Taking care of our health and the attention we dedicate to it is one of the most important issues for our own survival and quality of life. In addition to leading a healthy lifestyle (adequate diet, sleeping patterns, stress management, regular exercise, etc.), it is necessary to pay attention to body signals that can alert us that something is not right and we should consider visiting a doctor. doctor.
Sometimes, there are people for whom taking care of their health becomes an obsessive issue, especially if they associate their discomfort with vital organs such as the heart and therefore lethal diseases. If you have ever considered “I’m obsessed that I’m going to have a heart attack.” Keep reading this Psychology-Online article in which we talk to you about why it is happening to you and what you can do about it.
The normal concern for health
As we have indicated in the introduction, taking care of our health and paying attention to possible warning signs is vital for us. Worrying, for example, about an intense stomach upset, a puncture in the chest or a pain that we have never experienced, is normal.
The concern, as we anticipated, may be greater depending on the signal that we have detected. When we sense that the signal may compromise a vital organ, our concern may also be greater. For example, it will be easier to be alarmed by a puncture in the chest than by knee pain.
The heart, as we all know, is one of the most important organs in our body. A failure in its operation can have serious consequences on our health and its stoppage can end our lives.
According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases would be the main cause of death in the world. This information can also bias our concerns in this direction, especially and even more so when we have had cases close to death or serious illness due to cardiovascular problems.
For all these reasons, it is not strange that we may feel concerns about our health, especially in important organs such as the heart, and that these concerns are aggravated when we know of close cases of death or cardiovascular disease.
Pathological concern for health
Concern about health can cease to fulfill its adaptive function and become maladaptive when it becomes obsessive. The American Psychiatric Association’s psychology dictionary defines obsessions as thoughts, ideas, images, or impulses that are persistent and the person experiences them as intrusive or inappropriate, producing anxiety, anguish or discomfort. For all this, you will know if you are obsessed if the appearance of these worries causes you discomfort.
When worries do not fulfill their function (such as pushing us to visit a doctor when faced with a sign that could be dangerous), it will not be adaptive either.
The diagnosis of hypochondria
Excessive worry about having a heart attack could constitute a disorder if some diagnostic criteria are met. We are talking about classic hypochondria.
In the diagnostic classification of the World Health Organization, ICD-11, hypochondria is found within the group “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders and Other Related Disorders”. This disorder is defined as persistent fear or worry about the possibility of suffering from a serious or life-threatening illness, such as a heart attack.
In the latest diagnostic classification of the American Psychiatric Association, DM-5, we must pay attention to two disorders included in the category “Somatic Symptom Disorder and Related Disorders”: “illness anxiety disorder” and “somatic symptom disorder” .
Illness anxiety disorder
Illness anxiety disorder requires the person to feel worried about having a heart attack when your symptoms are mild or non-existent. Even if the person suffers from some other health problem such as hypertension or has a family history of heart attack, his worry remains excessive.
The hypochondriac person feels a high anxiety when faced with health-related topics and is easily alarmed. In response to their concerns, they may display excessive health-related behaviors (such as constantly seeking medical care) or avoidance (not wanting to go to the doctor or hospital, for example).
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Somatic symptom disorder
In this disorder, somatic symptoms must necessarily appear that also interfere with the person’s life and/or generate discomfort. These symptoms cause concern in the person and are associated with thoughts, feelings or behaviors related to said concern: the person believes that the situation is much more serious than it really is, they suffer from high anxiety in relation to their symptoms or their health, person spends a lot of time thinking about it, etc.
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Why am I obsessed with having a heart attack?
In hypochondria disorder, the person experiences fear, worry and believes they suffer from a serious illness, but this would be the result of a misinterpretation of bodily sensations. Rief and Broadbent (2007; seen in Martínez, MP, 2014) summarize the factors that contribute to the appearance and maintenance of this problem and which we present below.
At a cognitive level, hypochondriac people would present concern about health-related issues and anxiety about the disease. When faced with certain symptoms or sensations (to which their attention may be biased) they would interpret these in a catastrophic way and would overestimate the chances of having a heart attack.
Given the concern caused by their symptoms or the idea that they may suffer a heart attack, the person seeks information or medical attention, which can reassure them and thus maintain these behaviors.
What can I do if I’m obsessed that I’m going to have a heart attack?
If the worry is excessive and interferes with the person’s daily life, causing discomfort, it is best to go to a therapist so that they can evaluate the case and make the best recommendation. The psychological treatment for these cases is based on , which will act on:
- Beliefs, thoughts and attitudes towards the disease.
- The rigid and erroneous causal attribution of their bodily sensations.
- The reduction of calming behaviors (such as searching for information on the Internet,…).
- Other aspects of the case that are necessary to receive clinical attention.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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References
- Martínez, MP (2014) Somatic symptom disorders and related disorders. En Caballo, VE, Salazar, IC and Carrobles, JA (2014) Manual of Psychopathology and Psychological Disorders. Madrid. Pyramid.
Bibliography
- American Psychiatric Association (2020). APA Dictionary of Psychology. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org
- American Psychiatric Association (2014). DSM-5. Reference guide to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5-Breviary. Madrid: Panamericana Medical Editorial.
- Martínez, MP (2014) Somatic symptom disorders and related disorders. En Caballo, VE, Salazar, IC and Carrobles, JA (2014) Manual of Psychopathology and Psychological Disorders. Madrid. Pyramid.
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2018) International Classification of Diseases, 11th revision. Recovered from https://icd.who.int/es