Hypochondriacs

[Dinkiedoo]

How do you deal with people who only talk about their health and always claim to have one ache or pain or illness ?
I've tried changing the subject and even asked if they ever well all to no avail .

I had to cut someone off who made her entire life about her health. It was relentless.

She would move hospitals over and over again to restart investigations and then move onto a new problem and do it all over again.

The final straw was all of the constant hospital photos and selfies. When she was smirking and excitedly talking about it all I knew I was done.

Doesn't sound like hypochondria which is actually called health anxiety someone with health anxiety truly believes their ill not smirking in hospital selfies. Health anxiety is terrifying and completely debilitating

I have a friend who struggles with health anxiety. In her case, it's a symptom of OCD (intrusive thoughts, which is common) I actually feel very sorry for her - it's horrible and debilitating. She often goes to bed plagued with the thought that she will die in the night and her children will be left motherless 😢 most people are quite dismissive and impatient with her. She's had a lot of psychological support and treatment but it's a fluctuating condition and will never be truly cured I think.

While the cause is psychological, the physical symptoms of anxiety are very real and can be debilitating - muscle pain and stiffness, dizziness, nausea & vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, migraines.... the list goes on and on.

It’s called health anxiety and it’s a mental illness. You’re not obliged to support it, but treat it as you would do with anyone with a mental illness. If that means getting annoyed with them then fair enough, but they are probably better off without you anyway.

I think there are many other kind and supportive things you could say. Ive had chronic pain since I was two years old and a host of other symptoms. After upteem hospital trips and tests etc, by age 9 i was written off as someone making it up. I wasnt. The pain was real. 30 years later there is a diagnosis. Im so grateful for kind and supportive friends.

It's not health anxiety though. It's constant moaning and negativity.
Minor aches and pains every single day.
We all have them but don't announce them to all and sundry

Does she have anything else going on in her life family, job, etc sometimes especially older people or people who don't/can't leave the house really have nothing else to talk about.
Does she have depression things tend to physically hurt more and just feel generally worse and hopeless when you have depression