Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTrue vs. UntrueSymptom VariationsDiagnosisCopingWhen It Is Not Illness Anxiety Disorder
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
True vs. Untrue
Symptom Variations
Diagnosis
Coping
When It Is Not Illness Anxiety Disorder
Hypochondria occurs when a person believes they are experiencing a medical condition that they do not have. While it is normal to have fears of illness and medical conditions, hypochondria can also become a medical concern. When hypochondria is severe enough to interfere with daily life, it is medically known as illness anxiety disorder or health anxiety (formerlyhypochondriasis).
Learn about health anxiety, the facts vs. misconceptions, risk factors, symptoms, coping methods, and more.
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What Is True vs. Untrue About Health Anxiety
There are many misconceptions abouthypochondria, including that it is not an actual medical condition; however, this notion is false. Severe hypochondria is a diagnosable mental health condition called illness anxiety disorder and can increase the risk of death.
True: It Is a Real Form of Anxiety
Illness anxiety disorder is a real mental health diagnosis. It is a type of anxiety that affects up to 7% of people.The condition occurs when the symptoms of hypochondria are more severe and significantly impact daily life.
Untrue: It Is “Made Up”
Historically, a portion of society believed that hypochondria is fabricated, or made up, because of the nature of the illness. There is a misconception that people with this condition are seeking attention.However, just like other forms of anxiety, illness anxiety disorder is an actual medical condition and should be treated as such.
True: Some People Have Increased Risk Factors
Some people are at an increased risk of experiencing hypochondria and developing illness anxiety disorder. For example, medical students are at an increased risk as they learn about medical conditions, and, in this context, it is referred to as medical student syndrome.
There are other risk factors, too, such as pasttraumatic childhoodexperiences, doomscrolling, or excessively searching health concerns on the Internet.
Hypochondria symptoms can be mental, physical, and behavioral. The primary symptom is intense worry or fear of being or becoming sick, though there are other symptoms.
Invisible
Evaluating and testing for the cause of these symptoms can be challenging, so some people with other health concerns, such as autoimmune disease, may be thought to have illness anxiety disorder before tests reveal something else.
Physical
In addition to the invisible symptoms, there may be physical symptoms of health anxiety that others observe. Physical symptoms of illness anxiety disorder may include increased heart rate, sweating,shortness of breath, muscle twitches, or tight muscles.These symptoms may come and go as anxiety levels increase and decrease.
Behavioral
Beyond invisible and physical symptoms of illness anxiety disorder, people with this condition may also experience the following behavioral symptoms:
Some people may fear one illness or type of illness, while others may have various health fears that change.
Steps to Receiving an Illness Anxiety Disorder Diagnosis
How to Cope
Having an illness anxiety disorder can be challenging. The fear of having a medical condition or becoming sick can interfere with relationships and daily life. There are ways to cope, and treatment options are available. For example, avoidingreading informationabout health concerns may be helpful.
Self-Soothing Techniques
Sometimes, you can manage illness anxiety disorder at home withself-soothingtechniques. These techniques are helpful alongside professional support, too.
Some ways to self-soothe include:
Therapy or Counseling
Mental healthprofessionals, such as psychologists, treat illness anxiety disorder with talk therapy (psychotherapy). The two most used methods of talk therapy for this condition includecognitive behavioral therapy(CBT) andbehavioral stress management therapy.Both methods can be used for other types of anxiety, too.
Medication
There are no medications specifically for illness anxiety disorder. However, studies have found thatselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs)—a class of drugs to treat anxiety and depression—effectively reduce symptoms in people with this disorder.
Integrative Approaches
In addition to self-soothing andtalk therapy, there are other ways of coping with illness anxiety disorder. Researchers have found various practical integrative approaches for managing anxiety, including the following:
You can use these methods alone or along with talk therapy or self-soothing techniques.
