as anxiety disorders, depression, or a personality disorder.

Why does a person develop hypochondriacal disorder?

It is estimated that between 1.3-10% of people suffer from a pathological anxiety disorder or a delusional disorder, but the exact causes of the disorder are still largely unknown, although several factors stimulate its development (3).

Life stresses may precede the onset of symptoms in some cases, and growing up in a family that is keen to protect them to an excessive extent and keeps having discussions about their health concerns is enough to exacerbate these symptoms for him.

A person is at risk of developing a delusional disorder in the event that one of his close relatives suffered from it, or was threatened by a malignant disease in his childhood that later turned out to be harmless, and perhaps one of his parents had a fatal disease.

What makes a person motivated towards pain, in addition to a difficult experience that he may have gone through, and he has diminished confidence in the medical profession - in general - and in doctors (4).

In addition, people with anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, have an increased chance of developing this disorder, and the way people with pathological anxiety disorder think about their physical symptoms can make them more likely to actually develop this condition, as the emotional reaction develops Targeting physical sensations and worrying about them starts a cycle of symptoms and anxiety, which can be difficult to stop.

However, those with a history of physical or sexual abuse are more likely to develop the disorder. This does not necessarily require that everyone who suffers from illness anxiety disorder has had a history of abuse, as illness anxiety disorder usually comes in early or middle adulthood, and may increase. It gets worse with age (6), so that the fear is mostly concentrated in older individuals of losing their memory.

What do I do to recover from pathological anxiety disorder?

• First, don't let the disorder rob you of your ability to live

A comorbid anxiety disorder is usually long-term (chronic) unless psychological factors or mood disorders are treated, as potential complications overlap that may make a person dependent on pain relievers, sedatives, depressants, or panic disorder.

Yes, you may go through periods when your health anxiety is slight or non-existent, and then it attacks you again to reach its intensity (7), here you have to take decisive steps to control it, so if fear robs you of your ability to enjoy life or represents an insurmountable obstacle, then perhaps it is time Time to consider the idea of ​​psychotherapy.

• Second: Accept that psychotherapy is the solution 

Research has found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is based on talking about your fears and anxieties and learning healthy ways to deal with them (8), helps patients identify their triggers, reduce their fears, and enhance coping strategies.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can be very effective in treating healthy anxiety because it provides you with skills that can help you manage your disorder.

This happens by identifying fears and beliefs related to healthy anxiety, learning other ways to become aware of your body by changing unhelpful thoughts, increasing your awareness of how your fears affect you and your behavior in order to deal more effectively with symptoms, anxiety and stress, stop avoiding situations and activities and check your body for signs of illness, to become aware How anxiety affects your feelings and behavior.

This is to enhance your performance in social settings and in relationships with others and to check whether you suffer from other mental disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder.

Research has also shown that other treatments can be effective for pathological anxiety disorder.

Treatment often depends on the nature and severity of the condition.

People are rarely convinced to accept treatment.

Studies report that only 30% of people with illness anxiety who are offered treatment are willing to accept it and only they are convinced that only medical treatment can help them.

People with pathological anxiety disorder tend to visit their physicians, avoiding mental health professionals for fear of hearing that their pain is delusional (9).

• Third: Consult a psychologist

Therapists teach distraction and relaxation techniques, help patients focus less on their symptoms, and talk instead about how stress, anxiety, and depression make them uncomfortable.

Therapists explain that many of the actions patients take to try to relieve anxiety often backfire, such as reading about the disease or researching it.

Reassurance is also helpful when provided by your primary care physician in the context of a thoughtful assessment of physical complaints.

Anxiety about illness is such a common phenomenon that many primary care physicians understand how to provide reassurance in a way that does not undermine the relationship. Because medical complaints may never go away, the doctor may establish a regular schedule of short appointments during which symptoms can be reviewed. This can help contain anxiety. On the other hand, anxiety may get worse if the doctor tries to limit contact and treats the patient lightly.

Physicians and therapists should take physical symptoms seriously, not perform unnecessary tests or procedures, while maintaining an attentive and respectful attitude toward medical complaints.

If your symptoms are severe, your doctor may recommend medications in addition to your other treatments.

• Fourth: Thoroughly study treatment options with your doctor 

If you are getting better with psychotherapy alone, that is a good sign, but the truth is that some cases require medication intervention, in which case your doctor may recommend medication.

Antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are often used for this condition.

Some health anxiety medications come with serious risks and side effects, so it's important to review treatment options with your doctors thoroughly (10).

• Fifth: Focus on recovery strategies

Living with illness anxiety disorder can be difficult, but certain skills can help you bounce back, such as a number of self-help strategies that people may find helpful in reducing the feeling of illness anxiety disorder.

Manage stress levels. Because stress can contribute to anxiety about illness, finding ways to relieve stress can be helpful. Deep breathing, visualization, and progressive muscle relaxation are just a few of the techniques you may find helpful in relieving stress (11).

Avoid unhelpful information.

Constantly reading scary articles online about health conditions can add to your fears.

When seeking information, look for trustworthy and reassuring sources, but avoid constant reading about health conditions or diseases.

Tools that will help you:

• Video

Psychologist Todd Grande about delusional disorder or pathological anxiety disorder

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