A hypochondriac is someone who lives in constant worry of having a significant but undetected medical disease, despite the fact that diagnostic testing reveals nothing is wrong with them. Hypochondriacs suffer intense anxiety as a result of biological reactions that other people take for granted. For example, people may believe that something as simple as a sneeze indicates the presence of a terrible sickness.
Hypochondria is a mental health condition. It frequently appears in early adulthood and may appear after the individual or someone they know has been unwell or has lost someone to a major medical condition. A co-occurring mental disease, such as panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or serious depression, affects almost two-thirds of hypochondriacs. The symptoms of hypochondria might vary based on factors such as stress, age, and if the person is already a chronic worrier.
Annually, hypochondria accounts for around 5% of all outpatient medical treatment. Every year, about 200,000 people are diagnosed with health anxiety (also known as sickness anxiety disorder).
Among the hypochondriac symptoms are:
- monitoring yourself for any signs of disease on a regular basis
- Fearful that everything from a runny nose to a grumble in their stomach is an indication of a catastrophic disease
- Visiting their doctor on a regular basis
- Alternatively, avoiding the doctor out of concern that the doctor would discover they have a terrible ailment or catastrophic illness.
- exaggerating their concerns about their health
- Spending a significant amount of time online studying their symptoms
- May concentrate on a single topic, such as a certain ailment (for example, cancer) or a specific bodily component (example: the lungs if they cough). Or, they may fear any sickness or get obsessed with a trending disease (for example, during flu season, they may believe that a sniffle implies they're going to get the flu).
- If they are not persuaded that their negative medical tests are accurate, they may be concerned that they have something undetected and that no one will be able to identify and cure them.
- Avoiding individuals or places they are afraid of may cause them to become ill.
Because the individual may have stomachaches, dizziness, or discomfort as a result of their overpowering anxiety, health anxiety can have its own set of symptoms. In fact, sickness anxiety may take over a hypochondriac's life to the point that worrying and living in fear become so stressful that the individual becomes incapacitated.
You might be asking what causes hypochondria. Although there is no one reason, we do know that persons who suffer from sickness anxiety are more likely to have a family member who is also a hypochondriac. A person suffering from health anxiety may have been through a terrible sickness and is afraid that their negative experience may be repeated. They may be experiencing significant life stress or having suffered from a terrible illness as a youngster. Alternatively, they may already be suffering from a mental health illness, and their hypochondria is contributing to it.
Essential Oil for Hypochondria Management
Aromatherapy for anxiety uses essential oils extracted from plants such as flowers, leaves, seeds, fruits, and roots. There are physiological repercussions when these oils are breathed or absorbed via the skin.
If you suffer from social anxiety disorder (SAD), you might think about utilizing essential oils to help you relax.
- Basil:nervine, for nervous tension, panic, depression
- Bergamot: sedative, for nervous tension, anxiety, insomnia, depression
- Cedarwood:sedative, for anxiety
- Chamomile: sedative, nervine, for nervous tension, anxiety, insomnia, depression
- Clary sage: sedative, nervine, for nervous tension, panic, depression
- Geranium: nervine, for anxiety, depression
- Grapefruit: for depression
- Helichrysum: sedative, for panic, depression
- Frankincense: sedative, for anxiety
- Jasmine: sedative, for self-esteem, depression
- Lavender: sedative, nervine, for panic, insomnia, depression
- Lemongrass: for depression
- Mandarin: sedative, for anxiety, depression
- Marjoram: sedative, nervine, for anxiety, insomnia
- Neroli: sedative, for anxiety, panic, insomnia, self-esteem, depression
- Orange: sedative, for nervous tension, insomnia, depression
- Patchouli: for depression
- Peppermint:nervine, for panic, depression
- Petitgrain: sedative, for panic, insomnia, depression
- Rose: sedative, for nervous tension, self-esteem, depression
- Rosemary: for depression
- Rosewood: for depression
- Sage: for depression
- Sandalwood: sedative, for nervous tension, anxiety, insomnia, depression
- Thyme: for depression
- Vetiver: sedative, nervine, for nervous tension, insomnia