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FEELINGCONCERNEDabouta new
symptomorunexplainedpainis
normal.Forsomepeople,though,
worryingabouta potentiallyserious
illnesscantakeovertheirlifeandaffect
itsquality.Thetermforthisis health
anxiety– andit’smorecommonthan
youmaythink.Expertssayit could
affectasmanyasoneinfive of us at
somepointinourlives.
Weshouldn’t,ofcourse,beblasé
aboutourhealth.Weare,afterall,
constantlyremindedoftheimportance
ofnotignoringsymptomssuchasa
lumpinthebreast,bloodinourwee
orpoo,ora changingmole– andrightly
so,assuchsymptomscouldbecaused
bycancersandtheearliercanceris
detectedanywhereinthebody,the
bettertheoutlook.Ontheonehandwe
encouragepeopletocometoseeus
early,butontheotherweneedto
managehealthanxiety,asit’sexpensive
financially,emotionallyandsocially.
Sowheredowedrawtheline
betweenconcernandanxiety?Hereare
mytoptipsonrecognisingif you could
be one of the ‘worried well’.nDoyouseeyour GP more frequently
thanmost?
Theaveragememberofthepublicsees
theirfamilydoctorsixtimesa year.
That’stwiceasoftenasjusta decade
ago– and,tobefair,manyofthe
appointmentsaremadebecausewe
proactivelycallpatientsinforhealth
checks.If youhavea chroniccondition
youmayneedtoseea memberofyour
healthcare team more frequently. But ifDR DAWN’Smedical notes...Could you be sufferingwith health anxiety?not,andyou’revisitingyourpractice
significantlymoreoftenthanthis,you
may be developing health anxiety.nAreyouspendinglotsof time online
googlingsymptoms?
We’veneverhadbetteraccesstohealth
informationandtheinternetis fullof
excellentandreliableadvice.Mostofus
willlookuptheoccasionalsymptomor
diagnosis,butif you’reflittingfromone
symptomtoanother,theinternetcanbe
anunhealthyplace.I rarelydoa surgery
thesedayswithoutdirectinga patient
toa goodwebsiteandI’vehadlotsof
patients over the years who have valuedthehelpprovidedbysupportgroups,
butI’mmindfulthatthere’softena skew
towardsnegativeexperiencesinonline
forums,whichcanfeedhealthanxiety.
Peoplewhohaverecoveredfroma
problemareunlikelytobestayingin,
contributingtoforums.They’remore
likely to be out living life to the full.nDoyouonlyexperience temporary relief
fromreassurance?
Aclassicsignofhealthanxietyis feeling
relievedbymedicalreassurance,onlyto
startworryingagainvery quickly (often
within 24 hours).nDoyouseeklotsofdifferent opinions
regardingyoursymptoms?
Patientswithhealthanxietyoftenask
differentdoctorsandhealthcare
professionalsthesamething.Theymay
getslightlydifferingopinions,which
can cause confusion and add to anxiety.If youansweredyestothesequestions,
youmayhavehealthanxiety.Ofcourse,
thisdoesn’tmeanyou’llneverhavea
medicaldiseaseordiagnosis– many
peoplehaveboth– butit’simportant
thattheanxietyis addressed.That
doesn’tnecessarilymeantablets,nor
doesit meanyourdoctorwilldismissany
symptomaspartofananxietydisorder.
Youmayfindcognitivebehavioural
therapy(CBT)helps:it’sanexcellent
wayofhelpingpatientstomanage
anxietywhilestillbeingabletoreport
newsymptomsappropriately.Health
anxietycanruinlivesandyourGPcan
help, so please have that conversation.❛Askewtowards
negativeexperiences
inonlineforums
can feed anxiety
❜What’sthedifferencebetweenkeepinga watchfuleyeonsymptomsandbeingsoworriedthatyour
quality of life is affected? Dawn asks the questions that will help you manage unhealthy concernsHealthMAY 2019HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 25