Psychiatrists call this “health anxiety,” though you might call it hypochondria; whatever the term, it's more common than you might think, affecting an estimated 1 to 2 percent of the population.
Illness anxiety disorder (hypochondria) is extremely rare. It affects about 0.1% of Americans.
It is also known as health anxiety, or illness anxiety disorder, or hypochondriasis. It is normal for people to worry about their health now and again. But people who experience hypochondria get very worried that they are seriously ill, or are about to become seriously ill.
DSM-IV-TR places hypochondriasis prevalence at 1 to 5% in the general population and 2 to 7% in the medical population.
Illness anxiety disorder, sometimes called hypochondriasis or health anxiety, is worrying excessively that you are or may become seriously ill. You may have no physical symptoms.
But here's the irony: People who are overly worried about their health are also more likely to actually develop some serious health problems, according to a large new study out of Norway, published this month in the journal BMJ Open. Sometimes being right does indeed suck.
Hypochondriac comes ultimately from the Greek word hypokhondria, which literally means “under the cartilage (of the breastbone).” In the late 16th century, when hypochondriac first entered the English language, it referred to the upper abdomen.
Self-help for hypochondria can include: Learning stress management and relaxation techniques. Avoiding online searches for the possible meanings behind your symptoms. Focusing on outside activities such as a hobby you enjoy or volunteer work you feel passionate about.
Patients with hypochondriasis often are not aware that depression and anxiety produce their own physical symptoms, and mistake these symptoms for manifestations of another mental or physical disorder or disease.
Once established, hypochondriasis tends to be a chronic lifelong illness, with symptoms waxing and waning over the months or years. Patients may have interludes of partial remission during which, though still worried, they may make few demands on the physician.
Hypochondriasis (HYP) is a chronic, disabling disorder characterized by the fear or belief that one is ill based on somatic symptoms that are either medically unexplained or cause excessive distress[1].
Contrary to the idea that "hypochondriacs" are simply looking for attention, the origins of someone's illness anxiety are often highly specific. "There's often a trigger," says Helen Tyrer, a senior clinical research fellow at Imperial College London and author of the book Tackling Health Anxiety.
Charles Darwin. . Charlie was an adorably neurotic hypochondriac who loved treatments like “water cures” for his perceived ailments, where he would take a cold bath and be wrapped in wet sheets (and rubbed down with them). The famous scientist also kept meticulous records of his own flatulence.
While some people's obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) focuses on their health, health anxiety (sometimes called hypochondriasis) is not a form of OCD, and OCD can involve thoughts and anxieties that aren't related to illness. If you're experiencing OCD, health anxiety, or both, effective treatments are available.
Excessive fear of death appears to be an important characteristic of hypochondriasis (Starcevic, 2001). Patients with this disorder often report distressing thoughts and images of death and dying. In addition, fear of death has been linked to hypochondriasis both psychodynamically and philosophically.
If left untreated, this condition can lead to an obsessive preoccupation with the idea of being unwell and it can interfere with person's daily life. Hypochondriasis is not about the presence or absence of illness, but the psychological reaction towards it.
Illness anxiety disorder (previously called hypochondriasis) is a psychiatric disorder defined by excessive worry about having or developing a serious undiagnosed medical condition.
Experiencing physical or emotional trauma can lead to hypochondria. This can include previous health trauma caused by the person having a serious illness, or by observing someone else experience a serious illness. People who experience extreme stress which they cannot relieve are also vulnerable.
Hypochondria is itself a form of mild psychosis. The hypochondriac has a deep and ungrounded worry about having or developing a serious mental illness. Paranoia and suspiciousness are classical traits of psychosis but they can be subtle.
It may also be inherited genetically. Hypochondriacs many times have been cautious, anxious, or fearful of diseases all of their lives. It is just a condition that they are born with. Other times it can be brought on by a traumatic event in a person's life that leads them to feeling unsafe.
They tend to fear severe illnesses like cancer or HIV, rather than more common health ailments like strep throat or a cold. It's also common for an affected person to regularly scan their body for any feelings or sensations that could be worrisome.
Aches in the body: This is a common symptom of hypochondriacs. They seem to perpetually be suffering from headaches, stomach aches, or whole-body aches. Most often, these are subjective complaints, although some patients may really have pain.
People who have illness anxiety disorder or IAD (formerly known as hypochondria) are more likely to develop a fear of doctors or medical tests. IAD causes you to excessively worry that you're getting sick or are already ill.