Sometimes, a person who fears that they are experiencing a medical condition does not have an illness or anxiety disorder. For example, chronic fatigue syndrome is difficult to diagnose and is often dismissed as a mental health concern. About 71% of people do not receive an accurate diagnosis until they see at least four different healthcare providers.
Misdiagnoses are especially common when test results are normal. It can happen when providers test for the wrong condition, or there are no tests available for the condition.
Summary
Hypochondria, medically known, involves experiencing intense fear about having a medical condition or becoming ill. When symptoms persist and become severe enough to affect daily life, it is a diagnosable condition called illness anxiety disorder.
The symptoms of illness anxiety disorder may be physical, mental, or behavioral and are often not able to be seen. For example, a person may experience pain or avoid going places where they may come into contact with germs.
Illness anxiety disorder is treatable, and there are ways to cope. If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of hypochondria, help is available. Reach out to a primary care provider or mental health professional for support.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.French JH, Hameed S.Illness anxiety disorder. [Updated 2023 Jul 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024Mataix-Cols D, Isomura K, Sidorchuk A, et al.All-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with hypochondriasis.JAMA Psychiatry. 2024;81(3):284-291. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4744Pavithra N, Dahale AB, Desai G, Chaturvedi SK.Hypochondriasis: clinical profile in a tertiary care psychiatry and neurosciences hospital in southern India - a retrospective chart review.Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. 2019;41(2):178-181. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_177_18Halldorsson B, Salkovskis PM.Why do people with OCD and health anxiety seek reassurance excessively? An investigation of differences and similarities in function.Cogn Ther Res. 2017;41(4):619-631. doi:10.1007/s10608-016-9826-5Sherif HA, Tawfeeq K, Mohamed Z, et al.“Medical student syndrome”: a real disease or just a myth?—a cross-sectional study at Menoufia University, Egypt.Middle East Curr Psychiatry. 2023;30(1):42. doi:10.1186/s43045-023-00312-6Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Health anxiety. August 10, 2023.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Hypochondriasis.National Health Service.Diagnosis - generalized anxiety disorder in adults.National Health Service.Health anxiety. November 8, 2023.Prithviraj M, Mohanraj PS, Patel TK, Das A.Role of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of hypochondriasis: a systematic review.Cureus. Published online September 15, 2023. doi:10.7759/cureus.45286National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Anxiety and complementary health approaches: what the science says. August 2020.McManimen S, McClellan D, Stoothoff J, Gleason K, Jason LA.Dismissing chronic illness: A qualitative analysis of negative health care experiences.Health Care for Women International. 2019;40(3):241-258. doi:10.1080/07399332.2018.1521811
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.French JH, Hameed S.Illness anxiety disorder. [Updated 2023 Jul 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024Mataix-Cols D, Isomura K, Sidorchuk A, et al.All-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with hypochondriasis.JAMA Psychiatry. 2024;81(3):284-291. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4744Pavithra N, Dahale AB, Desai G, Chaturvedi SK.Hypochondriasis: clinical profile in a tertiary care psychiatry and neurosciences hospital in southern India - a retrospective chart review.Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. 2019;41(2):178-181. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_177_18Halldorsson B, Salkovskis PM.Why do people with OCD and health anxiety seek reassurance excessively? An investigation of differences and similarities in function.Cogn Ther Res. 2017;41(4):619-631. doi:10.1007/s10608-016-9826-5Sherif HA, Tawfeeq K, Mohamed Z, et al.“Medical student syndrome”: a real disease or just a myth?—a cross-sectional study at Menoufia University, Egypt.Middle East Curr Psychiatry. 2023;30(1):42. doi:10.1186/s43045-023-00312-6Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Health anxiety. August 10, 2023.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Hypochondriasis.National Health Service.Diagnosis - generalized anxiety disorder in adults.National Health Service.Health anxiety. November 8, 2023.Prithviraj M, Mohanraj PS, Patel TK, Das A.Role of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of hypochondriasis: a systematic review.Cureus. Published online September 15, 2023. doi:10.7759/cureus.45286National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Anxiety and complementary health approaches: what the science says. August 2020.McManimen S, McClellan D, Stoothoff J, Gleason K, Jason LA.Dismissing chronic illness: A qualitative analysis of negative health care experiences.Health Care for Women International. 2019;40(3):241-258. doi:10.1080/07399332.2018.1521811
