As surprising as it may seem, people who care the most about their health would be patients at greater risk than others.
Worrying about your health has its limits! December 13, 2023, the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry publishes a study led by the teacher David Mataix-Cols from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. This aims to study the case of 4,129 people over 24 years old between 1997 and 2020 categorized as suffering from hypochondria. As a reminder, this pathology refers to an anxiety disorder linked to the fear of catching a serious illness. These people are unable to get rid of this anxiety despite medical tests. They sometimes tend to change doctor or even to avoid consultations. Thus, 4,129 hypochondriac patients were compared to 41,290 ordinary people of the same age, sex and nationality.
To carry out this study, they used a measure called “person-years” which takes into account the number of people and the duration for which they were followed. The mortality rate was analyzed in these two cases and the verdict is final. During the study, 268 people suffering from hypochondria and 1,761 individuals without hypochondriasis died. Results demonstrate an increased rate of all-cause mortality in individuals with hypochondriasis compared to those without. The death rate was thus 8.5 among hypochondriacs compared to 5.5 among others, per 1,000 person-years. Hypochondriac people are died younger than others, or at the average age of 70 years versus 75 years old. They were more likely to die of natural causes (circulatory and respiratory diseases For example). as unnatural causes. Among the latter, most deaths were attributed to suicide, with a risk four times higher. This cause of mortality in patients with hypochondriasis can be avoided, which is why treatment is necessary.
“Hypochondria is often considered secondary”
“Improving detection and access to evidence-based care should be a priority” estimated the authors in their conclusions. Before emphasizing that hypochondria is notably “underdiagnosed in Sweden” with only 4,000 cases recorded in specialized services in 20 years. “This low number can be explained in particular by the fact that the symptoms of hypochondria are often wrongly considered secondary compared to other psychiatric disorders (for example, depression or anxiety), by the fact that individuals are not taken seriously by health professionals and by the fact that the diagnosis is stigmatized.” Like most anxiety disorders, hypochondria can be treated with psychotherapy. Doctor Christophe Bagot recommends in particular starting cognitive and behavioral therapy aimed at detecting the sources of hypochondria and working on it through daily exercises. Other recommended therapy: EMDR, an eye movement psychotherapy that targets individuals’ traumatic memories. THE antidepressants and tranquilizers should be avoided in hypochondriac people, as they could increase their anxiety.