Opinions about health anxiety

[suzzeeb]

I read that health anxiety is a form of OCD. I think I actually have a few other small symptoms of OCD but never really thought it was my main issue. Do you all think that is true?

 

[MATD]

Anxiety manifests in many ways. Some folks are only diagnosed with HA. Some OCD, etc. Some folks have multiple manifestations which is diagnosed as GAD. But all these manifestations fall under the heading of anxiety disorder. They are all generally treated with antidepressant meds and benzodiazepines. Acceptance works on all manifestations too. All anxiety is generally an “obsession” with one thing or another. But it’s still anxiety.

 

[Phillies Phan]

I read that health anxiety is a form of OCD. I think I actually have a few other small symptoms of OCD but never really thought it was my main issue. Do you all think that is true?

I was part of a study in the 1990’s (yes, I’ve had HA for that long) at NY Presbyterian Hospital. The study was to see if a certain drug meant for OCD would help with HA. The medical professional conducting the study had the premise to prove or disprove whether HA had an OCD component to it. He was the first to show the connection. OCD isn’t just repetitive hand washing, etc. It’s about rumination, reassurance and repetition. With HA we ruminate in our minds (worry) about what a symptom could be, over and over again. We are repetitive with actions like Googling for hours upon end. We seek reassurance from anybody sometimes to try to feed the beast and calm it, but the reassurance of course is short lived and we seek more…repeating our reassurance seeking.

Every person’s HA is their own brand of hell, but many times it’s a manifestation of OCD. I was never told what the drug was and of course I ended up being in the control group, taking sugar pills.

 

[suzzeeb]

Anxiety manifests in many ways. Some folks are only diagnosed with HA. Some OCD, etc. Some folks have multiple manifestations which is diagnosed as GAD. But all these manifestations fall under the heading of anxiety disorder. They are all generally treated with antidepressant meds and benzodiazepines. Acceptance works on all manifestations too. All anxiety is generally an “obsession” with one thing or another. But it’s still anxiety.
[/QUOTE

I was part of a study in the 1990’s (yes, I’ve had HA for that long) at NY Presbyterian Hospital. The study was to see if a certain drug meant for OCD would help with HA. The medical professional conducting the study had the premise to prove or disprove whether HA had an OCD component to it. He was the first to show the connection. OCD isn’t just repetitive hand washing, etc. It’s about rumination, reassurance and repetition. With HA we ruminate in our minds (worry) about what a symptom could be, over and over again. We are repetitive with actions like Googling for hours upon end. We seek reassurance from anybody sometimes to try to feed the beast and calm it, but the reassurance of course is short lived and we seek more…repeating our reassurance seeking.

Every person’s HA is their own brand of hell, but many times it’s a manifestation of OCD. I was never told what the drug was and of course I ended up being in the control group, taking sugar pills.
[/QUOTE

That's interesting. I guess I never really thought about it being OCD but it makes sense.

 

[Jonathan123]

I read that health anxiety is a form of OCD. I think I actually have a few other small symptoms of OCD but never really thought it was my main issue. Do you all think that is true?

You may be right. Obsession really does sum up HA. We become obsessed with our health. It is not all necessarily about repetitive actions, it can have more subtle symptoms. Anyone with OCD symptoms should try and concentrate on the moment. That is where mindfulness can be useful. Another good idea is to write down things as we do them. '8.40am, locked front door'. 10pm, turned off cooker', if you see what I mean. You an always check back then to reassure yourself you have done things. You can always leave notes for yourself, and if you forget where you put the note, see the funny side of it. We often take ourselves far too seriously. Now that is not to say HA or OCD are not very upsetting at times, they can be. But if we accept it all without getting too introspective we will begin recovery.

 

[Nano22]

I went into an OCD Institute inpatient for eight weeks and out patient for two weeks to try to help my health anxiety. That was 9 years ago. We mainly did ERPs. Exposure Response Prevention. We also saw a psychiatrist who treated us with meds. Other patients couldn’t understand why I was there because my OCD didn’t manifest physically. It was basically in my head. Anyway, it did help me for a while but once I stopped the ERPs it came back full blown. My therapist at the Institute told me some people come back every year for a week or two for a “tube-up.” So yes, it’s a form of OCD.

