Asthmatic Personality

There is some evidence that certain characteristics may single you out being at risk and make you more likely to develop asthma than other people. Various studies have suggested that asthmatics are irritable, angry, obsession and prone to depression. They bottle things up and hide their feelings when they are tense. Some doctors say tension is reflected in the lings and air passages, and there have been cases where releasing repressed emotions and fears have alleviated asthma.

Other doctors have suggested that asthmatics are too dependent on their mothers. It is difficult to know what comes first, the asthma or the personality traits. Having a condition that makes you wheezy and breathless is depressing, and if you have to clean the house from top to bottom to banish house dust mites or patches of mould then it is all too easy to become obsessive.

Nevertheless, a number of studies show that anxious and depressed sufferers are more likely to be wheezy, wake breathless or with a tight chest and have attacks of breathlessness when resting or after activity. Some children can deliberately bring on an attack by hyperventilating or coughing unnecessarily, in order to win sympathy, manipulate their parents or avoid school.

There is little doubt that a few people find that their eczema or allergy can win sympathy and attention. This is known as secondary gain. And remember; do not keep your feelings to yourself. Just telling someone, whether it is a colleague, friend, partner or counselor, about the things that are making you anxious can bring enormous relief. One study has suggested that 6 out of 10 people who have experiences serious asthma attacks were in denial.