What Do Hypochondriacs Die Of?

[Hypognosis]

Serious question! Presumably, once marked down as a hypochondriac, even changing GPs does them no good, because it's there in their notes.

Or is it? Would a FOI request reveal it or merely trigger hasty removal of the marker?

So, what do they actually die of?

My guess: The law of diminishing returns means that, eventually, they become averse to visiting the dictoctor and it is not until symptoms have progressed to something visible abd serious that they feel confident to visit again. By which time it is sometimes too late.

(Inspired by a thread about a doctor declining a patient's request for a certain test. Bonus question: does patient requests being turned down signify GP thinks they are a hypochondriac?)

[waterboatman]

They die of hypochondria.

[Hypognosis]

@atalanta

That's a bit of an unreformed attitude to mental illness (albeit non-existant in her case). What decade was this?

It must be tough enough suffering mental health problems as it is, without having GPs not believe that they are suffering physical pain in some part of the body as well.

Doubly bad luck if it is back pain, as that's the skiver's favourite, apparently.
Which is probably why GP declined me a simple x-ray, despite the fact that I don't actually need a sick note for it, given my current circumstances.

[Hypognosis]

@DTCwordfan

Careful now… if you wind too much, you'll snap the spring.

;-)

[Cloverjo]

Perhaps Sqad didn't see the post.

In recent years, my son has been the type of patient that doctors might get fed up with. He is desperate to find out what is wrong with him and keeps asking the docs to refer him to some new specialist. They used to refuse and basically tell him he's got to live with it, but there's been a bit more movement of late, where I think they are agreeing just to get him off their backs. So if you really think you need a test, Hypo, badger your GP or their partners.

Back to the OP, I would think most hypochondriacs die of something other than the thing they were fearing. Why not ask the FOI people, anyway?

[1ozzy]

"What Do Hypochondriacs Die Of?"

"Something they thought they had."

In saying that, a lot of doctors need to listen to their patients and follow through.