 

[MATD]

I went into an OCD Institute inpatient for eight weeks and out patient for two weeks to try to help my health anxiety. That was 9 years ago. We mainly did ERPs. Exposure Response Prevention. We also saw a psychiatrist who treated us with meds. Other patients couldn’t understand why I was there because my OCD didn’t manifest physically. It was basically in my head. Anyway, it did help me for a while but once I stopped the ERPs it came back full blown. My therapist at the Institute told me some people come back every year for a week or two for a “tube-up.” So yes, it’s a form of OCD.

Exposure response prevention sounds like resisting those urges, which is literally fighting. I would hazard a guess that’s why you relapsed. If I may, acceptance teaches us to stop resisting or fighting, allowing the anxiety and all it’s perks to happen without resisting or , fighting, to stop trying to make “IT” go away, and to learn to stop reacting to “IT.” As a result, it is literally starved of attention and eventually, with continued practice, fades away. Acceptance isn’t any “new” concept. Not by Dr Weekes or anyone else. It is a solution to issues we cannot control and has been since the beginning of mankind. And I am not discounting Dr Weekes work. The serenity prayer kind of sums it up, to accept the things I can, those I can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference.

 

[Jonathan123]

I do agree. Also, any form of resistance is self defeating, as is any form of 'trying to get rid of 'IT'. Anxiety is like a huge beast that needs feeding. What does it feed on? Fear! That is it's basic diet, and boy, do we go on feeding it! 'Overcoming fear' is another example of resistance. To 'overcome' you need to fight. Fighting, struggling are all negative emotions to fear. Acceptance is really the only positive response. By accepting we stop feeding the monster of his favourite diet. Oh yes, 'IT' will fight back and may well lead us up some dark alleys, but ultimately it calms us, and although some of the symptoms may still be there, they no longer matter or have a negative effect on us. But up come the three 'P's' Practise, perseverance and persistence. It takes time and a lot of patience to fully accept, but it can be done as many have shown.

 

[suzzeeb]

I do agree. Also, any form of resistance is self defeating, as is any form of 'trying to get rid of 'IT'. Anxiety is like a huge beast that needs feeding. What does it feed on? Fear! That is it's basic diet, and boy, do we go on feeding it! 'Overcoming fear' is another example of resistance. To 'overcome' you need to fight. Fighting, struggling are all negative emotions to fear. Acceptance is really the only positive response. By accepting we stop feeding the monster of his favourite diet. Oh yes, 'IT' will fight back and may well lead us up some dark alleys, but ultimately it calms us, and although some of the symptoms may still be there, they no longer matter or have a negative effect on us. But up come the three 'P's' Practise, perseverance and persistence. It takes time and a lot of patience to fully accept, but it can be done as many have shown.

How long have you been practicing acceptance, and how much better are you since you've been doing it?

 

[E.B]

I also was initially diagnosed with ocd around 15 years old...this was around the time my ha really began to form seriously...in 42 now.

 

[Jonathan123]

How long have you been practicing acceptance, and how much better are you since you've been doing it?

It all began with me back in the 1980's. very few had computers so there were no websites like this one. I felt very lonely and isolated from what was going on around me. I tried practically everything, but it was not until I met my dear old counsellor and came to the community in which I now live that things began to change. It was a year or so into the GAD that I found Dr. Weekes' books. From then on I began to do what she suggested and it gradually worked. I still practise acceptance in life. It is a 24/7 thing, and even though I now am free from anxiety most of the time it does give me a kick up the pants now and then. But I know now what to do. I have said often that anxiety can be a friend as it can point us in the right direction. It did me. When I was recovered I began a counselling course and began to practise for many years. Had it not been for anxiety it would never have happened. Acceptance and counselling did it for me. I'm retired now, but I come on this site to help because I do know the agony of GAD and how it affects our lives.
But it took time and a lot of patience. Therein lies our problem. We rarely give anything enough time to work. We want quick results and that is not how anxiety works. Of course we want to 'get rid of 'IT'.' But it's how we go about doing that that has the effect we desire.
Any form of resistance is futile. (The Daleks knew that!!!). Acceptance is the opposite to resistance. Unlike fighting and struggling it requires no energy. We use up so much valuable energy in our fight that we can despair and get frustrated and often angry with ourselves. Let time pass without measuring it. Day to day, even hour to hour.

