— Dr. Manisha Singhal, is one of the Renowned Psychologist & Psychotherapist in Noida practicing with Apollo Hospital & Metro Hospital.
What is Fear?
Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by some threat of danger, pain, harm. It’s a type of Anxiety.
“I’m not Afraid of Storms, For I’m Learning How To Sail My Ship ”
What Is Anxiety?
Intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about any particular situation is Anxiety.
Sign & Symptoms
- Racing thoughts.
- Uncontrollable overthinking.
- Feeling irritable.
- Wanting to escape from the situation you are in.
- Feeling of dread, panic, or impending doom.
- Heightened alertness.
- Dry mouth.
- Hot flushes or blushing.
- Sweating and shaking.
- Rapid palpitations.
- Extreme tiredness/lack of energy.
- Heaviness in the chest.
Nosophobia
An irrational fear of having some specific disease. A fear about own health or some loved one’s health.
It doesn’t mean that if a person is afraid of getting sick is suffering from Nosophobia.
Those who have this fear do not exhibit any symptoms except some distress related to the fear.
For example, Someone with Nosophobia might constantly worry about developing a brain tumor or Covid even if they do not have a headache.
Differential Diagnosis
Hypochondriasis
A person with Hypochondriasis believes that they have a life-threatening illness despite having little to no symptoms. It’s a general worry for having an illness. Hypochondriacs have symptoms like if a person worries about a brain tumor or Covid may likely to have a headache.
Illness Anxiety Disorder
This is the other name for Nosophobia or Hypochondriasis.
Cyberchondria
It refers to a person’s anxiety about their health created by excessive use of the internet to know more and more about medical information. It is believed to affect more people because of easy access to the internet for the enormous amount of information.
Net surfing and self-diagnosis is the latest trend but this generates a lot of restlessness and confusion. Misinformation worsens the symptoms.
Some of the websites prey on people’s fears to sell them unproven treatment. Even the well-meaning websites are not perfect to take account of individual’s circumstances
Cyberchondria may lead to some additional psychological disorders like depression, insomnia, Eating Disorders, Etc.
This Anxiety may even damage a person’s career too
Cyberchondriacs may likely have hypochondriasis generally which results in financial consequences too because they undergo various tests and expensive treatments.
Few Health-Related Common Phobias
- Tomophobia – It refers to fear or anxiety caused by forthcoming surgical procedures or some medical interventions.
- Thanatophobia -Fear of Death
- Algophobia -Fear of Pain
- Haemophobia -Fear of Blood
- Latrophobia – Fear of Doctors
- Lockiophobia -Fear of Childbirth
- Nosocomephobia – Fear of Hospitals
- Trypanophobia – Fear of Injections
How to Assuage Anxiety –
- Engage yourself in hobbies/work / recreational activities
- Exercise is one of the most important things one can do to combat any stress or anxiety
- Exercise can also improve the sleep
- Spend time with positive people
- Use laughter & humor, it’s hard to feel anxious if you’re laughing
- Write down your worries to analyze in a better way
- Learn to avoid procrastination
- Learn to say No
- Practice mindfulness
- Listen to soothing music
- Music works magically
- Do some deep breathing while having high anxiety episodes
(Dr. Manisha Singhal, is one of the Renowned Psychologist & Psychotherapist in Noida practicing with Apollo Hospital & Metro Hospital.)
