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When your fear is embodied in the form of constant panic about the possibility of contracting a certain disease, especially the type of chronic disease that haunts you with an obsession that you may fall victim to it, this is what is called disease phobia or disease phobia, which falls within the types of disorders facing the individual, such that he has fears of a specific thing, while Some people have a phobia of heights, sights of blood, or being held in tight, closed spaces without air outlet. We have discussed the different forms of phobia in one of the previous articles, and we will devote our next article to talking about the phobia of fear of disease.
Phobia: Fear of disease
Phobia: Fear of disease
Perhaps the main sign indicating that a person suffers from this type of disorder, which is known as hypochondria according to psychiatric terminology, is represented by obsession or delusion of illness, which falls within the psychological conditions, or more precisely, delusional disease syndromes that cause a feeling of anxiety mixed with intense fears that the body will suffer serious health problems. It is prevalent and this is what puts patients in a state of constant distraction, immersed in illusions that make their lives turn into hell. At the same time, this is contrary to the truth proven by medical examinations that the person is healthy and does not suffer from any diseases.
When a person infiltrates a persistent feeling of chronic anxiety about the nature of the health condition. In the following lines, we will discuss a group of the most common symptoms that occur to people indicating that they suffer from delusional disorder.
Symptoms of phobia Fear of disease
Symptoms of disease phobia
Many mental health experts and specialists agree that the syndrome of fear of illness is one of the serious mental and psychological disorders that not only makes the person suffer from fears, but also includes symptoms of obsession, as there are severe difficulties in convincing him that his belief is wrong and that he is not sick at all. It may also reach the point of denying all the doctors’ claims that are confirmed by the analysis that he is not sick, and he also experiences all the symptoms and conditions of the disease despite not suffering from it. The main signs of the phobia of illness are as follows:
- Continuous feelings of increasing anxiety, which is a common feature among all those suffering from disease phobia, and is evident through constant fear for one’s health and the absolute certainty that one has a chronic disease that is difficult to treat.
- The constant desire to visit doctors frequently as a result of his feeling an urgent need to feel reassured and undergo medical examinations at close intervals.
- Conducting general and comprehensive tests of the entire body, as he is possessed by a type of severe obsession that pushes him to examine his body to look for any noticeable warning signs indicating that he has a certain disease such as cancer.
- Of course, the effect of this disorder will affect the person’s lifestyle, causing him to avoid practicing the usual daily routine activities or staying away from certain places due to his internal belief that it is one of the main causes of his illness.
- Another risk factor associated with the phobia of fear of illness is the impact it has on the individual’s work and social relationships with other people, which makes them weak and listless.
Possible causes of phobia: fear of illness
There are many reasons why a person may feel anxious and fear that his headache is an indication of a brain tumor, including:
- It may be due to genetic genes that are the reason for this occurrence, as the genetic factor interferes with the person’s suffering from anxiety disorders, which also includes phobias.
- The person went through harsh personal experiences earlier that had a direct impact on the development of this type of phobia in the person, such as previous suffering from a chronic disease that remained with the person for a long time, or the death of a loved one after a very difficult medical tragedy.
- Intense exposure to types of medical information feeds the individual’s inner feelings and even increases levels of anxiety mixed with fears of the possibility of contracting the disease.
- Psychological disorders: There is a close relationship between the phobia of fear of illness and a number of famous psychological disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder and severe depression.
Ways to treat phobia of fear of disease
Ways to treat phobia of fear of disease
The treatment phase primarily aims to control the degree of exacerbation of symptoms, and psychotherapy is often the primary treatment option when the doctor decides to add drug treatments. One of the most common methods used is
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)It is one of the most recommended forms of psychological treatment by the doctor as a form of influence on the thoughts and complexes that the person carries, which contributes to revealing and identifying the negative thoughts inside the individual’s mind that stimulate his feelings of anxiety in an attempt to replace them with other, more positive thoughts. It is also based on the mechanism of gradually exposing the patient to various situations. And the types of thoughts that cause anxiety and stress with the aim of reducing them
– Pharmacological treatments Which can be prescribed by a doctor if necessary. The categories of medications used include anti-anxiety medications in addition to anti-depressant medications that are useful for controlling acute cases of the disease, so they must be based on a medical prescription.
– Educate Self Due to the nature of the phobia, it is important for the person to have sufficient knowledge of this type of phobia and the best ways to deal with it, so that he is aware of the methods of managing it.
Experience enhanced relaxation techniques that calm the nerves and combat stress, including yoga, outdoor meditation, and deep breathing to combat high levels of stress.
