Trying to PROTECT Yourself is Causing Your HEALTH ANXIETY | Dr. Rami Nader
Health anxiety, also known as hypochondriasis or Illness Anxiety Disorder, is associated with excessive, disproportionate worry about health that leads to a person experiencing high levels of anxiety. In previous videos, I discussed how past negative health experiences can lead to a person being at increased risk of developing health anxiety, due to a heightened sense of vulnerability. The health anxiety and heightened sense of vulnerability can lead to a person engaging in thinking patterns and behaviours to try and protect themselves and keep themselves healthy. They do this in a couple of ways. First by developing unhelpful rules and assumptions about health, health anxiety and health care system. In health anxiety, these rules and assumptions become problematic, in that they are inaccurate, rigid and inflexible. The second way that people try and protect themselves in health anxiety is to increase their sensitivity to health symptoms or health matters that they are concerned about. As a result, they pay close attention to concerning physical symptoms, which just causes the physical symptom to be experienced as more intense, reinforcing the anxiety and fear about the physical symptom itself. These factors lead to a person being at increased risk of developing health anxiety, in response to health anxiety triggers.
#Hypochondriasis #HealthAnxiety #IllnessAnxietyDisorder
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Prayers to everyone going through this.
Amen
My problem is I never know if my problems are just my health anxiety or real, I have had this problem for so long it feels hard to distinguish sometimes which is scary in itself.
That's the challenging things about health anxiety. The physical symptoms of anxiety often mimic symptoms of other conditions.
As a fellow hypochondriac, if you are confused if it just anxiety or real, 80% of the time it is just anxiety. Because if it is real, you will not be confused, you will be certain.
@@xero7077 More like 95% of the time. but we kept thinking about that 5%
I hate that 5% it's ruined my life for years
Same here health anxiety always bring us and remember worst case scenarios 😢 so frustrating
I have health anxiety. I’ve had my gallbladder removed in Feb. 2022, Endometrial polpt removed in Nov. 2022, a hysterectomy in Dec. 2022 and a breast mass/tissue Nov. 2023. I’ve been through a lot and I’m just waiting to see what’s next. Why can’t I just stay healthy? It’s worrisome and hate living this way.
Sir, I just wanted to stop by and say that I love the contents of your videos, and find them incredibly helpful. However, I wanted to especially note that I find your voice and tone very calming, as well. These almost serve as ASMR type videos, which also help my anxiety. So, these are a double benefit.
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. I'm very happy you are finding the videos helpful!
I have been watching this video every night for about a week now and its really helped me in disassociating my random body aches and chest pains from actual health issues. Its like you said, when you focus on the symptoms they amplify in intensity. For the past couple of days, the frequency of my chest aches and pains have gone down considerably and I'm finally able to pick up on what causes my anxiety to trigger to begin with. I realize that my phone usage seems to cause me a considerable amount of stress and anxiety, so im trying to limit my time on it. Thank you for this upload, I feel like im on the track to returning to my standard quality of life
I'm glad your found the video helpful. I wish you all the best in your efforts to feel better.
Were you having pain 24/7
@@tomsale5142 more than half the day everyday. I'm on anti depressants now to better control my anxiety. Chest pain and aches are very rare now
@@trillmixin6999 I've had it there in my collerbone was horrendous it's now in my armpits shoulders cracks and pops 24/7 gets worse as day goes on
@@tomsale5142 if your pains are anxiety driven you might want to see a doctor about getting put on anti depressants. Lack of serotonin can cause a lot of issues
can't wait for the new videos about health anxiety!
Half you are finding the videos helpful!
I got health anxiety from a bad bout of generalized anxiety. I was having a lot of stomach pain, which made me fearful that I would get ulcers, gastritis, and other ailments. As a result, I tried to protect my stomach using antacids and benzos. You can imagine how that turned out. Now I'm trying to throw caution to the wind and accept the stomach pain that comes with anxiety.
That’s how my health anxiety started! I was nauseous for a few weeks and then the antiacids did help me. But then developed some pelvic pain that wouldn’t go away for months so I was convinced I had a few different types of C lol. Then I got lots of gas and pain from that. It all felt like the end of the world at the time but it’s all been related to diet and anxiety, really simple explanation in hindsight. Now I get these symptoms for an hour or so from time to time but because I don’t get obsessed about them they go away almost immediately.
Thank you so much for this discussion, it's exactly what I needed to hear ❤️.
Hi Elisa, glad you found it helpful!
Simply a MASSIVE thank you 🙏
You're very welcome.
Awesome content. Clear and true. Thank you!
You're very welcome. Glad you found it helpful!
Thanks very helpful
You're very welcome!
