Hypochondriac neurosis

- a pathological condition with unreasonably increased attention to one's health and a conviction of having a severe incurable disease. This form of the disease can result from other forms of neuroses, for example, phobic neurosis, or arise independently in pskotravmviruyuschih situations of a certain nature. For example, during the funeral of a relative who died of a myocardial infarction, an unpleasant sensation in the heart appeared. Fixed this. Repeated "pains" in the heart became an occasion for the appearance of thoughts about heart disease, which, in turn, was the reason for going to the doctor. Objective confirmation of such imaginary diseases and sensations usually do not find, which creates the ground for subsequent calls to the doctor and examinations. In such patients, certain functional somatic disorders are sometimes detected, however, they do not correspond to the severity of the imaginary disease. Thoughts about a severe incurable disease acquire a dominant, overvalued character, and walking through hospitals and visiting doctors is a way of living such patients.
In the early stages of the disease, with appropriate treatment, hypochondriacal symptoms may subside or even disappear altogether. In more far-reaching cases, hypochondriacal personality development is formed, with difficulty giving in to therapy.
Treatment should be comprehensive and individually oriented. It is necessary to analyze the psychotraumatic situation and, if possible, to save the patient from being in it. Of great importance in the treatment of neuroses are various methods of psychotherapy: explanatory, aimed at both explaining the nature of the disease, and methods of combating it; Hypnosis (used for obsessive fears, fears, etc.), autogenic training, useful for abundant vegetative manifestations, anxiety. Increasing importance is acquired by psychoanalytic therapy in the opening up of intrapersonal conflicts and in the identification of complexes displaced into subconsciousness (for example, in hysteria, phobic neurosis).
General strengthening therapy includes the appointment of vitamins, nootropics, physiotherapy, acupuncture. Of psychotropic drugs most often use tranquilizers, including with a pronounced hypnotic effect (for sleep disorders). To a lesser degree, small doses of antidepressants (azafen, pyrazidol, and inksan), "weak" antipsychotics (frenolone, sonapax, melleril) are used. The choice of adequate therapy is carried out depending on the nature of the neurosis and taking into account the characterological features. When conducting psychotherapy, it is necessary to take into account the real capabilities of patients and the availability of appropriate social conditions. The formation of new interests and values ​​should not be at variance with the basic attitudes of the patient.