ArticlePDF Available

“Hypochondriac” discourse in the modern society: a way to self-care about health or health anxiety?

Authors:

Abstract

Introduction Modern social discourse emphasizes an importance of health either as a limiting resource that needs to be “saved” and “restored”, or as a vulnerability that should be protected, or as a “natural gift” that needs support and recovery by natural methods including alternative medicine. Advertisement adds to the social discourse a meaning of health as a sign of success. Research demonstrated that beliefs in any of these meanings is associated with higher adherence to medical recommendations but also higher catastrophizing of bodily sensations, somatosensory amplification and belief in bodily weakness (Rasskazova et al., 2017). Objectives To reveal relationships of beliefs and thoughts in “hypochondriac discourse” with subjective importance of health self-care and health-oriented behavior. Methods 340 participants 17-77 years old filled “Hypochondriac” Discourse Questionnaire (Rasskazova et al., 2016) that includes four scales measuring beliefs and four scales measuring frequency of thoughts about each health meaning, and Health Self-Care Scale (Rasskazova et al., 2021) that differentiates subjective importance of different ways of self-care and activities (Cronbach’s alphas .66-.80). Results All beliefs in “hypochondriac discourse” except importance of alternative medicine are related to medical health monitoring and active styles of life (r=.23-.43) but unrelated to reported activities. Frequency of thoughts about “hypochondriac discourse” are related to adherence to health behavior (r=.31-.49). Conclusions Frequent thoughts about “hypochondriac discourse” could be protective factor helping to support active life styles but also could lead to over-protection in healthy people. Research is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project No. 22-28-01643 Disclosure Research is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project No. 22-28-01643
EPP0153
Changes in neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregivers
distress in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia
and Alzheimers disease in 12 months
M. Yassuda*and T. Lima-Silva
University of São paulo, Gerontology, São Paulo, Brazil
*Corresponding author.
doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.466
Introduction: In behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia
(bvFTD) neuropsychiatric symptoms are a significant concern as
they impact care management and caregiver wellbeing.
Objectives: To describe change in individual neuropsychiatric
symptoms and associated caregiversdistress assessed by the
Neuropsychiatry Inventory (NPI) in patients diagnosed with
bvFTD and Alzheimers disease (AD) from baseline to a
12-month follow-up.
Methods: The sample consisted of 31 patients diagnosed with
bvFTD and 28 patients with AD and their caregivers. The NPI
and the Addenbrooke´s Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R)
were applied. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Wil-
coxon test, Chi square (χ2) were used.
Results: At baseline, significantly higher scores were observed for
the bvFTD group for: agitation, disinhibition and eating disturb-
ances. The latter two were also higher in the NPI Distress subdo-
mains. At followup, there were significantly higher scores for the
bvFTD group in agitation, disinhibition, eating disturbances,
hallucination and irritability. For the NPI Distress subdomains,
agitation, eating disturbances and hallucination scores were signifi-
cantly higher for the bvFTD group.
Conclusions: In 12 months, neuropsychiatric symptoms increased
in both bvFTD and AD groups. However, NPI subdomain and
caregiver distress scores were statistically higher among bvFTD
patients at both assessment points. Neuropsychiatric symptoms
may be associated with care burden in bvFTD and should be a
focal point in care management decisions.
Disclosure: No significant relationships.
Keywords: behavioral dementia frontotemporal (bvFTD);
Alzheimer´s disease; aging; Neuropsychiatric symptoms
Others
EPP0151
Hypochondriacdiscourse in the modern society: a
way to self-care about health or health anxiety?
A. Tkhostov
1
*, E. Rasskazova
2,3
and V. Emelin
1
1
Moscow State University, Clinical Psychology, Mokhovaja, Russian
Federation;
2
Mental Health Research Center, Medical Psychology,
Moscow, Russian Federation and
3
Moscow State University, Clinical
Psychology, Moscow, Russian Federation
*Corresponding author.
doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.467
Introduction: Modern social discourse emphasizes an importance
of health either as a limiting resource that needs to be savedand
restored, or as a vulnerability that should be protected, or as a
natural giftthat needs support and recovery by natural methods
including alternative medicine. Advertisement adds to the social
discourse a meaning of health as a sign of success. Research dem-
onstrated that beliefs in any of these meanings is associated with
higher adherence to medical recommendations but also higher
catastrophizing of bodily sensations, somatosensory amplification
and belief in bodily weakness (Rasskazova et al., 2017).
Objectives: To reveal relationships of beliefs and thoughts in
hypochondriac discoursewith subjective importance of health
self-care and health-oriented behavior.
Methods: 340 participants 17-77 years old filled Hypochondriac
Discourse Questionnaire (Rasskazova et al., 2016) that includes
four scales measuring beliefs and four scales measuring frequency
of thoughts about each health meaning, and Health Self-Care
Scale (Rasskazova et al., 2021) that differentiates subjective import-
ance of different ways of self-care and activities (Cronbachs
alphas .66-.80).
Results: All beliefs in hypochondriac discourseexcept import-
ance of alternative medicine are related to medical health monitor-
ing and active styles of life (r=.23-.43) but unrelated to reported
activities. Frequency of thoughts about hypochondriac discourse
are related to adherence to health behavior (r=.31-.49).
Conclusions: Frequent thoughts about hypochondriac discourse
could be protective factor helping to support active life styles but
also could lead to over-protection in healthy people. Research is
supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project
No. 22-28-01643
Disclosure: Research is supported by the Russian Foundation for
Basic Research, project No. 22-28-01643
Keywords: Hypochondriac; discourse; self-care; health behavior
EPP0153
Psychiatrist-led treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) at an
opioid agonist treatment (OAT) clinic in Stockholm -
enhancing the HCV treatment care cascade
M. Kåberg
1,2
*, P.-E. Klasa
3
and T. Nordin
3
1
Karolinska Institutet, Department Of Medicine Huddinge, Division
Of Infectious Diseases, At Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge,
Stockholm, Sweden;
2
Stockholm Center for Dependency Disorders,
The Stockholm Needle Exchange, Stockholm, Sweden and
3
Prima
Maria, Oat Clinic, Stockholm, Sweden
*Corresponding author.
doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.468
Introduction: People who inject drugs (PWID) and opioid agonist
treatment (OAT) patients have an increased hepatitis C (HCV)
prevalence. Studies among these populations show promising HCV
treatment results, which is essential to reach the WHO goal of
eliminating HCV as a major public health threat by 2030.
Objectives: To introduce psychiatrist-led HCV treatment at an
OAT clinic and to investigate HCV treatment results, i.e. sustained
virological response at 12 weeks post treatment (SVR12) and
numbers of reinfections.
Methods: Prima Maria OAT clinic in Stockholm, provides OAT for
450 patients. The majority have a history of injection drug use.
Baseline HCV prevalence (January 2018) was retrospectively
S176 E-Poster Presentation
https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.467 Published online by Cambridge University Press
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.