My depression, especially mild depression which I think I'm developing again now, is often accompanied by anxiety. The anxiety is also often focused on my physical health. Basically, I become a hypochondriac during these times. I'm usually not, though.

You can't imagine how many grave illnesses I've at times thought I might have, but didn't. Heart problems, various types of cancer, MS, kidney failure, you name it. I've gone to various specialists in the past for minor issues that I blew up to be major ones, but usually they're nothing. I've even had diagnoses for physical issues that I now think may not have been true.

Has this ever been an issue for anyone else?

[Nola0250]

Originally Posted by BirdDancer

My depression, especially mild depression which I think I'm developing again now, is often accompanied by anxiety. The anxiety is also often focused on my physical health. Basically, I become a hypochondriac during these times. I'm usually not, though.

You can't imagine how many grave illnesses I've at times thought I might have, but didn't. Heart problems, various types of cancer, MS, kidney failure, you name it. I've gone to various specialists in the past for minor issues that I blew up to be major ones, but usually they're nothing. I've even had diagnoses for physical issues that I now think may not have been true.

Has this ever been an issue for anyone else?

Yup. Last year I managed to get myself a colonoscopy when what I really needed was a psychiatrist!

I'm glad to read that your colon was OK, Nola0250, and you got the proper help.

Please, no one take my post as a discouragement to follow up on suspected physical issues! Sometimes they really are valid, and not just in your head. Actually, following up on such issues with regular doctors or specialists often relieved my anxiety when they'd say it was nothing. When they said it was "something", I got the care I needed to get past it. Sometimes I had to get second opinions, though. There were a couple of things I was diagnosed with that really did turn out to be more psychological than physical. There were a couple of things that were basically both. Psychological issues/trauma can indeed bring about physical symptoms that need attention.

[Nola0250]

Originally Posted by BirdDancer

I'm glad to read that your colon was OK, Nola0250, and you got the proper help.

Please, no one take my post as a discouragement to follow up on suspected physical issues! Sometimes they really are valid, and not just in your head. Actually, following up on such issues with regular doctors or specialists often relieved my anxiety when they'd say it was nothing. When they said it was "something", I got the care I needed to get past it. Sometimes I had to get second opinions, though. There were a couple of things I was diagnosed with that really did turn out to be more psychological than physical. There were a couple of things that were basically both. Psychological issues/trauma can indeed bring about physical symptoms that need attention.

Agreed! I always worry about getting overdiagnosed too. When you spend a lot of time around hammers, sometimes you start looking like a nail...

Sometimes I've worried about getting cancer and I've gone to the doctor for it.

IMO, there is nothing wrong with going to the doctor if you think something is wrong. Better safe than sorry. I mean, what if you assume your anxiety is acting up, but you end up having a physical ailment or disease? I'm to trying to make anyone anxious, but I'd rather throw money at doctors than assume "it's just anxiety."

That said, I'm sure therapy could help a lot. And even regular doctors can help too. Just make sure you go into a doctor's appointment and ask lots of questions. For example, if you think you have skin cancer and your dermatologist says you don't, ask, "What signs do I have to watch out for for skin cancer? Where do most skin cancer signs show up on the body? How fast does skin cancer develop? What does skin cancer look like? And what things can be confused with skin cancer?" etc etc. That can help.

[Theresa1991]

Whenever I get depressed I become hypochondriac. I think I am the most well examined person in Germany, haha. I had so many ideas about illnesses I could have and the joke is that I smoke, I drink alcohol etc. I stop to care when I feel good, but when depression hits be sure to find me in the waiting area of not just one doc per week.