I wonder if my contracting the new coronavirus pneumonia is a psychological problem

These days, I have been suspecting that I have a new type of pneumonia. On New Year's Eve and the third day of the Lunar New Year, it was verified by symptoms such as fever 37.3, chest tightness and suffocation. I am very anxious and worried. I am afraid that if I am really infected, I will infect my young children and elderly mother-in-law.

So, even at home during those days, I wore a mask and kept my children away from me. But I know very well that I have no history of epidemiology (I have never been to Hubei epidemic areas, nor have I been in contact with people from Hubei epidemic areas). At the same time, I also pay great attention to personal protection and try to reduce unnecessary outings. Starting from the afternoon of the 21st, I always wear a mask when going out and wash my hands frequently when going out, so the chance of contracting the new coronavirus is very small. But why do I still have such intense self-doubt?

I believe there are many people like me, otherwise there would be no patients crowding into the hospital, seriously squeezing the medical resources for severe patients with new coronary pneumonia, increasing the risk of cross-infection, and later calling for Internet hospital consultation. News reports of mildly ill patients self-isolating at home.

How can I, a person with no history of epidemiology, have such serious doubts. Those who do have a history of epidemiology will have more serious suspicions before medical observation is lifted. This article aims to objectively and scientifically relieve personal hypochondriacal anxiety in extraordinary times and regain physical and mental relaxation through self-case analysis.

1. Record of the personal experience of hypochondriasis

On the evening of the 20th, Academician Zhong Nanshan publicly confirmed that the new coronavirus can spread from person to person and called on everyone to wash their hands frequently when going out. Wear a mask.

Early in the morning on the 21st, before going to work, I went to all the pharmacies downstairs of residents and asked if they sold masks. As a result, all the masks were sold out and I couldn’t buy them anymore. I'm a little anxious.

At dinner time on the 22nd, my sister called me and said that my eldest brother was hospitalized. At first I thought my eldest brother was injured and hospitalized again, such as from a fight. After listening carefully, I found out that it was a suspected new coronavirus infection that was being isolated and treated in the county hospital. Fortunately it was a false alarm. My eldest brother was diagnosed with influenza A that night and was discharged from the hospital the next day.

On the evening of the 23rd, Wuhan announced a lockdown, followed closely by many cities in Hubei.

On the 24th, I ate hot snack nuts at home for several days and developed mouth ulcers. At noon on New Year's Eve, I felt tight in my chest. I took a thermometer and measured 37.3. When symptoms such as fever, chest tightness, and shortness of breath appeared for the first time, I began to suspect that I was infected with the new coronavirus.

On the 25th and 26th, I deliberately reduced my intake of hot snacks and nuts, drank more water at home, did not stay up late checking my phone, and ensured adequate sleep. Put down your phone during the day and try to edit audio and homemade reading packages for your children's picture books (follow the online tool that can be clicked with a pen). The symptoms of discomfort disappeared quickly.

On the 27th, the third day of the Lunar New Year, news began to report the existence of asymptomatic carriers of the new coronavirus. Symptoms include fever, chest tightness, and shortness of breath for the second time. My body temperature was 37.2, and I once again suspected that I was infected with the new coronavirus.

At night, my son got seriously angry and a big bubble appeared inexplicably in his mouth. It was not yet 8 pm, and he wanted to take his son to the social welfare center. As a result, two social care centers were closed. So I decided to go to Baoan Central Hospital, which is not far away. When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor took everyone's temperature and asked if they had any epidemiological history. After confirming that there were no problems, they were directed to the pediatric emergency department.

It wasn’t until I went to the hospital to take my temperature that I gradually felt reassured and convinced that I was definitely not suffering from COVID-19. I shouldn’t always be suspicious and anxious. This not only increased my mental and psychological burden, but also increased the burden of testing and investigation on the medical staff of the hospital. It was also at this time that I had the idea to share and analyze and explain my questionable experiences.

2. Analysis and explanation of the causes of hypochondriasis

I graduated

The death row prisoner thought his blood was dripping out, and soon he was He died in such great fear, but in fact he did not shed a drop of blood.

Did he die from fright or from excessive blood loss? After examining his body, it was found that all of his body's reactions were the same as symptoms of massive blood loss!

In other words, his consciousness thought he was bleeding, which caused his body to report excessive blood loss. This experiment revealed that mentality affects physiology, and inner fear is a person's biggest enemy.

The Rosenthal Effect

Also known as the "Pygmalion Effect" and the "Interpersonal Expectation Effect", it is a social psychological effect that refers to teachers' ardent hope for students to A phenomenon that achieves the desired effect dramatically.

One day in 1968, American psychologist Rosenthal and his assistant came to a primary school and said they would conduct seven experiments. They selected three classes from grades one to six and conducted a "future development trend test" on students in these 18 classes. Afterwards, Rosenthal handed a list of the "most promising people" to the principal and relevant teachers in an approving tone, and told them to keep it confidential so as not to affect the accuracy of the experiment.

