I have a young 19 year old female friend that has a history or hypochondria and depression . She is very a thin person and has been claiming to be having trouble with shortness of breath and aching pain in her deep muscle tissue and joints. She recently complained that just walking up the steps caused her heart rate to pound so excessively that she was in fear she would pass out.
I don't want to take these symptoms lightly , yet she does have a history of believing she has brain cancer and other ailments , which of course she did not. But she does claim that she isn't just having a panic attack , that she knows the difference between what she is going through and a panic attack. No one will help her in her family and I just wanted to hear an opinion of what it could be.
Thank you for your time and I hope this doesn't sound too frivolous .
Pete

Hi, Pete!

Is there any way to get her into some counseling for her complaints and symptoms? Also, when was the last time that she was examined by a physician, please?

It could be a panic attack and it could also be something else. We can't really diagnose medical problems on this site. That's best to be done by a physician who can examine the patient in person.

We can only give people general ideas here, about as much as they could find out by researching things themselves.

Thanks!