Have you ever had a close friend or two who suffered from hypochondria? If so, then you know that nothing at all is nearly killing them. A pathological fear has them in a tight grip. They worry that they might have a fatal disease because of some body twinges or tingling sensations. For them, a momentary pain that most of us would brush off as a minor irritant might rise to the level of a serious cancer scare. An intermittent tick in some hand muscles they will suspect as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis. A little coughing? Oh, that is most likely lung cancer, or some other fatal lung disease. As a result, they spend endless hours researching symptoms on the Internet, checking and rechecking to find out what it is that they are about to die from.
Hypochondriacs will often go from doctor to doctor, looking for one that will tell them something other than. “There is nothing wrong with you.” When a health professional does recommend that they seek help from a mental health provider, they will likely switch doctors and continue to run up medical bills. Don’t laugh – it isn’t funny. The whole family suffers. And if their doctor does give them some medications to reduce their anxiety and depression, they are sure that side effects of the drugs are evidence of yet another life-threatening disease.
As an outsider it is easy to point to a text such as Philippians 4:6 above and say, “Don’t worry! Be happy!” Such statements as that probably won’t help your worried friend. What about this, though? Think about asking your friend to join you in a significant service project, such as serving at a local food kitchen or tutoring at an inner city school. Research data proves that the happiest people are those who choose to help others. Focusing a life outward in service to others brings great rewards. Though I don’t find it in the research literature, it seems to me that a hypochondrium is a disease with an obsessive inward focus. The contrast couldn’t be greater. Changing that focus to an outward life of service works every time it is tried, because, in fact, God created us to do good works for others.