This video is helpful. I was working downtown NYC across the street from the WTC on 9/11. I was not in the towers but was underneath the South Tower when the 2nd plane hit. I have never seen a shrink but my wife says my fight or flight is off the rails. I have extreme health anxiety and it is not getting better. Thanks for this video. It helps. As we age we get more issues that Dr. Google says could be something horrible. I expect the worse sometim
I'm glad you found it helpful and wish you all the best in your efforts to feel better.
I had mold in my apartment (moved out now) and got itchy skin. Googled it, got scared of having a skin infection. Made an apointment with my dermatologist. Dermatologist looked at it and said it's probably just an allergic reaction. However, at the time of the appointment I had a new worry: I'd stayed and showered in an air bnb two weeks earlier and noticed the soles of my feet were slightly itchy every now and then (I got really sensitive to all itching sensations after the mold trauma). So, now I'm scared of having foot fungus. The dermatologist looked at my toes and the top of my feet but not the soles and now I worry I shouldn't have mentioned it during the same appointment as an after thought. Like, what if she missed something, what if she grouped this issue together in her head as part of the allergic reaction, she didn't even look at the soles of my feet, the internet says foot fungus can also start on the soles not always between your toes... Argh.
All your videos are very helpful
That's so great to hear. I'm glad you have found them helpful!
After having a pacer implant, two catheter ablations and three cardioversions my heart issues seemed to be resolved. My issue is with air hunger. My PCP said is was probably due to a manifestation from anxiety. It comes and goes.
Looking forward to your new videos
Thanks for supporting the channel!
God bless your excellent work!
Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you have found the videos helpful.
I love the car analogy 👍🏽 I’m a jalopy - slow to start, chugs uphill but runs better with a glass or two of red wine! 😂 Thanks for your videos Dr Nader, they are helping me to adjust my thinking a lot. 🙏🏽
Another great video, can you make one about how to stop overthinking or what to do with it?
Hi Negan - I'll add that to my list of future videos. I have some videos coming up that address some of this.
@@DrRamiNader thank you
It seems like there’s a lot of info is great. But what is the solution? How do we heal?
I’ve been having severe health anxiety all week. This video helped a lot. Thank you
You're welcome!
How long you have severe anxeity?
For yrs I had unexplained issues. I thought I was crazy. It started my health anxiety. But I was not crazy, but it started my health anxiety journey. I contracted hep c in 1982 from a blood transfusion. It played havoc with my body. Hep c was given a name in 1989 and I was diagnosed in 1999. 2020 I did treatment with mavyret to rid my body of hep c. But I have issues, but I still stress. Now I am on strong antibiotics for chronic ear issues. The antibiotics are maki g me sick. So health anxiety is my friend today. So tired of this.
My body always creates symptoms nonstop and it was different body parts and it makes me believe like something wrong with my body I’m in this cycle for 6 years 😩😩😩😩
LITERALLY watched this because I almost went to get checked for throat cancer. Then you mention “throat cancer” in the video and I’m like “this is a sign I shouldn’t have cancelled the appointment” 😭😭😭
Same
I've been experiencing fatigue for the last couple of months so I decided to check my iron panel in private lab as that was always just below normal or low normal. I got my results back and my transferrin saturation is 50% but I don't have HFE genes for hemochromatosis. I can't stop researching about potential cause other than hemochromatosis and don't want to go to doctor because I am trying to prove them I am not hypochondriac.... How do I fight this feeling when I have values suggesting that something is off?
enjoy your video's
Glad you find them useful!
100%. It’s a pitty..but that’s true
Help i am overwhelmed i have every anxiety there is my world has swinking
It makes me sad because you basically described me in this video. But, i almost think i sound crazy at this point. I don’t really know how to fix it and it’s draining.
Hi Carissa - I'll be posting more videos on how to manage symptoms of health anxiety, so please keep an eye out for those.
@@DrRamiNader will do, thank you!
👍
This is what's happening to me. Morning, after I wake up I feel refreshed and have no weird feelings/numbness/heart beating fast, then I will get up to drink water and my brain will ask me what happened to those sensations you've been feeling before you go to sleep? Slowly but surely I'll start feeling numbness in my jaw, my heart will raise again, ill be checking for lumps. I'll fight all these thoughts with all my brain might, and symptoms will disappear for a while. I'll go for a long jog and I'll feel nice after that. After the jog i'll prepare breakfast for my wife and me. While cooking, health anxiety thoughts will start creeping in again then i'll start feeling different symptoms again. Symptoms I feel depend on what my brain is telling me, sometimes my brain will ask me, what happened to your swollen salivary gland and then ill start checking lumps on my neck, I'll try to calm myself down through deep breathing. Its a constant battle for me. I trade the stock market ( trading is so stressful enough to begin with) so i need to do my due diligence on whats happening on the market, I'll be reading negative news that can also trigger my health anxiety. I'm battling this health anxiety the whole day till i go to sleep and its very exhausting.
