PSYC 328 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Gynaecology, Palpitations, Chronic Condition

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 328
• Professor: Agnes Baerbel Knaeuper

Document Summary

There are 3 steps of illness awareness: recognize the symptoms, interpret the symptoms as reflecting an illness, seek medical care. I have a tumor in my head the size of a basketball. I can feel it when i blink woody allen. Some people still function normally in the face of unusual symptoms while others immediately believe they"re sick and act accordingly. What determines how one reacts to symptoms: individual differences and personality. Hypochondriacs: 4-5% of the population, worried that normal bodily symptoms are indicators of illness, make an extensive use of medical care services. Common among patients who convert their distress into physical symptoms: back pain, joint pain, pain in the extremities, headache, bloating, food intolerances, heart palpitations. Women are not more likely than men to report these symptoms, contrary to popular belief. Older people report more symptoms than younger people. neuroticism personality characterized by negative emotions, self-consciousness, and a concern with bodily processes.