Health anxiety

I get really anxious over my health and convince myself I have different diseases, normally some type of cancer, to the point that I will almost develop the symptoms of it. It's been like this for years and almost comes in waves, I will have months f being fine then a period of thinking I have a disease, usually involving going to the doctor's and getting checked for it, then when they tell me I don't have it, I'll be fine for a while and the symptoms will disappear almost overnight.

There was a period of about a month over summer where I was so convinced that I had a brain tumour that I basically refused to get out of bed and had almost daily panic attacks about it. I thought I'd got over it and would be fine but now I'm back at uni, I've been getting stomachaches and I'm starting to worry I have stomach cancer. I know in my head that it's ridiculous and pathetic and that some people have actual problems while I'm just making mine up but I can't help worrying about it and often find myself lying awake at night or googling symptoms.

I'm pretty sure my family think I do this just for attention so I try to avoid talking to them about it but I'm not attention seeking, I am genuinely convinced that I have these diseases until a doctor does the tests and tells me that I don't. I'm worried that it will affect my grades though. How can I more effectively manage the anxiety? My usual strategy is just to try and distract myself.

This sound like a mental health condition to me. I suggest you contact your GP and request a referral for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

See this page on the NHS web site for further information.

I don't really want to see anyone about it but I'll try the techniques on that page for managing the anxiety, thanks

So you're happy to seek help for conditions which you don't have, but you're not happy to seek help for conditions which you do have. How does that make any sense?

Anyway, hopefully the self-help suggestions on that page will be of some use.

I can’t afford any kind of mental health help and I’m not registered with a GP here (I haven’t been the doctors since I came back to uni) and I don’t think there’s any useful advice they could give me other than stuff you can find online like the breathing techniques and journaling things

I can’t afford any kind of mental health help and I’m not registered with a GP here (I haven’t been the doctors since I came back to uni) and I don’t think there’s any useful advice they could give me other than stuff you can find online like the breathing techniques and journaling things

My mistake. I assumed you were in the UK, where mental health services are provided free by the NHS. If you're not registered with a GP (and you know you should be, right?), then you can self-refer. See NHS talking therapies. There will likely be a long waiting list, however.

Alternatively, does you uni not have any mental health provision?

No that's not correct, register with a gp wherever you are right now, they will refer you to a psychologist that will arrange therapy sessions for you. Please note this won't just go away unless you take action. Yes self help works but to a certain extent. I think what you have is closely linked to ocd and ocd needs to be treated face to face with a specialist you can't talk yourself out of your condition

I wouldn’t get an appointment before I go home from uni

I wouldn’t get an appointment before I go home from uni

When you say "go home from uni", are you talking about Christmas? Or are you talking about when you graduate and leave uni for good?

The reason I ask is that you've said, "It's been like this for years" (my emphasis). If you get put on a waiting list with an appointment date next March, then that still has value. Does it not?

Alternatively, you could just learn to live with this condition until you graduate and seek help then.

You don't know that for sure? If you contact 111 and they arrange an appointment for you you can be seen within 2 or 3 days and a referral can be arranged by any gp not just your own I think...

Home for christmas, it would be too awkward to see someone both here and in Cornwall though so either way I would be going like months between some appointments which seems a bit pointless. Learning to live with it is the plan really, it just comes back worse sometimes and it’s never got this bad during term time before so I’m worried how it will impact my studies

If you are "learning to live with it" then you don't really need help here. Seeking medical help is the only thing you should do. But each to their own

I understand, but you really aren't wasting anyone's time by seeking help, doctors are there to help u. I'm only emphasising how important it is to see a doctor because its pretty much all that can help. Ocd is one of those things that you need outside help for. You shouldn't learn to live with it you should solve the issue or else it will just keep disrupting your life, today you are worried about your grades tomorrow something even bigger. Don't let it get worse.

I don't think I have OCD or any diagnosable condition, I think I'm just a naturally anxious person, which is why I don't really think a doctor could help that much and I'm worried they would just see me as a spoiled kid looking for attention

I don't think I have OCD or any diagnosable condition, I think I'm just a naturally anxious person, which is why I don't really think a doctor could help that much and I'm worried they would just see me as a spoiled kid looking for attention