A quick comment from someone who has had anxiety on and off for a long time. Think like this: If my symptoms change during the day, either in intensity or in nature, what's the probability that that's anxiety or an actual underlying issue? For example, why would you have a brain tumor in the morning, but not when sitting in the car (as an example if that distracts you)? Think about that
I agree with you 100% with this approach. In fact, I did a video, explaining this exact thing in the context of panic attacks: kzhead.info/sun/hZahhKWyaJyDrGw/bejne.html
My problem is high blood pressure- I struggled with fear of having high blood pressure because my grandmother had a massive stroke at 59. The problem is every time I take my blood pressure, at the doctor’s office or at home, my pulse starts racing so of course I get a high reading! I am 5’5 and weigh 125-126 lbs. I power walk three miles 5 days a week. When I finally calm down my blood pressure goes down as well. Unfortunately my dr put me on blood pressure medicine. Anxiety is the issue! I would take my blood pressure everyday which only contributed to the anxiety. My husband finally hid the blood pressure monitor from me. This makes me more anxious!! But I have to Realize that realistically the high readings are due to anxiety- my resting heart rate is between 65-76. When I take my blood pressure it will go as high as 126!!
Same issue. I’m still taking meds until now since January.
Omg ,that's me,my brain 😢
95% its anx but 5% is ohr brain telling us its not anxiety
I relate and understand what you are saying regarding health anxiety. How do we stop the cycle and get out of the rabbit hole ?
Thanks for your comment. This is just one in a series of videos I'm doing on health anxiety, so please keep an eye out for future videos discussing tools for managing health anxiety.
Yes how do you treat it? What are we suppose to do?
Hi Tina - cognitive behavioral therapy is based on developing a new understanding of the problem a person is experiencing. So these videos are explaining the model and basis for why health anxiety happens - this information is the foundation that future videos will build on when I discuss tools to manage health anxiety. But those tools don't make sense without an understanding of the underlying problem.
@@DrRamiNader great. When will those videos come about how to manage? I need it soon. I like the part you said about why a person with a diagnosis need to know what something that may potentially happen in the future. I always struggle with that. A normal person can know and be ok about it. But a person with health anxiety that know something might happen will be hyperfocus on it. The question is what is a person with health anxiety suppose to do? To know or not to know? This is very tricky.
Hi Tina - I don't know exactly when they will come out, as I have a number of videos that I am working on and in cue, so I hope to get them out in the next few months or so.
I felt some symptoms that were real and were not improving.. i checked with 4 drs and they related it to anxiety.. i kept googling symptoms until i assumed a disease and did the lab test and it came back positive. I went to the family dr and he was embarrassed.. he gave me the medication but the symptoms were bk again.. he related them to anxiety.. i started checking many drs until a dr was able to confirm a relapse and gave the right medication.. now am in a terrible situation.. super health anxious with no trust to drs. Am not sure if medication will have good results.. i keep going to the clinic to give me extra doses.. but he says no.. there is no point. Am really stuck
How are you now
so what your saying is complexly ture. with anxiety it's asking your body to give it a break from all the stress and worry. however, everyone worries and then oveerthinks their worries, which in turn makes the sinuation worse. read a book by paul david called at last a life. you will never look back i promise you.
How do I treat my hyper sensitivity?
Hypersensitivity to what exactly?
@@DrRamiNader Body sensations like muscle pain, dizziness, tingling sensations
There's no way to provide an answer to this question, as there are lots of potential causes of those symptoms. So without knowing more about a person's medical condition, there is no obvious answer. And obviously, I can't do an assessment or provide individual specific information online.
@@DrRamiNader Hi Rami, I understand thank you for your reply.
@@marcuspenney How are you now with muscle pain
Does this work for paying child support payments?? If I don't think about child support payments then I won't have to pay
SIR. I AM ONLY 18 I HAVE GERD AND I AM WORRIED ABOUT THAT IT CAUSES ESOPHAGEAL CANCER MY DR. SAYS TO RELAX I HAVE ALSO SHOWN TOA GASTROENTEROLOGIST HE GAVE ME A MEDICATION FOR 1 MONTH AND SAYS IF IT NOT WORKS WE WILL OPT FOR ENDOSCOPY AND I AM VERY ANXIOUS ABOUT IT...
How r u now
I'm 18 & i thought that I have ED (Erectile Dysfunction) as i watched porn excessively.
I found it useful for sure but what’s the solution 🙄
This is part of a multi-part video series on health anxiety. These videos are the foundational understanding that the interventions I'll be discussing in future videos are built on.