Being a hypochondriac leads to earlier death

A study conducted in Sweden has revealed that individuals diagnosed with "hypochondriasis," also known as health anxiety, die earlier than other people.

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Being a hypochondriac leads to earlier death

The study examined data from 4,129 people diagnosed with hypochondriasis and 41,290 individuals who did not have the condition. In this context, it was determined that "hypochondriac" individuals die earlier than others due to both natural and unnatural causes.

THEY LIVE IN CONSTANT ANXIETY AND PAIN

Dr. Jonathan E. Alpert from the Montefiore Medical Center in New York, USA, noted in his statement regarding the research that while mild health anxiety can be found in many people, on the other hand, "some people live in constant anxiety and pain to avoid contracting a serious illness."

David Mataix-Cols, the lead author of the study from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said that they analyzed 24 years of data belonging to thousands of people while conducting the study, which addressed a "clear gap in the literature."

Mataix-Cols stated that while previous studies suggested that the risk of suicide might be lower in people with this condition, in this study they observed that the suicide rate in people diagnosed with hypochondriasis was 4 times higher than in those without it.

The research was published in the journal "JAMA Psychiatry."

News Source: AA