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
French JH, Hameed S.Illness anxiety disorder. [Updated 2023 Jul 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024Mataix-Cols D, Isomura K, Sidorchuk A, et al.All-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with hypochondriasis.JAMA Psychiatry. 2024;81(3):284-291. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4744Pavithra N, Dahale AB, Desai G, Chaturvedi SK.Hypochondriasis: clinical profile in a tertiary care psychiatry and neurosciences hospital in southern India - a retrospective chart review.Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. 2019;41(2):178-181. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_177_18Halldorsson B, Salkovskis PM.Why do people with OCD and health anxiety seek reassurance excessively? An investigation of differences and similarities in function.Cogn Ther Res. 2017;41(4):619-631. doi:10.1007/s10608-016-9826-5Sherif HA, Tawfeeq K, Mohamed Z, et al.“Medical student syndrome”: a real disease or just a myth?—a cross-sectional study at Menoufia University, Egypt.Middle East Curr Psychiatry. 2023;30(1):42. doi:10.1186/s43045-023-00312-6Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Health anxiety. August 10, 2023.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Hypochondriasis.National Health Service.Diagnosis - generalized anxiety disorder in adults.National Health Service.Health anxiety. November 8, 2023.Prithviraj M, Mohanraj PS, Patel TK, Das A.Role of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of hypochondriasis: a systematic review.Cureus. Published online September 15, 2023. doi:10.7759/cureus.45286National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Anxiety and complementary health approaches: what the science says. August 2020.McManimen S, McClellan D, Stoothoff J, Gleason K, Jason LA.Dismissing chronic illness: A qualitative analysis of negative health care experiences.Health Care for Women International. 2019;40(3):241-258. doi:10.1080/07399332.2018.1521811
French JH, Hameed S.Illness anxiety disorder. [Updated 2023 Jul 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024
Mataix-Cols D, Isomura K, Sidorchuk A, et al.All-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with hypochondriasis.JAMA Psychiatry. 2024;81(3):284-291. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4744
Pavithra N, Dahale AB, Desai G, Chaturvedi SK.Hypochondriasis: clinical profile in a tertiary care psychiatry and neurosciences hospital in southern India - a retrospective chart review.Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. 2019;41(2):178-181. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_177_18
Halldorsson B, Salkovskis PM.Why do people with OCD and health anxiety seek reassurance excessively? An investigation of differences and similarities in function.Cogn Ther Res. 2017;41(4):619-631. doi:10.1007/s10608-016-9826-5
Sherif HA, Tawfeeq K, Mohamed Z, et al.“Medical student syndrome”: a real disease or just a myth?—a cross-sectional study at Menoufia University, Egypt.Middle East Curr Psychiatry. 2023;30(1):42. doi:10.1186/s43045-023-00312-6
Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Health anxiety. August 10, 2023.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Hypochondriasis.
National Health Service.Diagnosis - generalized anxiety disorder in adults.
National Health Service.Health anxiety. November 8, 2023.
Prithviraj M, Mohanraj PS, Patel TK, Das A.Role of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of hypochondriasis: a systematic review.Cureus. Published online September 15, 2023. doi:10.7759/cureus.45286
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Anxiety and complementary health approaches: what the science says. August 2020.
McManimen S, McClellan D, Stoothoff J, Gleason K, Jason LA.Dismissing chronic illness: A qualitative analysis of negative health care experiences.Health Care for Women International. 2019;40(3):241-258. doi:10.1080/07399332.2018.1521811
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