Health anxiety is better known as hypochondria or hypochondriasis, a mental illness in which the sufferer believes that he has some type of disease despite there being no evidence, like symptoms, to support this belief. Like many mental illnesses, health anxiety can become debilitating, preventing the sufferer from enjoying the things that were once sources of pleasure and happiness.
Expert Insight
According to Dr. Michael Cavanagh, a psychologist at the University of Sydney, hypochondriasis is best described as "a persistent and irrational fear" that a person either has a serious disease or condition, or will soon develop one. This deep fear of illnesses can take sufferers on an endless quest for answers as they seek doctor after doctor to conduct medical exams to find and treat the supposed illness. Dr. Cavanagh says that sufferers will actually develop symptoms like dizziness, pain, heart palpitations and swelling, but that these symptoms are usually misinterpreted.
Symptoms
According to Medline Plus, symptoms of hypochondria include a constant fear of having a serious illness and vague physical symptoms that are misinterpreted by the sufferer as being harmful, but which show no underlying cause.
The Mayo Clinic lists additional symptoms that include obsessively researching different types of diseases and conditions, constantly switching caregivers--or "doctor shopping"--and constantly checking vital signs or checking the body for any "lumps or sores."
The symptoms or constant fear must last for at least 6 months for the condition to be diagnosed as hypochondria. Some sufferers may eventually realize that their fears of developing or having a major medical illness are "unreasonable."
Causes and Risk Factors
The Mayo Clinic classifies health anxiety as a psychosomatic disorder. This means that it is basically a psychological illness that also manifests in physical symptoms. An exact cause has not been discovered as of 2010, but psychologists believe that hypochondria is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
There are certain risk factors that may make one person more likely to experience health anxiety than another. These factors include being seriously ill at a young age and being traumatized by the death of a loved one.
Treatment
Once health anxiety is diagnosed, treatment may include psychotherapy and medication. Psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, is used to treat many other mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, and can also be helpful in treating hypochondria. The Mayo Clinic also suggests that antidepressants, namely selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants, can help curb the obsessive thoughts and even relieve some physical symptoms.
Considerations
If you believe you may have hypochondria, or if you are bothered by frequent and obsessive thoughts regarding your health, see your doctor immediately. However, don't neglect your health either, because as Medline Plus cautions, in some cases actual diseases may be ignored because previous medical exams done on the sufferer proved to be unfounded. The best way to determine if you are indeed suffering from health anxiety or a real illness is to visit your doctor and also make time to see a psychologist.
