Bad Breath: Is it All in Your Head?

Is chronic bad breath all in your head? It could very well be. There are a number of halitosis sufferers who don’t have bad breath at all. These unfortunate few suffer from a psychological malady called Psuedo-Halitosis. A lot of halitosis sufferers are blissfully unaware of their condition, while others convince themselves they have it even though there’s no subjective evidence.

It’s pretty easy to misdiagnose halitosis. After all, how do you measure bad breath? Scientific research about halitosis is still fairly new, dating back only to the 1940’s and 1950’s. People who have halitosis don’t have a reliable scale by which to measure their breath quantitatively, although there are commercially available products that measure the most common causes of bad breath, such as sulphur compounds. Consequently, people rely on anecdotal evidence to support their beliefs.

The difference between genuine halitosis and pseudo-halitosis is self-explanatory. Genuine halitosis occurs when there is a physical condition that leads to bad breath, whereas pseudo-halitosis occurs when the patient simply believes he or she has the problem. It also occurs in genuine halitosis sufferers who have treated the problem, but still haven’t quite convinced themselves of this fact. If this belief persists, it leads to still another condition, termed “halitophobia.”

Both pseudo-halitosis and halitophobia have some serious psychological effects. Effects range from complete social isolation to hyper-vigilant hygiene habit to, in very extreme cases, suicide. The effects are most often undetectable to others, but they create misery for sufferers.

Is there a cure for pseudo-halitosis? Ironically, it’s more difficult to treat genuine halitosis than it is treat its psychological counterpart. Evidence suggests that counseling from an understanding mental health clinician can effectively cure pseudo-halitosis. Support from other sufferers, a sympathetic understanding of the condition and a rigorous regiment of basic oral hygiene can help alleviate the symptoms. The widespread array of commercially-available breath products presents a wide variety of choices that can help a person build his or her confidence.