WORRIED or SICK???

Is Worrying about your health making you SICK?

ARE you one of those who fix an appointment with the doctor for every bout nausea or get a CT scan done at the hint of a head ache?

If the answer is YES, then you are actually suffering from something serious. It's called ORTHOREXIS, or health perfectionism in common parlance.

A health perfectionist is a person obsessed with his/her own health. There are various issues pertaining to such an obsession which might cause numerous side-effects,one such extreme being panthological in nature.

"Sadness which does'nt get a vent in tears makes the organs cry. This sums up the underlying panthology of health perfectionism. It's seems in people who find it difficult to express emotions or talk things out, They fall to recognize conflicts or interpersonal problems in their lives. As general emotional distress is not dealth with,it expresses itself physically, some times even after many years,"says Dr Jyoti Sangle, Phychiatrist, Dr L.H Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai.

According to the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy, anxieties about health are common and often result in a pattern of health perfectionism, in which every physical discomfort or imperfection is interpreted as a sign of disease. With the media constantly heaping on the perfect bofy and face, the existence of the perfect form becomes believable.

"Being a health perfectionist can cost you a great deal and it is important to be aware of the problems that it can lead to. Perfectionists are likely to experience decreased productivity, impaired health, troubled inter-personal relationships and low self-esteem. They are vulnerable to depression,performance ,anxiety,compulsiveness,suicidal thoughts,loneliness,impatience,frustration and anger", informs Dr Bhavna Burmi, senior clinical psycologist. Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi.

Then there are also hypochrondriasis are worked about getting a disease or are certain they have it, even after medical tests prove otherwise. "Hypochrondriacs often misinterpret minor health problems or normal body functions as smptoms of a disease", says Dr Burmi.

A person who is true that is headaches are caused by brain tumour is a hypocondriac. According to Dr Burmi, symptoms associated with hypocondriasis are not under the person's voluntary control, and can cause great distress and/or can interfere with a person's normal functioning. It can occur at any age, but mostly begins in early adulthood. It affects men and women alike.

HOW TO CRUSH THE DOUBT?

1. Identify the connection between obsessional thoughts and impulses.

2. Engage in anxiety management

3. Engage in relaxation therapies to control your stress levels.

4. Keep a check on suicisal thoughts

5. Tackle the tendency to fall into depression

6. Get engaged in activities to avoid lonliness

7. Don't believe in whatever you read(Cybercondria)

8. Stay in regular contact with a healthcare provider