"When you think of someone high in neuroticism, you probably conjure up the image of a person who's always worried, anxious, fearful, and unhappy. But did you ever stop to imagine what this person's health may be like? In the old chicken vs. egg dilemma, also known as "correlation does not equal causation," such a connection presents a challenge. Is someone's health bad because of the high neuroticism, or does bad health lead a person to become highly neurotic?"
"Consider the example of Fredda, who is constantly worrying about future bad possibilities that could befall her. She can rarely enjoy herself because she's focused on what's wrong in any given situation. Her physician's office knows her quite well because she's always calling in about some new set of bothersome symptoms. As she switches from medication to medication, nothing seems to work; in fact, she seems to be getting worse. In the past week alone, she was more fatigued than ever, and occasionally felt dizzy."
Neuroticism involves chronic worry, anxiety, and negative affect that often coincides with worse health and frequent medical complaints. Medication regimens can accumulate into polypharmacy—commonly defined as five or more medications—leading to drug interactions that produce unwanted physical and psychological effects, including fatigue, dizziness, cognitive impairment, or symptoms mimicking dementia. Such medication‑related effects can create a bidirectional appearance between personality traits and health status. Careful review of prescription lists and minimizing unnecessary medications can reduce iatrogenic symptoms and clarify whether personality or medication interactions drive observed health problems.
Read at Psychology Today
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