Carol asked Andrew Shaffer:

If you can spare a minute from FOX Alternative News, could you please explain how you knew you were a hypochondriac? Does it make a difference if you ask Yahoo Answers or that medical web site before or after being "sick"? BTW Best photo of you ever! Almost did not recognize you. Did you ?get younger, if so how did you do it?

Andrew Shaffer Good questions, Carol! I first realized I had health anxiety -- the medical term for hypochondria -- when I walked into my doctor with a lengthy list of terminal and chronic maladies and he referred me to a psychiatrist. "What's a psychiatrist going to do for someone like me who has brain cancer, lyme disease, and MS all at the same time?" I asked skeptically.

Of course, I had none of the above. I was, in fact, one of the physically healthiest twentysomethings he had ever treated. The key word is "physically." Mentally, I was a wreck. I spent hours a day researching my "symptoms," on message boards with other hypochondriacs. The worst thing for a hypochondriac is another hypochondriac. Throw us all in a chat room online, and everyone will be convinced they're dying within fifteen minutes.

I've since learned to handle my health anxiety with a combination of psychiatric medication and talk therapy. I've had "real" health issues unrelated to my health anxiety -- that's life. However, if I can avoid going down a WebMD or Yahoo Answers rabbit hole (and leave the diagnosis up to my doctor), I feel that I've successfully cleared a major hurdle.

My Goodreads profile photo was taken 13 years ago. I keep getting older, but I keep using younger and younger pictures of myself. Soon my author photo will be a baby pic, followed, finally, by an egg.

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