Re: Radiophobia-Paranoia? Risk communication

["Bjorn Cedervall" <bcradsafers@HOTMAIL.COM>]

>Is public radiophobia a manifestation of paranoia? I think not !

I agree. Paranoia is a clinical condition that can be related to various

kinds of mental illnesses. The word radiophobia is perhaps unfortunate

because phobias also have their chapter in psychiatry books.

----

Lars Persson sent me the following reference about anxiety:



"Health Physics 64(3):223-231; 1993 article by me and Drottz-Sjöberg."



I will have to wait for it a week - until I get back to Sweden - there is no 

HPJ near me at the moment. Let me just say that each word requires careful 

consideration. Anxiety can involve "catastrophication" (may be it is not a 

word in the dictionary - escalation or amplification) of some worry 

(example: reading about coronary heart diseases -> begin to say - aren't 

there some strange itchings - yes there are -> interpreted as angina 

pectoris - and then spelled out perceptionally in the mind as: "I have a 

heart infarct/failure". This is not too far from paranoia I believe).



My personal reflections and ideas only,



Bjorn Cedervall  bcradsafers@hotmail.com





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