Symptom 5: Duration of Concern
SSD isn’t marked by fleeting moments of anxiety. These aren’t ephemeral clouds of concern that drift away with the next wind. They are more reminiscent of lingering storms, consistently hovering and occasionally bursting into torrential emotional downpours. For a diagnosis, these concerns typically span more than six months, asserting their presence, day in, day out.
While the core anxiety remains steadfast, the specific nature of concerns might ebb and flow. One month’s chest pain worry might metamorphose into the next month’s backache stress. But the tide of overarching health anxiety remains, steadfast on the shore of their consciousness.
Such prolonged spans of intense health concerns aren’t benign. They gnaw at the holistic well-being of the individual. Imagine the strain of continuously being on high alert. The chronic stress, with its biochemical changes, can ironically lead to genuine health issues, ensnaring them in a vicious loop of actual health concerns stemming from health anxieties.
Intermittent reassurances won’t suffice here. Given the prolonged nature of their distress, they require a sustained arc of support. Regular counseling sessions, therapeutic interventions, and even group therapy might be pivotal in anchoring their drifting boat of anxieties. (5)