 

[suzzeeb]

It all began with me back in the 1980's. very few had computers so there were no websites like this one. I felt very lonely and isolated from what was going on around me. I tried practically everything, but it was not until I met my dear old counsellor and came to the community in which I now live that things began to change. It was a year or so into the GAD that I found Dr. Weekes' books. From then on I began to do what she suggested and it gradually worked. I still practise acceptance in life. It is a 24/7 thing, and even though I now am free from anxiety most of the time it does give me a kick up the pants now and then. But I know now what to do. I have said often that anxiety can be a friend as it can point us in the right direction. It did me. When I was recovered I began a counselling course and began to practise for many years. Had it not been for anxiety it would never have happened. Acceptance and counselling did it for me. I'm retired now, but I come on this site to help because I do know the agony of GAD and how it affects our lives.
But it took time and a lot of patience. Therein lies our problem. We rarely give anything enough time to work. We want quick results and that is not how anxiety works. Of course we want to 'get rid of 'IT'.' But it's how we go about doing that that has the effect we desire.
Any form of resistance is futile. (The Daleks knew that!!!). Acceptance is the opposite to resistance. Unlike fighting and struggling it requires no energy. We use up so much valuable energy in our fight that we can despair and get frustrated and often angry with ourselves. Let time pass without measuring it. Day to day, even hour to hour.

I think, for me at least, the problem with the acceptance part is that it's hard to put that into practice because it's hard to explain what that really means. So someone get up in the morning feeling anxious and worried about maybe a health concern that feels really scary, or just afraid in general, it's hard to say well just accept that you feel this abnormally scary feeling. I mean, it's hard to explain how to do that. Just thinking ok I accept this, I'm not sure really helps all that much with making the fear go away, because if you are afraid you are afraid and just saying ok I'm afraid doesn't make the fear go away. I know I'm not explaining it very clearly. It's just hard, for me, because it's hard to explain exactly what that looks like in a practical way.

 

[Phillies Phan]

I think, for me at least, the problem with the acceptance part is that it's hard to put that into practice because it's hard to explain what that really means. So someone get up in the morning feeling anxious and worried about maybe a health concern that feels really scary, or just afraid in general, it's hard to say well just accept that you feel this abnormally scary feeling. I mean, it's hard to explain how to do that. Just thinking ok I accept this, I'm not sure really helps all that much with making the fear go away, because if you are afraid you are afraid and just saying ok I'm afraid doesn't make the fear go away. I know I'm not explaining it very clearly. It's just hard, for me, because it's hard to explain exactly what that looks like in a practical way.

You explain it perfectly well, Suzzeeb. With all due respect to Jonathan and MATD, to me Acceptance comes after you have been to a doctor about your symptoms and have been told there is nothing serious or ominous causing it. At that point, it makes sense that someone with HA accept what they’ve been told and not second guess the doctor, or recreate the appointment in your mind over and over again looking for some question you didn’t ask, or some part of the examination and why it was done, or was it overlooked. THAT is indeed futile and a HA sufferer should accept the doctors bottom line and not question her or his methods or imagined errors.

But I totally agree that it makes no logical sense to have that fear, having not been checked out, and be expected to say, oh well, I‘ll just accept that this is not serious. That is the downfall, in my mind at least, to acceptance. The problem is then made worse but doing the alternative, that being running to the doctor with every symptom we feel and fear. That will irritate a doctor. I know that first hand. That leaves us with having to make that determination whether the symptom is or is not worthy of a doctor visit. And how are we, untrained in medicine as we are, to make that decision?

The only basis I have are what I call repeaters. For example I’ve freaked out in the past several times from pains that turned out to just end up going away, likely muscular. If I get that same pain in the same area I’m OK letting it slide and if necessary, go for a massage or if needed PT.

I welcome anyone‘s thoughts to the contrary, as while Jonathan and MATD are clearly looking out for our peace of mind, the logic just doesn’t seem to fit.

