Suggest Treatment For Hypochondria Inspite Of Having Protected Sex

Posted on Wed, 7 May 2014

Question: hello doctor i need help. For the past year and a half i have been suffering from very bad hypochondria. I have been jumping around from one disease to another, some more imaginary than others. for example i have made the mistake of seeking out prostitutes only later to be worried about STD's even though i always used protection. lately i have been worried of hiv after my latest encounter with a prostitute, eventhough it was protected sex. i am choosing not to test for hiv because i know that i am just being crazy. at times i seem to be okay with my choice but other times i am really freaking out. i don't want to give any more power to my hypochondria by going around taking test that i don't need. from a psychological point of view am i doing the right thing?

Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (3 hours later)

Brief Answer: Testing HIV/STD relieve tension.Safe with condoms. Detailed Answer: Hi, Welcome to HCM. Thanks for posting your query. You had your encounters with prostitutes only with protection. You did a very wiser thing by using condoms. So you are safe and unlikely to get ant STD or HIV. But as you have a mild problem with hypochondriac it is advisable for you to have a HIV/STD tests 90 days after your last high risk contact and get cleared that you are HIV/STD free. Once seen that your tests are negative in the paper result, then only you can get relaxed. Your test will definitely come as nonreactive only, as you had safe sex. So choose to have the test as soon as possible and get relieved. DR S.Murugan

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar