Just been to GP - saw "hypochondriasis" on notes...

[TolpuddleFarter]

Been to see GP about some side effects I have had from a medication I was on.

Looked at the computer to see "hypochondriasis (3)" on my notes, which obviously is three times where it has been flagged that I am a hypochondriac.

Does this mean from now on I will struggle to get taken seriously?

Despite being chastised for suggesting investigations can make health anxiety worse on an earlier post, as I had not referenced the importance of empathy, I do strongly feel and fear that people with health anxiety can become so concerned about how people perceive them that they then DONT always present when they should. My approach was always that a safe platform to talk was the important thing.. and a 2 way dialogue acknowledging the health anxiety effect without dismissing the patients symptoms or concerns was key. Sadly this takes time and compassion.. much of which has been forced out the current system by the overwhelming pressure on it.

I heard there were five Fs - think it was Female, Fat, Fair (I think its caucasian rather than blonde - more of a broad thing about who tends to present with it, maybe diet-related rather than genetic/hereditary links) , Forty, Fertile (contraception meds can be a factor). I ticked all the boxes and it still took my GP two years to diagnose gallstones. Grrr.

I have worked in A and Es where there is an on duty psychiatrist but this is because it was in an area with a high incidence of psychotic illness Im sorry but health anxiety shouldn't and in fact wouldn't be dealt with by a on duty A and E psychiatrist they have enough to do.
The clue is in the name "accident and emergency" as dreadful for the individual health anxiety i(an assuming no suicidal ideation) is it is a chronic condition that should be being treated by in the community.

I don't really get it OP, you have hypochondria so what's the problem with a GP making a note of it? It's an anxiety condition so will affect the twitching and everything else. Anxiety can cause muscular pain and aches and could be related to that for example.

Also you were told to exercise and you said I did half an hour today. You need to do proper exercise, an hour or more a day, consistently every single day, a decent workout, else it won't work. You have to make more of an effort there to look after yourself.

Is tour GP on the "myGp" or similar type app? These list (or should) the problems you habe been in with along with any tests amd medications you are/have been on. Alternatively put in a SAR request and get all of your medical records releases so you can go through them. Any discrepancies cam then be taken up with the GP/Practice manager/GMC.
I had an issue where there was something on my records that i knew was not me or i had ever been treated for. It was an argument but i had it removed when I could. Prove i wasn't in the country the day the appointment happened!

What is NFN please?

As an aside, a friend saw 'Shopping Addiction" in her notes. The correct term for this I think is "Oniomania"

It's widely denigrated nowadays. The full 5 Fs (in the mnemonic taught for remembering risk factors for gallstone disease) were Female, Fertile, Fat, Fair, and Forty. The 'reasoning' was, I think, Females over Forty as they were reaching perimenopause. Women who were Fertile, meaning that they had one or more children, were thought to be at higher risk due to higher oestrogen levels and the association of gallstones with pregnancy. Fair was part of the 5 F’s because it was believed that gallstones were more common in Caucasian ('white') women, and Fat was included because being “overweight” or “obese” was linked to increased levels of cholesterol that could cause gallstones. Needless to say, this foolish and stigmatising diagnostic has been criticised as worse than useless, and just about all of the Fs are inaccurate or misleading. The one F that wasn't included, Family History, is one of the strongest factors.

Normal For Norfolk ('thick').

Refusing to prescribe another antidepressant when you’ve had an adverse reaction to one does not mean they are minimising/fobbing you off. Maybe that’s the protocol in the circumstances - I don’t know, IANAD.

Exercise is a clinically proven method to help with anxiety and insomnia. It is perfectly reasonable to suggest it. Medication is not always the best solution to everything that ails you.

I twitch EVERY single time I start to nod off to sleep. Every time. The only time it stops is if I have a couple of drinks, and that seems to allow me two hours sleep. This isn't just a little, annoying twitch. I can't lie on the sofa for a nap without jumping out of my skin. It is so debilitating, and would not wish this on my worst enemy.

I accept it is probably worse because I am anxious about it though. But that doesn't help me feel less anxious, does it? It actually makes it worse.

Jerks when falling asleep are normal. But not every single time you try to sleep.

But this thread just shows how this is trivialised just because I have said I have health anxiety.

Yes, DH has this every time he falls asleep. Me sometimes, so it is normal. Think it is called hypnotic jerks or something, part of how the body relaxes.

Hypnic jerks, lots online if you google, normal but can be trigerred by some antidepressants

triggered

That's a really outdated term and should be either health anxiety or illness anxiety. You won't necessarily not be taken seriously it just means any decent dr will explain things more thoroughly and won't find it odd when you over react to things

CoolSchool, I see your point, and the euphemism treadmill can get tiresome when certain conditions are perceived in a way that means any new term chosen is eventually repurposed as an insult.

But that process doesn't seem to inevitably happen with all conditions with some terminology that has become pejorative. Maybe there were some small groups that briefly used the name of the Scope charity to substitute for an insult they were no longer allowed to use, but I've never heard it used, and I've not heard cerebral palsy, palsy, CP etc. used like the insult derived from "spastic" was, either (am reluctant to type it because a while back I had a post automatically insta-deleted because I was discussing various disability slurs).

