Hypochondria

Obsession with the idea of having a serious but undiagnosed medical condition.
Hypochondriasis usually develops during adulthood.
Symptoms include a long-term and intense fear of having a serious condition and worry that minor symptoms indicate something serious. A person may frequently visit or switch doctors.
Counseling and medications may help.

 

Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: W100
Diagnosis: Hypochondrasis-Hypochondria
US Patients: About 5%
World Patients:
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset: Age 4
Brain Area:
Symptoms: preoccupation with developing a serious illness even after medical assurance they do not;”white-coat-syndrome” results
Progression: may avoid medical personnel through lack of trust
Causes: 10%-37% heritable; over-protective care-givers and focus on minor health problems
Medications: antidepressants help 50%’;
Therapies: CBT-Counseling

Youtube Video: Illness Disorder (Hypochondriasis)

Amazon or Library Book: The Health Anxiety Workbook

Click the book to link or order from Amazon.

Support Group: facebook.com/groups/hypchondriasupportgroup

4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED

The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis 

Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.

  • Prevalence of Medical Student Syndrome among Medical Students of Nepal
    by Samata Nepal on February 9, 2025

    CONCLUSIONS: This cross-sectional study revealed a significant prevalence of Medical Student Syndrome among medical students in Nepal, with nearly 18% reporting symptoms of the condition.

  • eHealth Literacy and Cyberchondria Severity Among Undergraduate Students: Mixed Methods Study
    by Wan-Chen Hsu on February 3, 2025

    CONCLUSIONS: The study identified both benefits and risks in college students' use of web-based health information, emphasizing the importance of critical consciousness and eHealth literacy. Future research should examine how college students move from self-awareness to actionable change and the development of critical health literacy, which are essential for effective digital health engagement.

  • Symptom Attributions in Illness Anxiety Disorder
    by Monique L Holden on January 10, 2025

    CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide support for the cognitive behavioural theory of health anxiety, and highlight the importance of assessing and addressing symptom attributions with clients with illness anxiety disorder.

  • Global Research on Cyberchondria: Scientometric and Visual Analysis From 2003 to 2022
    by Caner Baysan on December 19, 2024

    This study aims to summarise the research themes, hotspots, and boundaries in the field of cyberchondria using scientometrics and visual analysis methods. Until 31 December 2022, 181 publications (165 articles, 16 reviews) were identified under the topic of 'cyberchondria' in the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer was used for analysis. It was observed that publications related to cyberchondria have rapidly developed into a research area in the last 4 years, constituting 79.0% (n...