In health anxiety or hypochondriasis, a person usually has a number of factors that predispose them to developing health anxiety. Things like negative past experiences with health, leading to inflexible or inaccurate health rules or assumptions that predispose a person to develop health anxiety or hypochondriasis. This predisposition to health anxiety or hypochondriasis lays dormant in a person until their health anxiety gets triggered. There are two main types of health anxiety triggers: internal triggers, things like noticing a change in heart rate, ringing in your ears, stomach distress, fluctuations in energy level; and external triggers, things like hearing about someone who is been diagnosed with a serious illness, news stories about various diseases, having an upcoming medical appointment. Internal and external triggers can work together to ignite the underlying, dormant hypochondriasis, resulting in a massive increase in worry and anxiety about health. This is how health anxiety or hypochondriasis gets triggered. Future videos will explore factors that maintain high levels of hypochondriasis and worries about health.

#Hypochondriasis #HealthAnxiety #IllnessAnxietyDisorder

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Treating Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal reaction to danger or fear, but if it is too much and makes you feel bad all the time, that could be an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders can be treated with a combination of medication and counselling. Your doctor will be able to diagnose you and decide on the most appropriate treatment for you. They will look at how long you have had symptoms, how intense they are, and how they are affecting your daily life.

Your doctor will also take your medical history to find out if you have any underlying health conditions or other disorders that might be causing your anxiety. If they think you have an underlying condition, they will refer you to a health specialist. This might include a psychiatrist or a psychologist.

The cause of anxiety is unclear, but it can be related to genes and temperament, or it can be caused by a person’s experiences. Loss, serious illness, death of a loved one, violence, abuse or stressful life events can all trigger anxiety in some people.

Brain chemistry may play a role in some anxiety disorders. Symptoms are often due to a shortage of certain brain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) that regulate mood and behavior. If you have an anxiety disorder, you may be unable to produce these neurotransmitters, or they are not in good balance with other chemicals in your brain.

Anxiety is also influenced by your environment and how you react to it. Things like being around people who are ill, being afraid of the dark or speaking in public can make you anxious. Taking part in activities that you enjoy can help to reduce your anxiety.

Managing your symptoms by cutting down on caffeine and alcohol can help too. These substances can make you feel worse, and can also disrupt your sleep. They can also lead to weight gain and other problems, which can also make your anxiety worse.

Exercise is another way to treat your symptoms. Brisk aerobic exercises such as jogging and biking help release brain chemicals that cut stress and improve your mood.

Biofeedback is another treatment that can help. It involves using an instrument to monitor your brain waves and teaching you how to change them. This teaches you to control your mental activity, so you can get more relaxed at will.

Talking to your doctor is the best way to start treatment for anxiety. They can give you advice about medication, counselling and other therapies that can help.

There are many types of medications that can help to reduce the symptoms of anxiety. The most common are antidepressants. They include fluoxetine (known as Prozac), paroxetine (known as Paxil), sertraline (known as Zoloft), fluvoxamine (known as Luvox) and citalopram (known as Celexa).

These medicines are usually the first line of treatment for both anxiety and depression. They can be taken regularly, or as needed, and are often taken with other medicines to help manage your symptoms.