“Ask Dr Neuman” Advice Column
Feelings, even very unpleasant feelings such as fear, serve a purpose (See my blog post, “The Purpose of Feelings.”) They are a goad to action. For example, someone who is being treated rudely—or frustrated in any other way—is supposed to get angry. The...
If I were God, and I was really angry… Whoever said, “God moves in mysterious ways,” really knew what he was talking about. According to the Bible, God employs very subtle and indirect means to achieve His purposes. For instance, when God wanted Joshua to win a...
Thinking properly about medical illness. A hypochondriac is someone who, given certain physical symptoms, is inclined to imagine the worst possible disease. If a doctor were to do that when examining a patient, he would be wrong most of the time. For that reason,...
Don’t listen to those astronomers. Some people have an inferiority complex about being smaller than average. Most people don’t like being just average, but being less than average is even worse. Astronomers like to take advantage of these people by pointing out that...
A problem for psychotherapy. It is well-documented that people’s memories are fallible; their perceptions are unreliable; and their view of the world—no matter how strongly believed—may well be contrary to the facts, even contrary to physical law. All of these aspects...
Family members have considerable influence on any one among them who is troubled by health anxiety, or any other emotional problem, for that matter. They can make things better, or worse. The following are guidelines for friends and family to follow in coping with...
The Christmas season, which is supposed to be cheery, also has a reputation for causing depression in some vulnerable individuals. Others are disgruntled. Some people announce to everyone that they hate the holidays, and this particular holiday most of all. Usually,...
Pros and cons—mostly cons. For years I have run a clinic for people who suffer from hypochondriasis and other related conditions. Usually they worry about an illness that can lurk invisibly but that has the potential to be fatal, such as AIDS or pancreatic cancer....
Preventing illness It is worth pointing out that many patients who are afraid of becoming sick and possibly dying nevertheless do not take those measures which are known to lessen the risks of cancer and heart disease and many of the debilitating diseases of middle...
A matter of not knowing enough, rather than too much Health worriers (sufferers from Health Anxiety) tend to imagine the worst possible illness that would explain the physical symptoms they have. These are often the symptoms of anxiety: headache, stomachache,...
Preventing things from going wrong Death is a fact of everyone’s life—not so much our own death, which is projected into some indefinite, unthinkable, future, but rather the death of others– of those people we care about. Usually as early as childhood many of us have...
Ask a writer I am afraid that rejection and failure and disappointment are a regular feature of ordinary life, no matter how successful someone may be. Any set of circumstances in which one reaches out for something: acceptance, approval, the good opinion of friends...