The University of Maryland Medical Center says that health anxiety involves fear of having a serious disease, the preoccupation with having or developing a chronic illness, misinterpretation and exaggeration of normal bodily sensations or minor physical symptoms. Also known as hypochondria or hypochondriasis, health anxiety usually begins in early adulthood and affects both men and women equally, says The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. This preoccupation can cause significant distress or impairment in family, social, occupational and other important areas of life.
Exaggeration and Obsession
Hypochondriacs might become convinced that they have a medical problem or that their symptoms are precursors to developing a life-threatening illness. This can result from an unsubstantiated belief that they are sick or exaggeration of unrelated, non-fatal symptoms such as a headache. Media campaigns, television or radio programs on physical illness or reading about specific medical conditions may also lead sufferers to believe they have experienced symptoms of that specific condition.
Despite reassurance from doctors that they are free of their feared ailments, sufferers of health anxiety will disregard medical evidence, believing that their doctor missed something during the examination. Oftentimes this leads to jumping from doctor to doctor in hope of getting confirmation of their illness. PsychCentral says that sufferers may also seek comfort and reassurance from friends and family.
Body Checking
Similar to obsessive behavior, constant body checking is a routine behavior in hypochondriacs, states Patient UK. The overwhelming fear of becoming ill causes sufferers to regularly inspect their bodies for abnormalities or anything they might interpret as symptoms of a medical problem. This fear thus leads to an increase in physical anxiety symptoms.
Avoidance Behaviors
Believing they are suffering from a disease or destined to fall ill, hypochondriacs will avoid health-related and medical information, including changing the channel or turning off the television when health programs or commercials are on. They also avoid activities such as exercise, due to a belief that they will bring on or increase the their chance of contracting illness. Additionally, they might avoid going to doctors out of fear of getting bad news, or stay away from people who exhibit symptoms of sickness, hospitals or other crowded places likely to have people who are contagious, reports Anxiety UK.
