Hypochondria and Prozac

Hypochondria and Prozac: A Pill For All Ills?

Right now, my shoulder really, really aches. It's a dull, uncentralized sort of pain, and over the past few days, it has spread to my neck and upper arms. My wrists hurt too, especially when I twist them a certain way. I'm tired all of the time, and thirsty.

I'm not worried about these symptoms. Their cause is obvious. I've spent the last four days hunched over my computer until early morning, furiously typing reports for finals week (this one included). I get an average of four to five hours of sleep a night, and the rest of the time, only a constant stream of caffeinated beverages can keep me awake. My back/shoulder/neck pain is caused by my stance at the computer; my tiredness is a result of---what else?---lack of sleep; I'm thirsty because all I'm drinking is soda.

If I were a hypochondriac, though, I'd probably think I had cancer.

Don't laugh. Hypochondria, or the attributing of benign symptoms such as backache and fatigue to serious illnesses, occurs in 1% of the population and 5% of America's medical outpatients ((7)). These people, while usually genuinely healthy, interpret every minor pain as indicative of something serious. They travel from doctor to doctor seeking treatment; if one doctor refuses to acknowledge their illness, or gives them a clean bill of health, they simply move on ((7)). This process can go on for anywhere from six months to years ((6)). The symptoms they feel are not delusions, nor are they purposefully-created fakes. Pretending to experience nonexistant symptoms is a behavior associated with a different disorder, Muchausen syndrome. Hypochondriacs' pain is very real. It's just not, as its sufferers assume, a sign of some fatal illness ((7...

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...iety for what it was, and know that it was a mental rather than a physical problem, and therefore fixable.

Most importantly, I would know that I wouldn't have to rely on pills for my recovery.

That being said, I'm going to go pop a few aspirins.

Internet Sources:

1)http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/

2)http://www.uib.no/med/avd/med_a/gastro/wilhelms/hypochon.html

3)http://www.columbia.edu/cu/record/archives/vol21/vol21_iss24/record2124.24.html

4)http://www.columbia.edu/cu/record/archives/vol21/vol21_iss24/record2124.24.html

5)http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/healthcare/2002-03-19-hypochondriacs.htm

6)http://healthsciences.columbia.edu/news/journal/journal-o/archives/jour_v15n2_0002.html

7)http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/09/13/health/c01090903_04.txt

8)http://www.uib.no/med/avd/med_a/gastro/wilhelms/wallstr.html