 

[MATD]

Acceptance is allowing it to happen without reacting to it. That’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s the reaction that bites us in the butt. This is where we add second, or maybe more understandable more fear to the already existing fear. It’s where we start fighting the feelings. Reacting is tensing up, thinking oh no!, I can’t bear this, what if?, and a whole lot of other automatically anxiety related negative thoughts are generated. This is where we can use the phrase, it’s only anxiety, to counter the fear. It isn’t easy getting into the hang of it. But, from my own experience, I found that Carl James was right, it doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as we try with persistance, we gradually improve. I propose you may be over thinking it. If you can, look a a chair sitting in your kitchen and accept that it’s there, you don’t react to it because you expect it, you know it’s there. Same principle with anxiety. You know it’s there, you simply allow it to be there and don’t react to it as best you can. Our reactions are what causes anxiety to become much worse than it has to be. Our reactions are feeding the anxiety. By not reacting, we slowly starve the second fear, which is essentially learning not to react. Fear causes a snowball to turn into an avalanche. Reacting is fighting.

 

[suzzeeb]

Acceptance is allowing it to happen without reacting to it. That’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s the reaction that bites us in the butt. This is where we add second, or maybe more understandable more fear to the already existing fear. It’s where we start fighting the feelings. Reacting is tensing up, thinking oh no!, I can’t bear this, what if?, and a whole lot of other automatically anxiety related negative thoughts are generated. This is where we can use the phrase, it’s only anxiety, to counter the fear. It isn’t easy getting into the hang of it. But, from my own experience, I found that Carl James was right, it doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as we try with persistance, we gradually improve. I propose you may be over thinking it. If you can, look a a chair sitting in your kitchen and accept that it’s there, you don’t react to it because you expect it, you know it’s there. Same principle with anxiety. You know it’s there, you simply allow it to be there and don’t react to it as best you can. Our reactions are what causes anxiety to become much worse than it has to be. Our reactions are feeding the anxiety. By not reacting, we slowly starve the second fear, which is essentially learning not to react. Fear causes a snowball to turn into an avalanche. Reacting is fighting.

If someone thinks/believes there is something seriously wrong, there is no way to say to themselves it is just anxiety and go on with their life. I can see that maybe more so in generalized anxiety disorder where the fear isn't really focused on anything in particular but just a vague nervousness or anxious feeling, but with HA the fear has a focus that is causing it, a physical symptom/symptoms that we aren't sure really is anxiety related. People with anxiety get ill too, so we can't just assume everything is anxiety, and it is difficult if not impossible to make a distinction between what is real and what we are creating.

 

[MATD]

GAD is a combination of manifestations which can include HA. It is no less difficult than having HA alone. GAD is my diagnosis. I deal with HA, SA, and OCD. If a person thinks there is something seriously wrong, they see a doctor. If that person is given the all clear by their doctor, it is reasonable to assume the symptoms are from HA. Our anxiety can cause us to make something out of nothing, and yes it seems like it is real. But when multiple doctor visits rule out any problems..... And yes, we ALL get sick from time to time. I guess the bottom line would be to stick with the doctor’s opinion and face the fact that the health anxiety exists. It can convince us of many things. Call it being delusional if you will, but fear can evolve from simple fear into a death sentence if we let it. As Jonathan has said so many times, anxiety and it’s bag of tricks, the illusions. And he’s right, I’ve been there, experienced it myself. Fear is a very powerful emotion. It can cause so much misery and blind us to reality. Been there too.

 

[Jonathan123]

I think, for me at least, the problem with the acceptance part is that it's hard to put that into practice because it's hard to explain what that really means. So someone get up in the morning feeling anxious and worried about maybe a health concern that feels really scary, or just afraid in general, it's hard to say well just accept that you feel this abnormally scary feeling. I mean, it's hard to explain how to do that. Just thinking ok I accept this, I'm not sure really helps all that much with making the fear go away, because if you are afraid you are afraid and just saying ok I'm afraid doesn't make the fear go away. I know I'm not explaining it very clearly. It's just hard, for me, because it's hard to explain exactly what that looks like in a practical way.

