Hypochondriasis is an anxiety disorder characterized by unjustified and excessive concern about health and the belief that any symptom may indicate a serious illness. Anyone who suffers from hypochondria is defined as a hypochondriac: here are the characteristic signs of the condition, the causes and treatments for illness anxiety.
Hypochondria is a type of anxiety disorderalso known as illness anxiety or pathophobia, a condition characterized by excessive and unjustified concern about health and the belief that any symptoms that may indicate a serious illness. Compared to the normal apprehension that we all have about health from time to time, in a hypochondriac the worry of being sick or getting sick is so frequent to interfere with interpersonal relationshipswork and, more generally, with daily life, and it is such to persist even afterwards that any medical tests have not revealed any health problems.
Many people with hypochondriasis in fact express doubts and disbelief about the results of diagnostic tests and report that doctors’ reassurances regarding the absence of serious disease are not convincing. Other characteristic signs of hypochondria include the need for constant reassurance about one’s healthexcessive consultation of health information on the internet or in the media or the tendency to avoid all this which may have to do with serious illnesses (avoidant pathophobic), such as medical television programs. Added to this are the effects of anxiety itself, which can cause symptoms such as headache or fast heartbeatwhich can be confused with signs of feared diseases.
What is hypochondria and what does hypochondriac mean
Hypochondria (from late Latin hypochondriawhich comes from Greek ὑποχόνδρια – υπό- “hypo-” e χόνδρος “cartilage”) is a characterized condition from excessive and unjustified worry for their own health or that of others, and from the fear that any physical or mental symptom may indicate a serious illness. As suggested by the etymology of the name, hypochondria was a form of discomfort known already in ancient times, which was believed to be localized at the abdominal level. Only later did it become clear that the illness was linked to a mental disorder.
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Formally, the use of the term hypochondria has been abandoned, due to its negative connotation, so today we speak of illness-related anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder (respectively in the absence or presence of physical symptoms), both classified as somatic and related symptom disorders in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersDSM-5).
A hypochondriac is an individual who is so worried about being ill or about becoming ill that illness anxiety it is so frequent that it interferes with social relationships and in the workplace, or to cause such inconvenience that it compromises daily life.
A hypochondriac becomes excessively alarmed even in the absence of symptoms or if he presents very mild symptoms, he may mistakenly interpret normal bodily functions as signs of a serious illness and, even after any medical tests that have not revealed problems, those suffering from hypochondria are still worried by the idea of being seriously ill. The disorder occurs generally during early adulthoodbut it can occur at any age and equally in men and women.
What are the symptoms of hypochondriasis
People who suffer from hypochondriasis – illness anxiety disorder or somatic symptom disorder – are excessively and unjustifiably worried for their own health and that of others, have an unrealistic fear of having a serious medical condition or fear that they are at high risk of becoming ill. The symptoms of hypochondria are therefore characterized by worry of having or contracting a serious, undiagnosed disease. The most common symptoms are:
- constant worry of having or contracting a serious illness
- constant search for physical or mental signs that may indicate an illness (such as lesions on the skin, tingling, pain, difficulty remembering…)
- exaggerating the symptoms and their severity (coughing, for example, becomes a sign of lung cancer)
- be easily alarmed by physical sensations related to normal bodily functions, such as bloating, flatulence, or sweating.
- Talking excessively about your symptoms and health status with others
- obsessively consult health information on the internet or in the media to study symptoms and diseases
- book frequent medical tests and check-ups, consult multiple doctors and often change your doctor because you are dissatisfied
- worry that a doctor or medical tests may have overlooked something
- seek continuous reassurance about your health from doctors, family or friends
- avoid anything that has to do with serious illnesses, such as medical television programs
- engaging in excessive health-related behaviors or acting as if you were ill (avoiding, for example, physical activity)
Anxiety itself can cause symptoms, such as headache and rapid heartbeat, which can be confused with signs of feared diseases. Often, hypochondriacs may also experience high blood pressure (hypertension), stress, and anxiety in the presence of doctors or while in a medical facility, a condition known as “white coat syndrome.” In some cases, people with hypochondria they completely avoid any reminder of the illness or, on the contrary, they undergo many medical tests, seek advice from multiple specialists and frequently visit medical facilities.
People with hypochondriasis, who also have a known medical condition, they worry excessively about the disease, symptoms and possible catastrophic consequences. Individuals with hypochondriasis who are otherwise healthy may show an excessive fear for their health in the future. For example, they might think: “What if I get cancer?”.
More generally, people with hypochondria they can become so distressed and anxious that you have difficulty doing everyday things.
What triggers hypochondria and what to do
The causes of hypochondria or rather, illness-related anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder, are not known, although the condition is more frequent in people who: have had severe stress, a childhood illness, a serious illness or a death in the family; have experienced childhood trauma, such as abuse or abandonment; suffer from a mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, compulsive disorder or a psychotic illness; they have a personality that tends to make everything seem worse than it is.
In subjects susceptible to hypochondria, some activities can trigger episodes of serious concernsuch as reading about illnesses on the Internet or in newspapers, watching medical programs on television, knowing someone with a serious medical condition, feeling unwell, or noticing swelling or bumps.
Those who suffer from hypochondriasis generally is not aware of the disorder, but believes he has other health problems. However, if you suspect the condition, the advice is to contact your doctor or a specialist in psychology or psychiatry for a clinical evaluation. The diagnosis is based on the criteria of the aforementioned Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, which, for illness anxiety disorderinclude:
- Worry about having or acquiring a serious illness
- No somatic symptoms or mild somatic symptoms
- Excessive anxiety about health and easy apprehension about personal health problems
- Check your health status repeatedly or avoid visits to the doctor and hospitals
- Concern about illness that has persisted for at least months, although the feared condition may change over this period of time
If, in addition to these criteria, significant somatic symptoms and concern about the symptoms are present, the diagnosis is of somatic symptom disorder.
In the presence of illness anxiety disorder or somatic symptom disorder, experts advise cognitive-behavioral therapy, which has been shown to be an effective treatment in a series of randomized controlled trials and numerous observational studies. The data indicate that, on average, approximately two thirds of patients respond to treatment and 50% achieve remission, i.e. they no longer have hypochondriasis after treatment.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be both individual and group, but also by telephone or used through online platforms: it is aimed at treating “maladaptive and dysfunctional cognitive beliefsaddressing the patient’s habits of excessive search for signs of illness and educating the patient about normal body sensations and their normal variations” the specialists explain. In specific cases, pharmacological treatments with antidepressants, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, can also be used to manage symptoms.
