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Toronto, AL M5N 2M7
Ph: 416-483-2654
Fax: 416-483-2654
christian@orthogate.com






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My sister is always going to the emergency room for one problem or another. I don't remember her being a hypochondriac as a child. How does this kind of problem get started? Is there anything we can do as a family (her siblings) to help?

There is a wide range of mental health problems that involve frequent visits to the doctor, emergency department, or other health care provider. Not all are the same or have the same underlying risk factors or cause. In the case of true hypochondriasis, the affected individual is preoccupied (even obsessed) by the belief that he or she has a serious health problem. This belief continues even after a medical doctor has ruled out any serious pathology. The extent of the problem can be so great that the patient becomes delusional. Hypochondriasis develops in the adult years -- usually early on during the 20s and 30s. Men are affected as often as women. And most of these folks have a previous history of other psychiatric or mental health disorders such as an anxiety, panic, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. These problems may have been present during childhood and/or the teen years but unrecognized or undiagnosed. Psychologic help is now available for people with hypochondriasis. A specific type of treatment called cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT helps patients identify and then alter their dysfunctional beliefs. They learn how to change their health-seeking patterns of behavior. The psychologist will also help them with any anxiety or mood disorders as part of the program. You can help as a family by encouraging your sister to seek help with this problem. Most people affected by hypochondriasis know they struggle with irrational thoughts and chronic worry about their health. They are often very open to suggestions and perhaps even relieved when someone else suggests seeing a psychologist would be acceptable. A trip to her primary care physician first may be in order if adequate medical testing has not been done to rule out true organic disease.

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