Hypochondriacs: Why it's not always just in the mind

For some people, the act of just testing whether they have an illness can make them feel worse. Covid may have made it worse.

round a year ago, while having my morning shower, I felt a small, round lump under my armpit. It felt hard, like muscle, but shifted position when I pressed down – a bit like cold butter under turkey skin.

I couldn’t help but google the appearance of lumps – and, thanks to its location, became fixated on the idea that I might have the first stages of leukaemia. It was then that I started having other symptoms: I found that my whoale body was aching and tired, and I started to inexplicably lose weight.

My GP recommended that I get an ultrasound scan, and by the time I found out the results, I was certain that I was about to hear the worst news. So you can imagine my relief when the technician told me that it was merely a lipoma – a benign tumour, made of fat cells, that posed no serious threat to my health. Almost as soon as I found out, all those aches and pains vanished, and I soon started returning to my previous weight.

The episode was my first – and so far, my only – experience of illness (or health) anxiety. According to the latest research, at least 6% of people will experience the condition during their lifetime.

Although we don't yet have updated statistics, that number may have increased rapidly over the pandemic. With a continuous news cycle emphasising the symptoms and dangers of the virus, it is natural to feel a certain level of preoccupation about a possible infection. But for some people the fear of the virus will have been all-consuming, peaking as they await the results of a lateral flow or PCR test.

The pandemic could have also exacerbated anxieties about other conditions. "I suspect that health anxiety has increased quite considerably during the pandemic, not least because people have had more time to ruminate and reflect on their symptoms," says Peter Tyrer, a professor in community psychiatry at Imperial College London.

It may be no coincidence that my own episode occurred during a lockdown, when I was unable to visit friends who might have distracted me, and when I knew that I'd have restricted access to medical treatment, if it were needed.

 

The last two years has shown there has never been a greater need for awareness about illness anxiety and its management.

Hypochondriasis

Our understanding of illness anxiety marks a vast departure from the historical view of the condition, which was once known as "hypochondriasis".