Hypochondriasis

One of the somatoform disorders, characterized by persisting worry about health or fear of having some disease despite appropriate medical reassurance and lack of findings on physical or laboratory examination.

A chronic maladaptive style of relating to the environment through preoccupation with shifting somatic concerns and symptoms, fear or conviction that one has a serious physical illness, seeking of medical treatment, inability to accept reassurance, and either hostile or dependent relationships with caregivers and family. In DSM-IIl-R, hypochondriasis is classified as a somatization disorder.

Unfounded concern about disease or mental health.

Mental depression caused by the patient’s belief that he or she is suffering from a grave illness, regardless of the accuracy of that belief.

A condition characterized by preoccupation with illnesses, diseases, and morbid states.

Condition in which a person has excessive concern about his/her health and unrealistic interpretations of real or imagined symptoms, often accompanied by anxiety and depression; also called hypochondria.

Preoccupation with bodily sensations by a patient with fear of serious illness despite medical evidence and reassurance that she/he is not ill.

A persistent and abnormal preoccupation with physical health combined with the fear that one is suffering from a grave or major undetected illness, even though medical evidence to support that worry is lacking. lacking. An individual with this mental illness (commonly called a hypochondriac) misinterprets a sign or symptom as proof of disease, continues in the belief that  disease is present despite medical reassurance, and suffers significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or family settings because of the preoccupation with disease. Symptoms are often vague and ambiguous, and they may change over time. In many cases, people with this disorder go from doctor to doctor seeking a diagnosis and believe they are not getting proper care.

Obsession with the body’s functions and a delusion of ill health, often severe, such that patients may believe they have a brain tumour or incurable insanity. Furthermore, patients may believe that they have infected others, or that their children have inherited the condition. It is a characteristic feature of depression, but may also occur in schizophrenia, when the delusions may be secondary to bodily hallucinations and a sense of subjective change. Chronic hypochondriasis may be the result of an abnormal personality development: for example, the insecure, bodily-conscious person. Delusional preoccupations with the body usually the face may occur, such that the patient is convinced that his or her face is twisted, or disfigured with acne.

Hypochondriasis is a condition where a person holds an unfounded conviction that they are seriously ill, even when medical professionals assure them otherwise. Those with a milder form of hypochondriasis might perpetually worry about their health and perceive any minor symptom as proof of a disease. At its most severe, hypochondriasis can become the central focus of a person’s life. The person may consistently seek medical counsel and potentially undergo a multitude of tests and treatments for illnesses they believe they have.

The probability of developing hypochondriasis is higher in individuals who have previously suffered from a severe disorder, especially during their childhood, or have witnessed these disorders in family members. Other factors that can increase susceptibility include exposure to social stressors and certain personality types. Hypochondriasis may also arise as a complication of other psychological conditions, such as phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and brain diseases like dementia.

Treatment typically aims to address the root mental disorder, whenever possible. Hypochondriasis that does not have an identifiable underlying cause can be challenging to treat.