The medical community can't keep inventing terms that people feel more comfortable with when everyone knows what they mean

But they've done so with many of the terms you list in your later post. Thankfully, I've never had to see a parent posting on MN who's upset because the computer screen at their child's GP appointment said "Moron". And spastic is still used as a medical descriptor of what a body part might be doing, but cretinism has gone (the name and to a large extent the disease, in developed countries at least — but even with fewer people affected, they still went to the trouble of changing the name to "congenital iodine deficiency syndrome").

And now "hypochondria" seems to be gradually disappearing from medical communications with patients and the public, too, in favour of "health anxiety" or "illness anxiety disorder".

It's not much different to "idiot" in some ways. Like "idiot", it's an obscure Ancient Greek term, which even if you understand Ancient Greek, bears little resemblance in meaning to our modern understanding of the problem it's used for. So, unlike "illness anxiety disorder/health anxiety", or "profound learning/intellectual disability", it gives people no useful info besides being a unique verbal identifier for the disorder. And on top of that, it's commonly perceived and used primarily as an insult. There are big differences too, but lots of parallels.

So besides medical inertia, what's the benefit of clinging on to an opaque, misleading Greek term that doesn't help patients understand or communicate their problem, that might upset or offend them, and that they might be reluctant to communicate to others?

I haven't RTFT but this jumped out at me;

My health anxiety or hypochondria probably comes from a place of growing up in an environment where I felt unsafe.

You're probably correct in that assumption, certainly the insomnia could have been caused by your childhood - there's a part of your subconscious which is overreacting to the "jerks" and seeing them as a threat, rather than being what they are, normal. Have a peek at my AMA.

But this thread just shows how this is trivialised just because I have said I have health anxiety.

I have read the whole thread and I really don't think PPs were minimising the twitching. Simply pointing out that the doctor's advice is reasonable and therefore it is unlikely that they are dismissing you due to your health anxiety.

A doctor suggesting "exercise" 20-30 years ago probably was being dismissive. However, our understanding of the side effects of various drugs, as well as the benefits of exercise, have massively increased in that time. Good doctors are far more reluctant to prescribe than they were when I was young, but that is because they know more now. The last thing you need is a new drug with the potential for a whole host of new side effects if the problem can be solved by exercise.

Try what they've suggested for a couple of days and if it doesn't get better then go back and tell them. The first thing they suggest is the "most likely" to improve the situation for most patients. If it doesn't work for you they will suggest something else.

BTW OP have you checked your nighttime jerking doesn't fit restless legs syndrome? Despite the name, RLS can sometimes extend beyond legs. I had RLS triggered by a medication I was taking for my mental health (luckily it subsided after a while taking the drug), and when it was bad it was in my arms a little bit too, as well as my legs. I got crawling sensations, and urge to move the limbs, but if I resisted moving, powerful involuntary jerks and twitches too.

Hypochondria is initially health anxiety diagnosis they used to call it, but I think they're trying to refer to it as Health Anxiety these days, as it naturally comes with stigma. I would address it with your GP, But also can I just say I totally sympathise with you as I've been suffering health anxiety for a number of years it's debilitating in its own right so I hope you're getting some support.

Ah also OP just read your message above about the twitches (really really common), anxiety can give you any bodily symptom, nothing is off limits. When you're constantly in flight mode the nervous system is in overdrive all the time so your body reacts as you well know. But, the brain can't tell the difference between a real threat and a perceived threat, so this can also give you symptoms when you're not consciously anxious, as weird as it seems.
I have had so many symptoms that I can't even count anymore, currently hyperfocused on lymphoma which isn't ideal lol. Hope you're okay x

I think the medical society still refer to it by its correct name of hypochondria but patients feel more comfortable to say they have health anxiety or hear it said , rather than say they are a hypochondriac, it’s the same thing though and most folks know this.

it is a mental health condition and very difficult to treat. The op has told her doctor this and the doctor is doing right to state she’s a hypnochondriac in her notes, it seems 3 doctors have now said it.

to be honest they should be addressing that. The jerking thing is likely related. But they need to deal with the root cause. Not the symptoms.

? You literally said this to me

Perhaps you should educate yourself and not perceive victimisation or abuse when that didn't happen

I'm pointing out that a lack of education isn't the issue. Do you think it's ok to use the other outdated terminology discussed here? And if not, why should this one be acceptable?

I was also attempting to make the point that hypochondriasis is a blunt tool diagnosis, whereas newer terminology allows for finer point differentiation in a way that might help the patient/medical professional relationship be more productive to both.

Have you tried things like sound baths and yoga nidra, it will take time. Your nervous system is agitated so it's going to take time, there are lots of techniques to engage your parasympathetic nervous system the rest and digest response. No quick fixes but I've mostly cured my chronic pain through these techniques.

Yeah I completely understand this . With brutal cuts to community mental health services though many people end up being sent to A and E by 111 when they need long term help from social services or community mental health services

I'm impressed that the OP can see a GP several times a week. Here it's two weeks for a telephone consultation since covid.