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- Page navigation anchor for Worried well can still be a useful termWorried well can still be a useful termThis was a useful article in highlighting some of the problems with using the phrase “worried well”, however I disagree with the point that using a more clinical phrase such as “health anxiety” is appropriate. This is a distinct entity and altogether different from the “worried well”. Conflating the two terms is unhelpful, and can seem dismissing of those who do experience diagnosable health anxiety (hypochondriasis in ICD 10, or illness anxiety disorder in DSM 5). When I use the term worried well – sometimes with colleagues, sometimes just in my head to formulate thoughts about a patient, I do not mean those with a health anxiety disorder. I use it to refer to those who actually are well both psychologically and physically, who happened to have just a simple worry or two, often (as suggested in this article) about something they’ve read in the newspaper. This worry, once the source of it is identified, is often fairly easy to resolve.The patient may be prone to worrying a little about their health, or consult more frequently than others – perhaps they are socially isolated with no-one to run these little niggles past, perhaps they have different health beliefs, or maybe they are simply one of life’s worriers but this does not necessarily mean they have an anxiety disorder. The phrase “worried well” is not unprofessional in itself, but using it either mockingly or in p...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.
- Page navigation anchor for The worried wellThe worried wellI partially agree with the author's point of view, but I think the worried well can
be used appropriately in diagnosis. The worried well is not so much abusive as a feasibility statement based on medical facilities.And the use of the worried well is not necessarily a negative attitude of the clinician, butShow Morerather a consolation role played by the GP. When existing facilities cannot detect the symptoms, and the patient has a strong desire to diagnose the disease. Making the worried well is doable. The reasons are as follows. First, it can give a relatively reasonable diagnosis (the worried well),...Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for The worried wellThe worried well
The author's points are excellent, and I would like to add something else here.
In addition to not label patients as “the worried well”, GPs need to pay attention to the anxiety status of this group, andmore importantly, to identify the real reason behind their anxiety.It is important to note the anxiety of this group. Physicians sometimes will do more tests than they should because they are afraid of being sued and avoid misdiagnosis. The patients through
Show Morea large number of examinations do...Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Different opinion about "worried well"Different opinion about "worried well"
I agree with Gray et al. the analysis that it is inappropriate to call patients
‘ the worried well'. However,in some cases , it may be helpful to tell the patients that they could consider the possibility—the bad feeling may come from the anxiety. The phrase is not always doctor centred or patronising; it could also reassure the patientsif communicating well.Most patients in China choose general hospitals for primary contact, and doctors in these hospitals...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.