Question 1

Is health anxiety a form of hypochondria?

Accepted Answer

While health anxiety and hypochondria are used interchangeably, they are the same. Hypochondria was the previous medical term used to describe those living with health anxiety.

Today, having an irrational fear about one's health is referred to as health anxiety by medical professionals. Though many people still refer to this condition as hypochondria.

Hypochondria or health anxiety means that a person has an excessive fear of their health. As a result, these individuals often take frequent trips to the doctor or convince themselves that they have a serious medical illness, even though they've never been diagnosed with anything.

Having health anxiety is serious enough that it often interferes with a person's daily life. Many individuals will spend their time obsessing over their health rather than carrying out their daily routine, which is why seeking the help of a medical professional is important to help manage this condition.

Question 2

What triggers hypochondria?

Accepted Answer

There are several things that can trigger hypochondria. Knowing these triggers may lead to better management of the condition. Here are a few triggers to consider.

Genetics: Sometimes, hypochondria can be inherited. If you have a parent who was a hypochondriac growing up, you are more likely to become a hypochondriac yourself. This may be caused by genetics or could be a result of being raised by someone living with the condition. It's important to note that individuals who have overbearing or overprotective parents have a higher risk of developing health anxiety.
Another social or anxiety disorder: If you already have a pre-existing anxiety disorder, this could increase your risk of developing hypochondria.
Trauma or abuse: Experiencing emotional or physical trauma can lead to hypochondria. For instance, some individuals experience previous health trauma due to their own serious illness or watching someone else experience a serious illness. In addition to this, those who continuously experience high levels of stress have a greater risk of hypochondria.

It's essential to note that health anxiety generally occurs in early or middle adulthood and can become worse with age. For older individuals, it is common to develop a fear of losing memory.

Question 3

What kind of therapy is used for hypochondria?

Accepted Answer

There are various types of therapies used for hypochondria. Psychotherapy, and sometimes psychotropic medication, is an effective solution when it comes to treating patients with hypochondria.

Psychotherapy offers a way to help people with a broad variety of mental illnesses and emotional difficulties cope. Here are a few therapies commonly used for treating hypochondria.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): Many individuals living with hypochondria experience seemingly irrational concerns about their health. CBT is designed to help individuals identify their beliefs and concerns and replace these with more rational thoughts.
Bibliotherapy: Bibliotherapy is used to help individuals develop a deeper understanding of their condition. Individuals living with hypochondria will read literature about overcoming hypochondria as well as books that help to normalize the condition.
Behavioral stress management: Stress plays a key role in a person's level of hypochondria. Behavioral stress management may help lower an individual's stress load and feelings of anxiety about a particular health condition or symptom.
Group therapy: Group-style treatment can be an effective approach to dealing with hypochondria. The ability to identify irrational fears and be able to talk about them among a group of people who have similar concerns can have a positive impact.

Question 4

What is hypochondria?

Accepted Answer

Hypochondria, also known as somatic symptom disorder, is an illness anxiety disorder that is characterized by an individual living in fear of having a serious illness, even when medical tests find nothing wrong.

Having concerns about your health at times is normal. But some individuals worry to the point that it interferes with their daily life. Normal health concerns arise when your body is sending you signals telling you that something is wrong. In this scenario, you would visit a doctor to see what was wrong.

According to the Harvard Medical School, hypochondria is known to affect 4% to 5% of people. However, it is believed by experts that hypochondria is underreported and that the number could be closer to 12%.

It's important to note that hypochondria is a chronic condition. The severity of hypochondria will depend on certain factors such as age, a person's tendency to worry, and their current stress load.

There are various symptoms associated with hypochondria. These symptoms range depending on the individual.

However, you can expect to have one or more of the following symptoms.

Fearing normal body functions: Individuals living with hypochondria may fear normal body functions such as their heartbeat, bowel movements, and sweating. These individuals may feel as if normal functions are a sign of a serious illness.
Fear of minor abnormalities: Individuals living with hypochondria may interpret minor abnormalities in the body such as a runny nose, a small sore, or slightly swollen lymph nodes as a serious issue.
Constantly checking the body: A person living with hypochondria may regularly check their body for signs of illness.

Some people may focus their attention on one particular organ or they may focus on a particular disease such as cancer. Other people living with this condition may focus on one disease after another to seemingly no end.

Question 5

Is hypochondria a symptom of OCD?

Accepted Answer

While hypochondria and OCD are similar in a lot of instances, hypochondria is not a symptom of OCD. The underlying cause of both hypochondria and OCD is anxiety. With that said, many people will find that response behaviors to each condition are similar.

However, hypochondria and OCD have distinct differences that separate these two conditions from one another. The main difference between the two is the focus of the person's worry and anxiety.

For instance, individuals living with OCD generally have obsessions related to a variety of themes. Some common themes include contamination, religion, and personal harm.

In contrast, individuals living with hypochondria have a specific obsession related to their health. More specifically, these individuals are concerned about developing a serious medical condition despite reassurance from a medical professional.

Question 6

What is the difference between hypochondria and cyberchondria?

Accepted Answer

Hypochondria, also called illness anxiety disorder or hypochondriasis, is an unrealistic fear that a patient has a severe medical condition. It is also defined as the unfounded fear of being at a high risk of becoming sick.

Hypochondriacs usually misinterpret typical body functions as signs of illness. People with hypochondria can't control how they feel, and their health worries can interfere with their lives, careers, and relationships.

Cyberchondria, on the other hand, refers to the tendency of self-diagnosing health issues online to anxiety-producing results. This internet-induced anxiety is caused by the widespread availability of online information that exaggerates health-related fears.

People with cyberchondria usually spend a lot of time online searching for health advice. Cyberchondriacs have deep-rooted unnatural fears about contracting various diseases and generally grow anxious when reading health diagnoses on the web.

While both conditions are characterized by anxiety brought by unfounded fears of having severe medical conditions or exaggerated fears of contracting an illness, a cyberchondriac grows anxious when researching their potential disease on the internet.

Whereas hypochondria has been known since the 19th century, cyberchondria is a relatively new phenomenon. Cyberchondria is a growing concern due to the proliferation of the internet and smartphone devices that make it easy for people to self-diagnose online. Hypochondria and cyberchondria both harm the lives, relationships, and careers of people suffering from the conditions.

Is health anxiety a form of hypochondria?

Related questions about hypochondria

Life is complicated. Finding a therapist shouldn’t be.

Newsletter signup

Get inspiration straight to your inbox.