This study was published this month. JAMA Journal of Psychiatryfound that people diagnosed with hypochondriacs were 84 percent more likely to die from dozens of illnesses, particularly heart, blood, and lung diseases, and suicide than those without hypochondriacs.
“It's kind of a paradoxical finding, isn't it?” researcher David Mataix-Kols told The Washington Post. “They're very concerned about health and death, and they're at higher risk of death anyway.”
What we know from previous research is that People diagnosed with mental disorders are more likely to die at a younger age than people without disabilities. Mataix-Kols said she began her research because she wondered if the same thing might be true for hypochondria.
Mataix Kors, 52, said many hypochondriacs remain paranoid even if their doctor assures them they are healthy. Searching the Internet for information about symptoms can also worsen a patient's anxiety.
“They experience a lot of suffering and despair,” says Mataikus Kols, professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
About a year ago, researchers began collecting data from Sweden's census and health databases from 1997 to 2020. They identified 4,129 people diagnosed with hypochondriacs and compared each person to a group of 10 people who were not hypochondriacs but suffered from the same symptoms. Gender, year of birth, county of residence. Researchers also took into account marital status, education level, and household income.
During the approximately nine-month observation period, 268 hypochondriacs and 1,761 hypochondriacs died. People with hypochondriacs died on average about five years younger than people without hypochondriacs.
Researchers also found that hypochondria can affect quality of life. People without hypochondriacs were more likely to be educated, married, and earn more money than people with hypochondriacs.
Mataix-Kols said that because hypochondriasis is underdiagnosed, the risk of death could be even higher when undiagnosed cases are taken into account.
“There may be a tendency to dismiss health concerns as myths,” says Mataix-Kols.
Mattaix-Kols said: He has several theories about this discovery. Hypochondriacs may have a shorter lifespan due to chronic stress, which may lead them to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. He said some patients may avoid seeing a doctor for fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness.
Mataix-Cols wants to learn more about hypochondria, including how it affects a patient's ability to pursue pursuits. education and career. More attention and resources need to be focused on care at this time, he said. People with hypochondria can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants.
“We have good treatments, but most people don't have access to them,” Matai-Kols says.
