The hypochondria is a disorder in which anxiety focuses on the possibility of having a serious illness. That threat seems so real that not even the claim of doctors that there are no real diseases can reassure.
The main feature of hypochondria is concern about having a disease. That is, the main problem is anxiety. In this article I will explain its causes, symptoms, treatment, diagnosis and much more..
The concern focuses on bodily symptoms, which are interpreted as a sign of illness or physical problem. They can be the heart rate, respiratory rate, cough, pain, fatigue, among others.
In the first place, the person with hypochondria begins to go to family doctors and when they rule out real diseases, they can go to mental health professionals.
A common characteristic is that although doctors reassure that there is no disease, the person only reassures in the short term. In a short time, he usually returns to other doctors believing that the previous ones failed in the diagnosis or something happened to them.
On the other hand, this disorder often co-occurs (is comorbid) with panic disorder, sharing the characteristics of the person's personality, age of onset, and family transmission patterns (heritability)..
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Most researchers of hypochondria have agreed that it is a problem of perception or cognition with emotional contributions. In addition, genetic and environmental characteristics of the person influence. Therefore, its causes are believed to be genetic, psychological and environmental.
Children with hypochondria may have learned from their relatives the tendency to focus anxiety on physical symptoms and illness. In addition, they may have learned that people with disease have "certain advantages." It would be a learning developed in the family.
By having the role of sick person, there would be the advantages of care, greater care or fewer responsibilities. On the other hand, hypochondriasis is more likely to develop in stressful life events.
Death or illness in close family members can develop hypochondriasis. Approaching the age of the family member, the person may believe that they are suffering from the same disease that caused the death of the close person.
Major disease outbreaks or pandemics can also contribute to hypochondria, as can statistics for diseases such as cancer..
People with hypochondriasis experience physical sensations that everyone has, although they focus on them. This act of focusing on oneself increases activation and causes physical sensations to be of greater intensity..
In addition to this increase in intensity, by thinking that the sensations are symptoms of illness, they increase the intensity of the sensations even more. Its frequent symptoms are:
A) Preoccupation and fear of having, or conviction of suffering, a serious illness based on the personal interpretation of somatic symptoms.
B) Concern persists despite appropriate medical examinations and explanations.
C) The belief in criterion A is not delusional (unlike somatic-type delusional disorder) and is not limited to concerns about physical appearance (unlike body dysmorphic disorder).
D) Worry causes clinically significant distress or impairment of the individual's social, occupational, or other important areas of activity.
E) The duration of the disorder of at least 6 months.
F) Worry is not better explained by the presence of generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, major depressive episode, separation anxiety, or other somatoform disorder.
Specify if:
With little awareness of illness: if during most of the episode the individual does not realize that the concern for suffering a serious illness is excessive or unjustified.
The ICE-10 defines hypochondriasis as follows:
A. Any of the following:
B. Preoccupation with beliefs and symptoms that cause discomfort or interference with interpersonal functioning in daily life, and that guides the patient to seek medical treatment or investigations.
C. Persistent refusal to accept that there are no adequate physical causes for the symptoms or physical abnormalities, except for short periods of a few weeks after the medical diagnosis.
D. Most use exclusion criteria: they do not occur only during schizophrenia and related disorders or other mood disorders.
People who have a fear of developing a disease are different from those who are worried about having it.
The person who is afraid of developing a disease can be diagnosed with disease phobia and usually has a lower age of onset.
The person who feels anxiety about having a disease can be diagnosed with hypochondria. They tend to be older at onset and have higher rates of anxiety and checking behaviors.
Another mental disorder similar to hypochondriasis is panic disorder. People with this disorder also misinterpret physical symptoms as the beginning of a panic attack..
However, these people fear that immediate catastrophes will arise to the symptoms, after the few minutes of the symptoms..
In contrast, hypochondriacs pay attention to long-term symptoms and illnesses. That is, they can focus on the appearance of diseases such as cancer, AIDS ...
Another differential characteristic is that hypochondriacs continue to visit doctors, despite the fact that they confirm that they have nothing. People with panic attacks stop seeing doctors, although they still believe that the attacks can kill them.
However, not everyone who worries about health problems has hypochondria; having symptoms whose causes cannot be identified by a doctor can lead to anxiety.
It is not bad to find out about the disorder or disease that one suffers. The problem comes when you think that there is something that is wrong even after having carried out several tests and having seen several doctors.
The main treatments for hypochondria are cognitive behavioral therapy and sometimes medication.
Recent medical research has found that cognitive behavioral therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine and paroxetine are effective options..
It is a difficult disorder to treat, due to the fact that people who have it refuse to believe that their symptoms are not the cause of a real disease. It is advisable that the course of the patient is followed by a trusted doctor with whom he can develop a good relationship.
This doctor can observe symptoms and be alert to the possibility that any changes could be a sign of an actual physical illness..
Factors that can increase the risk of developing hypochondria can be:
There can be several complications derived from this disorder:
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