The Hypochondriac

When the "Hypochondriac" first came out in Israel, the stores had a hard time keeping up with the demand, and the book was sold out. Yitzhak Rubin is one of Israel's most distinguished filmmakers and his novel mesmerized readers in Israel. It happens out of the blue in the mid 70's. Saul, a young Israeli man with severe anxiety issues, has an anxiety attack. He is positive that he is experiencing a heart failure and the episode occurs just as he is about to fulfill his dream and travel...
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When the "Hypochondriac" first came out in Israel, the stores had a hard time keeping up with the demand, and the book was sold out. Yitzhak Rubin is one of Israel's most distinguished filmmakers and his novel mesmerized readers in Israel. It happens out of the blue in the mid 70's. Saul, a young Israeli man with severe anxiety issues, has an anxiety attack. He is positive that he is experiencing a heart failure and the episode occurs just as he is about to fulfill his dream and travel to Wisconsin and study film.From that moment on, his entire experience at Wisconsin-Madison University becomes a constant escape from the fear of an impending disease. A thorough medical examination shows he is 100% healthy, but he continues to experience a range of ailing symptoms. The fear turns on his soul and he is convinced that he is going mad.In order to combat his fear he is willing to try anything: psychological or hypnosis treatment, yoga, meditation or searching for his God.This book is based largely on true events that happened to the author. The extreme emotional process that he goes through is described with wonderful realism, yet with a lot of sensitivity and "Woody Allen" humor.The book is presented as a flow of discussions between the young Israeli and his American shrink. Readers will learn that even though the main character comes from a different background, his story will seem very familiar and easy to relate to.The book was a big hit in Israel amongst young readers suffering from anxiety disorders and who are afraid to expose their conditions due to the fear of being misunderstood.