Hypochondria signals serious emotional discomfort

Hypochondriac is the one who has medicine mania, right? Wrong. "The central aspect of hypochondriasis is not the concern with symptoms or remedies, but the fear of suffering from a serious illness," explains the general practitioner and expert of My Life, Alessandro Loiola. This fear is so intense that it persists even after rigorous medical evaluation and even disrupts everyday activities and relationships with others.

Man with chest pain - Photo: Getty Images

"My father lives in interior, and when you come to visit me, the first thing you do is open the cabinet and check if all the medicines are there. "If you notice the lack of some, he immediately goes out to buy," says student Ricardo Góes, from São Paulo.

Fortunately, his father is a doctor and knows the dangers of indiscriminate drug ingestion. But not all patients (today it is estimated that 4% of the world population suffers from the symptoms of hypochondria) are aware of the risks they undergo with self-medication. Even the simplest formulas can be lethal if consumed without criteria, warns Dr. Alessandro.

Spreading the Problem

Mania of illness, not medicine, is the simplest way of describing this psychic disorder. That's exactly what you've understood: the altered perception of reality leads these patients to feel they urgently need some medicine to survive. The solution, therefore, goes through a psychological or psychiatric accompaniment in the most serious situations.

The solution, therefore, undergoes a psychological or psychiatric accompaniment in the most serious situations.

"The first step is to create a strong bond of confidence with the patient, proving that he can believe when you say that everything is okay, "explains the clinician. But not all frames are reversed so simply. Many patients require treatments such as psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, which are recognized to be effective in more than 70% of cases, as well as antidepressants (used under strict medical guidance).

This is because not only the isolated consumption of some drugs is dangerous: some associations also become lethal. "A simple pill, for example, can compromise the effects of the antidepressant," says Alessandro Loiola. And, few people know, but the cigarette itself sometimes blocks the action of the hormone-based contraceptive.

The allergy champions, however, are far more common than you might think. Analgesics paracetamol and acetylsalicylic acid; the anti-inflammatory diclofenac and the antibiotic amoxicillin lead the ranking of complaints in the offices. But this is not because they are of poor quality. One thing and another has nothing to do with it, by the way.

"By logic, the medicines used more frequently and with which patients are more familiar end up being the main cause of undesirable reactions", diagnoses the specialist of My Life . This is because, at the time of self-medication, it is precisely these formulas that the patient uses.

As innocent as it may seem, paracetamol (sold freely in any pharmacy) is now the leading cause of acute liver failure and liver transplantation in U.S. Meanwhile, acetylsalicylic acid can cause severe syndromes on the skin in allergic individuals and precipitate asthma attacks in those who are already susceptible to shortness of breath, according to the doctor. So, it's hard to reinforce: stop taking medicines on your own and avoid having to ingest them later under pressure.

Septic shock can cause "false death"?

Septic shock is a serious condition that occurs as a result of sepsis and carries many life risks. "When not treated septic shock properly or if the patient is elderly the chances of death may be greater," said Luiz Barradas Barata, Infectologist at Hospital Santa Catarina (SP). This week, two cases of "false death" are generating great discussion among Internet users.

(Health)

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In human evolution it is natural to expect that innovations and technological advances will play a key role in the search for day-to-day solutions with more facilities. Today we see this technological evolution in the world of medicine as a great ally of health and well-being and with trends that will allow the monitoring of patients by the medical profession in a more personalized and constant.

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