As said in my previous posts, acceptance or 'action in no action' is difficult for the Western mind to absorb. It is a very Eastern philosophy and as such can be difficult for us. We are taught that we must take some sort of action in every event. To do nothing is alien to us. If someone insults us we must respond by getting angry or violent. Buddhists would say, ' no, don't respond, see it as it is and walk on'. Words can have no effect unless you let them.
No one would suggest to ignore symptoms. That is not acceptance and is impossible anyway. When you watch a TV movie do you actually believe it is happening, or do you, in the back of your mind know it's all acting, in other words an illusion? But watching a movie can arouse some very strong emotions. We all know about the 'weepy' movies. The emotions that happen in anxiety are just that, illusions. Movie makers rely on our emotions to entertain. (This is all after we have been checked out and told we are ok physically). These illusions are fed by fear. The 'what ifs'. So having seen through the illusions, accept that they are such and let them come without any resistance. It's the struggle and the fighting that perpetuates them. Stop reacting. We very rarely act. We react to feelings and emotions based on past experiences. Real action is always spontaneous, without forethought. Now in acceptance there lies the secret. No reactions! Look at 'IT', observe 'IT; but don't react. I too find acceptance difficult to describe, but once we get it it stays with us. It takes time. That can't be emphasised enough, but it works given enough perseverance and patience.

 

[suzzeeb]

As said in my previous posts, acceptance or 'action in no action' is difficult for the Western mind to absorb. It is a very Eastern philosophy and as such can be difficult for us. We are taught that we must take some sort of action in every event. To do nothing is alien to us. If someone insults us we must respond by getting angry or violent. Buddhists would say, ' no, don't respond, see it as it is and walk on'. Words can have no effect unless you let them.
No one would suggest to ignore symptoms. That is not acceptance and is impossible anyway. When you watch a TV movie do you actually believe it is happening, or do you, in the back of your mind know it's all acting, in other words an illusion? But watching a movie can arouse some very strong emotions. We all know about the 'weepy' movies. The emotions that happen in anxiety are just that, illusions. Movie makers rely on our emotions to entertain. (This is all after we have been checked out and told we are ok physically). These illusions are fed by fear. The 'what ifs'. So having seen through the illusions, accept that they are such and let them come without any resistance. It's the struggle and the fighting that perpetuates them. Stop reacting. We very rarely act. We react to feelings and emotions based on past experiences. Real action is always spontaneous, without forethought. Now in acceptance there lies the secret. No reactions! Look at 'IT', observe 'IT; but don't react. I too find acceptance difficult to describe, but once we get it it stays with us. It takes time. That can't be emphasised enough, but it works given enough perseverance and patience.

So are you off all medications for anxiety? You used the word recovered and said you have been practicing acceptance since the 80s so I guess that would mean you are cured then, because that's a very long time. I'm just trying to find someone, anyone who would be considered cured I guess.

 

[Jonathan123]

So are you off all medications for anxiety? You used the word recovered and said you have been practicing acceptance since the 80s so I guess that would mean you are cured then, because that's a very long time. I'm just trying to find someone, anyone who would be considered cured I guess.

'Cured' is not a word I would use in anxiety. 'Recovered' is better. Our temperaments come into this. If we are anxious because of childhood issues or some trauma in life such as a divorce or a bereavement, then we may become more anxious than normal when events become worrying. Once again we exaggerate.
Acceptance is not about a 'cure' but more about seeing our anxiety for what it is. Symptoms may still occur as will setbacks, but they no longer matter or upset us. It's a bit like living near a railway line. We get used to the trains rumbling past so it no longer affects our sleep or causes us worry. At first it may, but after a time it recedes into the background. It's still there but no longer matters. This may not be a good analogy, but I hope you see what I mean. Some people with an anxious temperament may feel anxiety at times. but so do so called 'normal' people. When you work on anxiety with acceptance you are not aiming at a cure but to be able to see symptoms for what they are.

 

[suzzeeb]

'Cured' is not a word I would use in anxiety. 'Recovered' is better. Our temperaments come into this. If we are anxious because of childhood issues or some trauma in life such as a divorce or a bereavement, then we may become more anxious than normal when events become worrying. Once again we exaggerate.
Acceptance is not about a 'cure' but more about seeing our anxiety for what it is. Symptoms may still occur as will setbacks, but they no longer matter or upset us. It's a bit like living near a railway line. We get used to the trains rumbling past so it no longer affects our sleep or causes us worry. At first it may, but after a time it recedes into the background. It's still there but no longer matters. This may not be a good analogy, but I hope you see what I mean. Some people with an anxious temperament may feel anxiety at times. but so do so called 'normal' people. When you work on anxiety with acceptance you are not aiming at a cure but to be able to see symptoms for what they are.

Yes that makes sense. I just thought I read a post of yours before that said cure is possible with Claire Week's method, and I don't believe that's true.