Do in-depth explanations help a hypochondriac?

Question

I have in my circle a person that is a hypochondriac and harbors fears regarding things the person considers me an expert in. So I often get asked questions like: "Can this make me sick?", "Can it cause cancer used in this or that way?" etc. I don't always know how to react, should I try to placate the person's fear and gloss over certain potentially problematic corner cases, or should I go in-depth and explain every nook and cranny of the topic? I usually go down into the weeds and try to explain in detail what would limit exposure and why. Sort of the "teach a person to fish" kind of approach. I consider this the most honest way. But it sometimes seems, that all the person wants to hear is: Don't worry about it. Don't do `` and you'll be fine. It honors me that I have so much trust put into my words, but sometimes I worry if I am doing the right thing. How can I support the professional treatment for this condition that person is already undergoing? Just to be clear: There is no real substantial danger to the person. The topic is commonly regarded as not entirely clear and sufficiently scary even to the non-diagnosed hypochondriac, but scientifically and morally it is completely ok to say, don't use it too much and don't worry about it.

Answer 1

Hello! I am a licensed professional counselor and have worked with people who excessively worry and have been diagnosed with somatic disorders that fall under anxiety categories. Like you said, first its best to make sure a person does not have a personal or family history of specific disorders or diseases that are related to their current perceived symptoms and that they have regular (at least yearly) check ins with their doctor. In general, when a person worries excessively about contracting a medical disease, its best to view it in terms of a general fear, meaning, the content of the fear doesn't necessarily matter. Their fear is not always "irrational" because people do develop diseases fast and unexpectedly so its more beneficial to look at the fears as "unhelpful" thoughts, especially if the fears are interfering with their daily functioning and impeding them from living life fully. Therefore, its better to ask questions such as what is your fear? what could happen if that result occurred? Is there evidence to suggest that the specific disease would not occur? Are you practicing cognitive restructuring and positive affirmations? Being able to look at different perspective is key to overcoming fears and using cognitive restructuring from a CBT perspective where you can validate your fears while providing assurance based in reality. For example you can restructure "I think I have cancer" and instead say to yourself, " I FEEL like I'm having (x,y, or z) symptoms and my doctor said my test results were negative" or "I may be having symptoms, but I have support to overcome these feelings."