Social Anxiety Associated with Hypochondria?

Has this ever happened to you, an excessive preoccupation, fear or worry about having a serious illness?

I have been on this process for a couple months now. I have gone to the doctor for several times, had myself checked thoroughly, because I keep thinking something is wrong with me, I feel pain in certain areas of my body and also feel weak sometimes during the day.

I even started to search on the internet for anything related to my symptoms to find out what was wrong with me, what's funny is that I found quiet a few illnesses that I added to my “medical profile” and some times I would start having the symptoms of the new illness. I have said to the doctor that I just don’t feel like myself any more, that I feel different. This whole thing started because of a crisis of sinusitis at the beginning of the year, and from then on my fears of being sick built up.

After the evaluation and a few tests, the doctor said I’m in perfect health and that my symptoms most likely have an emotional component. He mentioned that he believes me when I say that something hurts, but that he doesn’t find any medical explanation for the symptoms.

He invited me to start a process with a psychologist (which I have been doing for quite a while, but never explored my exaggerated fear of having a serious illness: hypochondria).

During the process with my therapist I found that I have relied my self confidence in my health and that I thought that as long as I was healthy everything was going to be okay; because of social anxiety, I thought that I could only rely on myself, so when the sinus crisis began, it opened a door to my fear. So here I am now, working with my therapist to learn how to handle with my fear.

So yes, social anxiety can be associated with hypochondria.

Have you ever been in this situation? How have you handled it? It would be great to hear your experiences with it.

Social Anxiety is a Survival response, not a pathology: Professor John Breeding, PH.D Psychologist

Have you noticed how I don't called Social Anxiety a "disorder", the word itself just gives me the sense of illness.



I found a great resource (video) from a well known Psychologist, Dr John Breeding, I was so glad to find it, in this 20 minute video he tells us his own perception of Social Anxiety and mentions that “Social Anxiety is a survival response, not a pathology). That confirms my theory. This is not a disorder.

He shows a very interesting approach to the subject, mentioning that the results of this type of diagnosis gives pharmaceutical companies a justification to sell medicines to “cure” you, when is not more but marketing, To the respect he mentions a document named: “Selling Sickeness” that approaches the marketing of mental illnesses in order to sell pharmaceutical products, we should check the document. Probably would be a reason for another post.

Professor Breeding also gives a couple tips when dealing with anxiety, he talks about three basic principles to follow:
- Better lifestyle: exercising, eating properly, meditation, breathing.
- Allow feelings during the crisis; permit yourself to feel what you are experiencing.
- Get off the attention of what is bothering you.

Finally he gives a couple resources to check that may help us in the process of a better quality life:
- Resources and Information on Drug Abuse
- How to get off Psychiatric Drugs Safely
- Dr. John Breeding Website

Back to Social Anxiety "Life"

After a couple of months I am back to the Social Anxiety Blog, I traveled to my country to visit family and some friends. It certainly felt good to be home for a while, I can say that the social fear left me during those days, except for one time when I had dinner with my brother and a couple of his friends. As soon as I found out that we were having dinner with his friends, my friend the Anxiety showed up.

It was amazing to have that feeling again after a couple of weeks of zero anxiety; it reminded me again how vulnerable I was. For some reason I felt that the people sitting with us at the table meant danger and a menace to my life and so the symptoms began.

One of the most common symptoms I experience is the loss of my voice, I can’t talk, yes I mean it literally, I just can’t talk, is like being paralyzed, I start panicking, my heart starts beating faster, feel like I don’t have enough air, it’s just a terrible feeling of fear, that is the correct word, the biggest fear. So any ways I finally got in control and was fairly able to control myself after a while and got to pronounce a few sentences, I stayed with them for a long half hour. After that I decided to leave, it was a great relieve to get out of there.

After leaving the restaurant, even though it was a relief, I started thinking about how people at the table saw me, how they noticed my panic and fear, and so on… So my self esteem went down and I started criticizing myself for acting in such “immature way”.

Well any ways that was the only experience of anxiety I had during my trip. The rest of the time was pleasant and full of joy and warmth and love that I received from my family.

Now I’m back to my regular life, is good go be here again, and continue visiting my friend’s blogs: Dave: Working through social anxiety, Aaron, Ryan, Shawn at Anxious Living, and Drew at Shy and Quiet. Okay, I have a lot of reading to catch up with.

Getting lost in some Social Situations

Do you feel like you loose control, like you forget who you are in some or most of your social situations?

To me it’s just like if there were two different people in me; see in some social situations I feel confident, positive, and clear of whom I am. Other times I am totally lost, I forget who I am, I am scared, frightened, and anxious.

I think it has to do with the person or the group that is in front of me, if the person or group represents a threaten to me, and I feel there is in the person or group certain characteristics that reminds me of certain difficult situations of my childhood, like if I feel the people are mocking, contemptuous, sarcastic, etc; anything that reminds me of my childhood and the complicated relationships I had with others, then I immediately start feeling the symptoms of anxiety.

I keep saying to myself that in those moments I can’t forget who I am, I have to remember I am a good person, with rights, productive, responsible, committed, sensible, that deserves respect from the others, I keep saying to myself I have to remember all these good things about myself.

I just don’t know exactly what happens during those moments in my brain, it is just that something clicks inside of my head and there it is, the little child I was, vulnerable, weak, helpless, I feel so in danger like if something really bad is going to happen to me, it is a terrible fear, that is what social anxiety is, a terrible fear to social situations.

What is your experience? How do you react in these types of situations? How do you handle them?