The Worried Sick

Excerpt

The term "the worried well" (1) has long troubled me. On the contrary, in my experience patients may worry themselves sick; and worry, fear, and dread all spell unfitness or sickness, not wellness. Angst and well-being simply cannot stand together. As Richard Scott adds, "there must be something the matter with someone who goes to see a doctor when there is nothing the matter with him." This self-contradictory term, originally coined for patients with minor disorders, who conceivably might be sifted out and treated by paramedical personnel, has taken on a demeaning note: that many are unworthy neurotic "crocks," and