Met a Severe Hypochondriac Today
By angel_smiles
@Lolaze (5092)
St. Louis, Missouri
April 25, 2016 9:33pm CST
I attend a peer run support center for people with mental illness. The center has great support groups every day, led by people who have mental illness and understand what people are going through. Today, a lady came to a group about anxiety who I can't help feeling sorry for. She's come a few times before but today was really bad. She is young but believes she is developing Alzheimer 's disease. She's spoken to her doctors, who keep trying to reassure her that she's not showing symptoms of it in any way. She's fixated on the idea of having it though. She's fixated to the point of severe anxiety on her health in general. She believes she's under attack by viruses all the time and that causes her mental illness. She also believes in sick buildings and wanted to wear a mask in our building today. She was so worked up today that the person running the group was having to evaluate her as a suicide risk and we were all encouraging her to admit herself to the hospital or seek counseling ASAP.
I fully believe younger people can get Alzheimer's and there is such a thing as sick buildings (I went to high school in one), but there is also a thing called hypochondria. When multiple doctors are telling you that you don't have something, its time to stop pushing the issue! The sick building theory also only comes into play when multiple people are getting sick from being somewhere. There were almost 20 of us in the building and no one was having a problem...no one ever has a problem there. It is bad, but so many of us were getting tired of listening to her.
I can't imagine living my life like that, obsessed with health and illnesses. I feel sorry for her and wish she'd get some help.
2 people like this
2 responses
@jstory07 (148734)
• Roseburg, Oregon
26 Apr 16
That is sad when she has an illness when she is obsessed with her health and illness issues. It is probably anxiety.



