Am I really that unusual - feeling very alone, and no idea where to go next.

[Apanicaday]

I had an appointment with a psychologist earlier this week - I've been on our local idt waiting list for 9 months now after my initial assessment. After being totally bemused by why he was seeing me (due to internal miscommunication) he then decided that my diagnosis of GAD was wrong, and what I have is hypochondria (his words not mine - I've known for years I have health anxiety as does my gp -it's what I was referred for!). Anyway, he told me that he didn't know a lot about hypochondria, that I was the first case he had seen in 12 years, and that it's normally dealt with by having tests for the illnesses you are worried about and never gets to secondary care. And that he didn't think there would be anyone available on the nhs with enough experience ro treat me as it's so specialised. And that it's not anxoety, it's a somatoform disorder (at least, I think that's what he told me -he said it's in the same group as body dismorphia).

I feel so alone. I've gone from thinking I have a fairly common condition that could be treated to thinking I might be like this forever. And his using the word hypochondria about 50 times in the appointment made me feel even worse - it has such negative connotations. Ibe always been open about my mental health, but can't bare to tell people that I'm a hypochondriac (oddly, I was always fine with saying I had health anxiety). I can't afford private cbt. And he said he would have to discharge me if he couldn't find anyone who could offer the correct cbt for it. Which leaves me facing living with this god awful condition for the rest of my life. Which is a pretty bleak prospect. If anyone has any thoughts/advice/experience, I would really really appreciate them.

[KeemaNaanAndCurryOn]

Health anxiety is really common and I've not heard of it being called hypochondria for a long time. In fact , I though that hypochondria was where people presented to hospital or the doctor with a long list of conditions they were certain they had, not have anxiety about getting ill etc which is what I know of health anxiety.

I think he doesn't know what he's talking about. Not everyone is a specialist in everything. However what he SHOULD know about is how to help people deal with anxiety symptoms - no matter how they manifest themselves and that's what he should be concentrating on, not giving an unhelpful label for an issue he doesn't actually understand.

[cutefluffyunicorn]

He sounds like he hasn't got a clue!
CBT would work for any type of anxiety or phobia condition and the principles of it would be exactly the same, so it certainly does not need anyone specialised to do it for health anxiety(the correct term)
Is this person actually a qualified cbt therapist/psychologist?
I would demand to see another therapist/psychologist if you can , I think that CBT would be highly effective for treating this condition and there is every reason to expect you could be helped a lot by it.
Good luck.

[aliceinwanderland]

my sister had cbt for years for hypochondria. That sounds like it didn't work but she had a host of other psychological issues as well - although you wouldn't know when you first met her.

She is much, much better now.