For the Covid hypochondriacs...

Twenty-eight-year-old Chandrakala, who recently recovered from an asymptomatic Covid-19 infection, is now doing well in life.
Sometimes, hypochondriacs are not convinced with one doctor, so they have this compulsive need to approach a few more to confirm that they are healthy.
Sometimes, hypochondriacs are not convinced with one doctor, so they have this compulsive need to approach a few more to confirm that they are healthy.

HYDERABAD :  Twenty-eight-year-old Chandrakala, who recently recovered from an asymptomatic Covid-19 infection, is now doing well in life. She is on a sabbatical and spends most of her time on Netflix, embroidering and taking care of herself and her family.  

But two weeks ago she was down in the dumps when she saw the news about a young woman who died of black fungus. The first sign that the victim showed was itchy and swollen eyes. For days after that, Chandrakala obsessively stared at herself in the mirror as she was certain that she was going to die of black fungs anytime soon.

This is a classic case of hypochondria (health anxiety) when one starts living with a sinking feeling of uncertainty about their life. According to psychiatrists, it happens when people spend most of their time worrying they are ill or about getting ill even when there is no sign of illness. “It is imagined trouble,” says M Uma Shankar, the superintendent of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Hyderabad. “It soon starts to take over their life and medical practitioners are seeing such cases very frequently these days.” 

According to the IMH, symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which were mild before the pandemic, have turned severe among many patients. It is true that physical stress often leads to mental stress and vice-versa. It is also true that infections have been a human companion since antiquity and fear is the companion of the deadly novel Coronavirus. Fear, according to psychiatrists, is the leading source of mental illness and is accelerating symptoms of those already with mental disorders. Dr A Pranay, a general medicine practitioner from the city, says, “Fear can make any disease complex and prognosis difficult. Besides, there is no clinical diagnosis for mental disorders, it makes the situation all the more worse.” 

Sometimes, hypochondriacs are not convinced with one doctor, so they have this compulsive need to approach a few more to confirm that they are healthy. Dr Pranay says prescribing medication is the last resort for people suffering from this condition. Instead, he suggests that they see as many doctors as they want to be convinced that they are fit.

What is hypochondria
Hypochondria is when one starts living with a sinking feeling of uncertainty about their life. It happens when people spend most of their time worrying about getting ill even when there is no sign of illness

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