The human psyche is imperfect: it can malfunction where it is not expected of dysfunctions. Carcinophobia is one of such failures, capable of poisoning the existence for years, threatening the psychic balance of the individual. At the same time, there is no reason for mental illness, because the reasons for fear do not really exist in reality.
Carcinophobia - what is it?
Each phobia is a strong fear, which does not have a sufficient basis, but seriously worsens a person's life. Trying to confront it, he falls into a nervous state, corresponding to the syndrome of "mental chewing gum" - an endless repetition in the head of the same thoughts about illness, death or helplessness. Carcinophobia is a fear of encountering one of the cancer and dying from it. The World Health Organization considers this phobia the most common in psychiatry.
Carcinophobia - Causes
People who are not familiar with oncophobia from their own experience, it seems that the only reason for its emergence may be the experience of fighting the disease in the past. In fact, the fear of developing cancer can have the following factors of occurrence:
- psychogenic response to the death of a loved one from cancer;
- climacterium;
- the presence of chronic pain;
- consequences of treatment of benign formations;
- obsessive-compulsive disorder;
- hereditary predisposition.
Carcinophobia - psychosomatics
In psychology, there is a section that studies the impact of fears on the physical condition of the patient. Psychosomatics knows what is carcinophobia and insists that it can aggravate the state of health by forcing a person to give up full-fledged socialization. The slightest sign of a cold, a disorder of the stomach or fatigue, he perceives as signals of the body about the appearance of an oncological tumor. Fear of oncology may have other psychosomatic manifestations:
- Loss of self-control when mentioning cancer in communication with other people.
- Getting used to life with a phobia, because of which a person becomes a recluse and a regular visitor to medical clinics.
- Development of addiction to alcohol or drugs. Dependence is capable of depriving the fear of death for a short period of time, so I want to resort to drugs that change consciousness, more and more often.
Carcinophobia - symptoms
The manifestations of the oncological fear consist primarily of the fact that the person suffering from it is afraid to hear anything about cancer and, if possible, associates itself with people who are ill with the tumor. Doctors mark him with all signs of fright - a change in the size of the pupils, increased sweating, loss of consciousness and a jump in blood pressure. Fear of oncological diseases includes such symptoms as:
- tearfulness;
- unreasonable change of mood;
- aggression;
- refusal to communicate with cancer patients;
- abuse of visits to doctors;
- independent diagnosis and confidence in it.
VSD and carcinophobia
Symptomatically, fear of cancer is similar to other psychosomatic disorders - it is often provoked by them. Vegeto-vascular dystonia is still not recognized as a disease in many countries of the world, but the fact of the ability of a person's influence on one's own psyche and physical health is scientifically proven. VSD, like the fear of cancer, among the symptoms has:
- depressed state;
- confidence in the presence of diseases that are imperceptible for diagnosis;
- increased fatigue;
- tragic perception of existing chronic diseases;
- respiratory disorders;
- cardio phobia (increased heart rate during a panic attack ).
Carcinophobia - how to get rid?
Disposal of oncophobia can not be granted by any doctor unless the patient understands that it is impossible to protect themselves from cancer. However paradoxical it may sound, a person should get used to the idea that cancer diseases are so unpredictable that you should not poison your life with a constant expectation. Specialists who know how to defeat carcinophobia are advised to take the following steps towards recovery:
- Regular conversations with a practicing psychotherapist. They can prescribe serious corrective therapy if necessary, which psychologists are not capable of. Communication with the doctor should be at least weekly.
- Acquaintance with positive cases of cancer treatment. Carcinophobia is a fear for which the Internet can become not only a provocative factor, but also a cure. It's easy to find the stories of people who have recovered, filled with optimism.
- Occupational therapy. Getting rid of obsessive ideas often contains a treatment immersion factor. A full-time working day and an intellectual hobby do not leave time and energy for negative reflections.
Medicines for carcinophobia
Since the impact of the disease on the psychological health of a person is too great, it would be reckless to give up medication. If symptoms persist, mental activity decreases, nervousness and phantom pain develop. Fear of oncology can be won with the help of a long psychotherapeutic treatment under the supervision of a specialist. The mechanism of treatment is selected depending on the root cause of the disease:
- If carcinophobia is the consequence of depression, schizophrenia or psychopathy, drugs are used to suppress the underlying problem - tranquilizers, carbamazepine, sodium oxybutyrate.
- If the obsessive fear of getting cancer is provoked by chronic pain, pain medications and spasmolytics - drotaverin, analgin, aspirin and nurofen are prescribed.
- Carcinophobia as a manifestation of VSD, excessive attention to one's health, confidence in the genetic predisposition to cancer and other obsessive conditions, are treated by eliminating the syndrome of "mental chewing gum." With a constant scrolling of thoughts in my head will cope with such medications as: meprobamate, diazepam, anaprilin and alprazolam.