In fact, Rosenthal told an "authoritative lie" because the students on the list were chosen at random. Eight months later, Rosenthal and his assistants re-examined those 18 classes.

As a result, a miracle happened: the students on the list have made great progress, and are lively, cheerful, confident, curious about knowledge, and more willing to deal with others.

In fact, Rosenthal’s “authority lies” worked. This lie gave the teacher a hint and affected the teacher's evaluation of the abilities of the students on the list. The teacher in turn passed on his psychological activities to the students through his emotions, language, and behavior, making the students become more self-esteem, self-love, and self-confidence. , self-improvement, and thus made extraordinary progress in all aspects.

Placebo effect

Also known as pseudo drug effect, counterfeit drug effect, and substitution effect, it refers to the patient's "expectation" or "belief" that the treatment will be effective and the patient's symptoms will be relieved. phenomenon. This relief is not caused by the drugs taken, but is based on the patient's psychological expectation of recovery. People who are prone to produce corresponding psychological and physiological effects when using placebos are called placebo responders.

The personality characteristics of such people include: sociable, dependent, easily suggestible, lack of self-confidence, concerned about various physiological changes and discomforts, hypochondriacal tendencies, and neuroticism. They are all effects of psychological cues on behavior. So I tried to do self-analysis and find the real reasons for my hypochondriasis and fear of crowns:

First of all, self-knowledge, I realized that I am a sensitive and self-suggestive person, especially after getting married and having children. For example, after I gave birth to my child, I suspected that I had uterine prolapse. Until the doctor confirmed that I was fine, I always suspected that my baby's hip joint was dislocated. I will always pay attention to whether the child's leg lines are symmetrical. Doctors should pay attention to every physical examination of a child. I will not be completely reassured until my child learns to walk, run, and jump. Because of the high pressure at work, I once had chest pain as a physical reaction. I was very afraid of chest pain and sudden death. I went to the hospital complaining of chest pain. The emergency department took a chest X-ray to confirm that everything was fine, and then I gradually got better.

So since the outbreak of the epidemic, the news events updated every day and the emergencies around me have given me great hints. This is reflected in the lockdown of Wuhan and the suspected hospitalization of my eldest brother, which makes me feel that the epidemic is getting more and more serious. So for the first time at noon on New Year’s Eve, I had a fever of 37.3, chest tightness, suffocation and other symptoms. But the reports of asymptomatic carriers of the new coronavirus on the third day of the Lunar New Year made me worry about whether I might be infected by asymptomatic carriers after going out a few times during the Spring Festival, so it happened a second time.

I had fever, chest tightness, and severe discomfort for the past two days. I just didn’t get a good rest. I stayed up late to watch TV shows, and at the same time I ate a lot of hot snacks and nuts, which caused oral ulcers, oral inflammation, and fever. I guess this is also the real cause of the fever. Later, I went to bed and rested, drank a lot of water, and my symptoms

Make sure you are a susceptible person.

You can, like me, think about any real-life examples of suggestion in your past. If you confirm that you are a suggestible person, when you have fever, chest tightness, or discomfort and suspect that you are infected with the new coronavirus, tell yourself clearly that this is the result of self-suggestion and that you are not infected. Then reflect on what you need to pay attention to in terms of diet and sleep, improve in time, and quickly eliminate uncomfortable symptoms. Gradually solidify the idea that I am not infected and that I am healthy. Slowly, the anxiety of hypochondriasis will be greatly reduced.

Change the focus of attention

There is no need to refresh the news all the time, especially when you find that the news affects you. If you don’t know how to watch, stop doing other things immediately and watch a well-produced TV series with high ratings.

Funny joke pictures on the Internet, such as: Finally on the fifth day, I can lie at home doing nothing and contribute to society. The weather is cloudy. I lost control in bed 15 times, my heart beat 2681 times, and I blinked 588 times. I really can’t figure out why any idiot would eat a bat? Does he want to fly?

In fact, waiting is also a way to shift focus. Once the focus shifts and people become busy, they naturally have no extra time and energy to worry about getting sick.

Remain objective and rational.

The virus will not drift from Hubei to you for no reason, but there must be a carrier to achieve infection. Therefore, if you do not come into close contact with virus carriers, wear a mask when going out, and wash your hands frequently when you go home, you will basically not be infected. Even if infected, people with good immunity can recover on their own, giving themselves more positive psychological cues. Believe that you are healthy.

When you feel stressed, talk to your family and friends in time.

Ease those bad emotions, reduce bad psychological cues, and get more positive psychological cues. At the same time, online public welfare psychological platforms can also provide professional methods and knowledge to relieve stress and emotions. Proper attention and application can relieve anxiety and restore inner peace.

Attached are 2 pictures of netizens decompressing out of boredom.

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