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.
Hello! My name is Gabriella, I am 18 years old and I have been stuggling with anxiety and hypochondria for most of my life.
This post comes out of the recent relization that maybe all of these little (yet big) symptoms I expirence are not what needs to be attended to. My hypochondria need attention. So its time I stop treating my hypocondria like a silly little act others seem to become annoyed with. Because thats how people treat it. When you are comfortable with your body and know nothing is wrong, it can be easy to belittle people who fear for their lives because of very really seeming symtoms.
The beginning of my anxiety and hypochondria are both born from the same moment. I was around 12 when I had my first panic attack, which was the result of me focsuing too hard on my breathing in my bedroom one night, and within five minutes I had convinced myself that I would die in my sleep because I would stop breathing. All of a sudden, breathing was something I had to think about to do, even though my body had been breathing on its own for my whole life.
Anxiety and hypochondria have stuck with me ever since. I never seriously though about how different hypochondria was from anxiety until I felt the difference. Anxiety for me is sudden and usually about something current or something about to happen but hypochondria is a looming cloud of paralying fear that doesnt present itself like anxiety does.
For example, just recently I had an episode where I literally convinced myself I had breast cancer. Im 18 and perfectly healthy, but due to one breast being larger and an occasional discomfort, I had convinced myself within five minutes I was going to die of a rare case of teen breast cancer, and i couldnt go to college because we would need that money for medicine and surgerys. It was then i relized how serious hypochondria is. It makes every little thing seem like the first warning sign of some huge health problem and that I was sure to die, and if i didnt get it checked out, it would live in my body for year and then kill me later. All of this seems so irrational to anybody else, and its hard to communicate just how scared I can get so fast, because people just think its silly.
But here, im hoping to find people like me, people who understand that near death feeling withing seconds even if you havent been seriosuly sick before.
Hypochondria only manifested in me in recent years - I think as I got older, had a child, etc it made me realize how fragile life is, and how easily it's taken. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this at 18 years old. Just know there are others like you dealing with the same thoughts <3
It has been taking over the best of me and I feel helpless at times. But when I do, I say a prayer and just breathe in- hold for 3-4 secs and exhale. Please try it.