The article will help people suffering from carcinophobia to identify the causes of their fear and overcome it.
Content
Anyone who has been at the reception at the oncologist is most afraid to hear a terrible diagnosis of Cancer from the doctor.
Sometimes this healthy and fully explained fear of cancer passes a kind of feature, becomes obsessive, haunts a person and forces the non -existent symptoms of the disease. Psychologists call this condition carcinophobia (oncophobia), and people suffering from fear of oncological diseases - carcinophobes.
Carcinophobia - fear of oncology: causes, symptoms
The frightening growing statistics of the incidence of cancer forces each person from time to time to remember his own health. People take tests, undergoes examinations And, without finding signs of the development of cancer, they forget about their fear.
However, for some, the fear of getting cancer becomes a constant companion. They fall asleep and wake up with the thought of a terrible illness, imagine how to behave and what to feel when they find cancer. Why are people so afraid to find cancer in themselves?
Causes of carcinophobia:
- The death of a close friend or relative from cancer.
- Obsessive advertising of means "for prevention" cancer.
- Recent operation to remove cysts, benign tumors.
- Unstable psyche, panic attacks, mental illness.
- A large family predisposition to cancer.
- Unfulfilled, dubious diagnoses, distrust of attending doctors.
- The presence of cervical erosion (in women), as well as other "precancerous" diseases.
- Hormonal failures leading to sharp changes in the figure and appearance.
- Constant pains in any parts of the body.
- Age over 40 - 45 years.
Symptoms of carcinophobia:
- A person acquires many different means for the treatment and prevention of oncological diseases, reads literature on the topic of interest, seeks new methods of treating cancer, reads medical directories and collects folk recipes against cancer.
- An unfair attitude to loved ones: a pickyness, unreasonable complaints about life and health, the requirements to help, resentment, tearfulness, aggression.
- Carcinophobes completely refuse medical examinations, explaining this by the fact that in this way they will immediately reveal cancer, or, conversely, carefully care about health and regularly undergo thorough examinations.
- They set themselves a “diagnosis” on their own. They try to follow changes in the work of the “patient” of the body and necessarily note “deterioration”.
- The results of good tests of cancer are interpreted in their own way.
- We are sure that doctors hide the truth from them.
- Close in themselves, lose interest in everything, reluctantly communicate with people, cease to enjoy life.
- They see “prophetic” dreams in which they are necessarily sick with cancer or undergo unsuccessful treatment.
- Chancerophobes are prone to philosophical reasoning. They are trying to find the “higher meaning” in their “illness”, considering their condition by reckoning for any deeds in the past.
All symptoms of carcinophobia can be divided into 3 groups:
- Mental -obsessive reproduction in the thoughts of images and situations associated with oncology, the inability to switch to something else.
- Sensual - irritability, fear of getting cancer, detect the symptoms of the disease.
- Bodily - Thoughts about oncology cause an increase in pulse, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, weakness, dry mouth.
Important: to the one who found the signs of carcinophobia in their loved ones, you should seek a consultation with a psychotherapist, because uncontrolled attacks of this state can ruin a person’s life and cause rash acts.
Cancropobia in cancer patients
Oncology, discovered in the early stages, is safely cured in 90% of cases. At the same time, the correct positive attitude of the patient and his desire to live increase the chances of recovery.
But in addition to oncology itself, patients often exhaust bouts of carcinophobia.
Important: in cancer patients, carcinophobia is manifested by demonstrative helplessness, unwillingness to fight cancer depressed state.
Oncological patients suffering from carcinophobia pity themselves, complain of the injustice of fate, experience severe stress from a changed state.
How to get rid of carcinophobia yourself?
Independently get rid of carcinophobia Perhaps only if if fear did not have time to climb into the depths of the subconscious. They will help walks in the fresh air, rest, new hobbies, sports, as well as taking sedatives. Feel more confident and will help regular experts by experts.
Those who know about carcinophobia firsthand are recommended make a personal diary in which write your thoughts in detail daily. Reading these records, a person manages to look at the situation from the side. In some cases, this is enough to realize all the absurdity of the situation and forever throw out terrible thoughts out of your head.
Important: if fear does not succeed in winning and carcinophobia continues to poison life, it is necessary to contact a therapist.
Carcinophobia - treatment: psychiatrist
Cancer can cope with the fear of getting cancer psychotherapist. His work with carcinophobes is aimed at overcoming fears by experiencing and a thorough analysis of all exciting moments.
At the psychotherapy sessions, the doctor conducts a conversation with the patient, during which he finds out when exactly and under what circumstances there was fear, what measures were taken to get rid of oncophobia independently, whether the patient took the patient. At the same time, it is important to exclude the presence of diseases such as schizophrenia, neurotic disorder, psychopathy.
Important: since complex cases of carcinophobia require a serious correction of the formed mental disorders, you need to be prepared for the fact that a therapist will have to visit for a long time.
In working with oncophobes, psychotherapists use techniques classical psychoanalysis, deep psychotherapy of Jung and family therapy.
Chancerophobia: reviews
Julia, 30 years old: “Chancerophobia filled my life. I am afraid to tell someone about my fears, because it seems to me that I will “attract” cancer to myself. Any pain, whether it is a migraine or an ordinary bruise, causes me fear. From the thoughts that I begin manifestations of oncological disease, I can even lose consciousness. When I think about the future, the thought immediately arises: "Will I live before?"
Dmitry, 48 years old: “My father died of cancer. Moreover, he found oncology when nothing could be done. Nothing bothered his father, only in the last month his condition worsened sharply, pain appeared that intensified every day. I could not believe that this is happening to my dad. Before my eyes, Cancer slowly deprived the life of the most dear and close to me. Dad was dying in terrible torment, and I could not help him. With his departure, my life has changed. Immediately I also wanted to die, and then, on the contrary, began to be afraid of death from cancer. I passed all the necessary tests, went around the doctors, and, despite the fact that they convinced me that I was healthy, continued to seek out symptoms of cancer. This went on for several years. Oncophobia intensified. I spent all the time waiting for the appearance of symptoms of the disease. A psychotherapist helped me to start life again. After the first sessions, my fears began to retreat a little, and over time disappeared at all. ”
Christina, 39 years old: “I have been working in the oncological department with a nurse for 10 years. During the day I meet many people who have to deal with the most terrible disease. There are very young people among them. When I come home, I begin to remember our patients and involuntarily “try on” their stories. Over all these years, my fear of getting cancer has increased repeatedly. Even on vacation, I do not stop thinking that at any moment I can turn from an employee into a patient of our department, because no one is safe from cancer. ”
Video: how to overcome the fear of cancer - psychologist's advice
