Overview

Hypochondriasis (or hypochondria, sometimes referred to as health phobia) refers to an excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness. Often, hypochondria persists even after a physician has evaluated a person and reassured him/her that his/her concerns about symptoms do not have an underlying medical basis or, if there is a medical illness, the concerns are far in excess of what is appropriate for the level of disease. Many people suffering from this disorder focus on a particular symptom as the catalyst of their worrying, such as gastro-intestinal problems, palpitations, or muscle fatigue.

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, and report that doctors’ reassurance about an absence of a serious medical condition is unconvincing, or un-lasting. Many hypochondriacs require constant reassurance, either from doctors, family, or friends, and the disorder can become a disabling torment for the individual with hypochondriasis, as well as his or her family and friends. Some hypochondriacal individuals are completely avoidant of any reminder of illness, whereas others are frequent visitors of doctors’ offices. Other hypochondriacs will never speak about their terror, convinced that their fear of having a serious illness will not be taken seriously by those in whom they confide.

Coping with Fibromyalgia

Posted by glos Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 6:52 AM

Coping with Fibromyalgia is one of those things that is definitely much easier said than done. Fibromyalgia comes with a lot of symptoms, none of them pleasant. And because this is not really a disease, the person having it doesn't appear to have any reason to be in pain or acting strange to those around them. Those with Fibromyalgia may constantly deal with social issues ranging from skepticism to accusations of hypochondria because they complain of pain, and are sometimes even disabled by pain, without any apparent physical ailments. It is very important for those who have received a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia to take steps to begin coping with this condition.

Getting help for Fibromyalgia requires that you at least accept that you have it and it is real. Some people don't even believe the pain they feel themselves because they can't see an obvious cause for the pain. If you do not accept your situation, you may continue to do things that will increase your Fibromyalgia symptoms. In coping with this condition, it is particularly important that you not think that just because you're having a good day on any particular day, the mysterious pain is behind you forever. You need to understand that it can come back and you should be pacing yourself on the good days as well as the bad ones. Over a long period of time you will begin to learn just how far you can push yourself. This is an important part of the process of coping with Fibromyalgia.

Do not get yourself tied in to too many commitments, particularly work deadlines. Some days you may just not feel up to doing as much as other days. You need to have flexibility in your life. In managing Fibromyalgia, you need to learn how to take on these projects and let people know that if something flares up you may be a couple days late, or you may not be able to attend a meeting, but you will get your projects done when you are again able. If you're a hard worker, this will actually tend to be harder to get family members to understand than employers.

In order to get people around you to understand that you have a real problem, and that you are a reliable person with an unreliable problem, you need to educate those around you. This is an important part of coping with it. It will begin to seem redundant after you have to give the whole speech about Fibromyalgia again for the umpteenth time, but you have to do what you have to do to begin getting help for Fibromyalgia. It may help those around you if you can refer them to an informational website or medical brochure regarding this condition. Don't take offense at the questions those around you will naturally have. The more people ask you questions about your condition, the better they will be able to understand it and work with you to help you as you manage with Fibromyalgia.



Autor: Jen Miller

Are you suffering from Fibromyalgia ?

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Jen Miller is a health and fitness enthusiast. She runs a website providing fibromyalgia information remedies at http://www.helpforfibromyalgia.net


Added: July 11, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

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