Why can anxiety make me scared that I have a brain tumour?

This article will discuss how anxiety can sometimes make you scared that you have a brain tumor, or even other health conditions. It will show why this can happen, and how you can set the two of them apart.

Why can anxiety make me scared that I have a brain tumour? 

Sometimes when people are struggling with anxiety, they can begin to fear that they have a brain tumor. That can happen because they are experiencing symptoms that seem to be similar to the ones of a brain tumor, or because their anxiety is so intense that they are constantly worried that they are ill, and a brain tumor may be a possible condition.

In thinking about this, it is important to focus on two matters. The first one is that, if at any moment you feel you have a serious condition, such as a brain tumor, it may be a sign that you have developed a somatic symptom disorder. 

This condition leads you to constantly worry, and be anxious about the possibility that there is something wrong with your health.

This can lead you to look on google, and in any other engine, you can know what each little symptom can mean. In that pattern of behavior, a headache can become a sign of a brain tumor, and the fast heartbeat that can come with anxiety can turn into signs of a heart attack.

What you need to remember is that Google won’t offer you personalized information, taking into account your medical history. And in there, the diagnoses will often seem more daunting than they are in reality. And this constant worry about your health can lead you to develop health anxiety.

When you develop this condition, it is possible that, even after you hear your doctor, and go through exams, you will still be in doubt, and questioning if you may have a brain tumor. 

And even though you may sometimes be aware that you are worrying too much, and that this concern is above regular health care, it doesn’t mean you will be able to control it.

This condition can cause you to be hypervigilant about anything that happens in your body, so if at any time something changes, you will quickly begin to think something more serious is happening. And this may cause you to, once again, make an appointment with your doctor to guarantee that nothing is wrong.

It may also be that when you have anxiety, some of the symptoms of it can be similar to the ones that would be present if you have a brain tumor. The most common one is a headache. People can assume that the headache that comes with anxiety can be a clear sign of a brain tumor.

In both cases, it is important to try to calm yourself down, and understand what is health anxiety, and how the headaches that can come from the tension anxiety causes will differ from the headaches that may be associated with brain tumors. So now let’s discuss more that.

How can I cope with health anxiety?

If you notice that you are constantly concerned about your health, to a point that is not even only related to a brain tumor, but that you are constantly concerned something is wrong with you, it may be time for you to look for treatment to cope with health anxiety.

Therapy will surely help you understand what may be behind this exaggerated concern. It can help you put those thoughts into question, and try to make it easier for you to find other explanations for your symptoms. It may also help you create better strategies to cope with those thoughts.

But in some cases, if those concerns are too intense, only therapy may not be enough, and some people may need medication. In those cases, you must look for a psychiatrist, so they can help you define the best line of medication, and dosage to help you through it.

How can I set anxiety apart from brain tumors?  

Anxiety will lead you to experience high-stress levels, which will activate your fight or flight response, which can ultimately lead to many changes in your body. One of them is the tension that it will put your body, and muscles through, and because of that, you can experience tension headaches, since your brain is also covered with muscles.

In some cases, people can begin to assume that those headaches are connected to a brain tumor. But you should know, before putting yourself through a lot more anxiety, and worry, that different signs will show you that you have a brain tumor, rather than anxiety.

So before you go thinking you have a brain tumor, know that the headache that indicates a brain tumor will often be a more persistent one than the one caused by anxiety. They can be so intense that, if you are sleeping, they will wake you up.

Aside from that, when you have a brain tumor, headaches won’t be the only ongoing symptom. It will also lead to vomiting, nausea, and even double vision. So unless you are experiencing other associated symptoms with a brain tumor, you are most likely fine. And just need to find ways to care for your anxiety.

As said before, therapy and medication can be a way to cope. But also living a life that exposes you less to stress, and concerns can make the intensity of your anxiety lessen, which will often impact the symptoms of anxiety to a point that you may not even experience the tension headaches anymore.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Why can anxiety make me scared that I have a brain tumor? 

Does being stressed make my chances of getting cancer higher? 

No, being stressed, or even being anxious have no relationship with making a person develop cancer. There have been many studies in that field, but not one of them was able to categorically affirm that stress leads to higher chances of developing cancer.

What are the most common symptoms of a brain tumor? 

When a person has a brain tumor it can manifest in many ways. It can lead them to develop a new pattern of headaches, and they will often become more frequent. Aside from that, when you have a brain tumor, it is likely that you will begin to feel nausea, or even vomit.

The brain tumor will also affect your sight, it can make you have blurred vision, double vision, or even loss of your peripheral vision. It can affect your movement of arms, and legs, aside from affecting your balance.

It will often change your speech, make you feel tired, or even confused. A brain tumor can make it harder for you to make a proper decisions, and you may have trouble following commands. Overall it can change the way you act, cause hearing problems, or even make you experience seizures.

What are the types of brain tumors? 

There are many types of brain tumors. And to identify each of them a doctor will need to take a close look at you, and ask for many exams before defining the proper line of treatment. The brain tumor can be an acoustic neuroma, astrocytoma, brain metastasis, choroid plexus carcinoma, and even craniopharyngioma.

Your doctor may also need to identify between embryonal tumors, ependymoma, glioblastoma, glioma, medulloblastoma, meningioma, oligodendroglioma, pediatric brain tumors, pineoblastoma, or even pituitary tumors.

What are the biggest risk factors for developing brain tumors?

Some risk factors can make a person more susceptible to developing brain tumors. It can happen easier as it metastasizes from other types of tumors such as breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer, or even melanoma.

Aside from that, it can be easier for a person to develop a brain tumor if they have a family history of the condition, or have the genetic predisposition to have conditions that increase the chance of developing brain tumors. 

It can also happen easier to people that have been exposed to one form of radiation called ionizing radiation.

Those forms of radiation are often found in radiation therapy which is often used to treat various types of cancer. Or even the exposure to the radiation that comes from atomic bombs.

Can a doctor make the wrong diagnosis about a brain tumor?

Yes, a doctor could misdiagnose you and not recognize that you have a brain tumor. This can happen because when referred to the symptoms the person is experimenting with, most doctors will often consider other conditions.

It can be that, when a person tells their doctor about the symptoms caused by a brain tumor, the doctor will often understand it can be Alzheimer’s disease, encephalitis, or even a stronger headache, or migraine.

Can blood tests identify tumors?

Yes, it is possible that through blood tests you can check for some changes in the person’s hormone levels, and in some markers that can indicate that the person has not only a brain tumor but that they can have other types of tumors as well.

As far as brain tumors go, through blood tests, it is possible to identify them in the pituitary gland, pineal region, or even some germ cell tumors because these will often alter the hormone levels of the person or even the chemical in their bodies.

Are all forms of brain tumors dangerous?

No, not all forms of brain tumors are dangerous. It is important to understand first that there is a difference between having cancer and having a tumor. This is because not all tumors will be cancer types of tumor. Some of them may only be a sign that the cells developed themselves differently, but they don’t bring harm to the person.

Aside from that, it is important to know that a brain tumor can also be dangerous depending on where on the brain it is. It can be located in a sensitive place, for example, that will affect the person’s mobility or coordination.

 In those cases, although it is not a deadly tumor, it can bring problems to the person’s life. What will cause the doctors to consider possible ways to treat it.

Conclusion

This article explained why anxiety can sometimes lead you to be scared that you have a brain tumor. It also explained the difference between the two, and how you can set them apart.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write them in the section below.

References

Brain Tumor Anxiety Overblown

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/health-anxiety/amp/