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Recently, many diseases suddenly come and make people feel worry about it. It is normal when you are care about your health and how to prevent your body from many diseases, but when it is become out of sense, I think you should be careful because maybe it is a symptom that you are suffering from hypochondria.

Hypochondria also called hypochondriasis, it is often associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. It is a mental disorder experienced by both men and women. Hypochondriacs think that they are constantly experiencing medical illness, whether real or imagined. They also believe that any symptoms of illness that they have are attributable to serious medical ailments. Hypochondria can lead to severe anxiety in the sufferer and can also result in depression.

A person with this disorder may focus on normal functions, like heartbeats or sweating. They may interpret a minor abnormality or focus on vague and ambiguous physical sensations, like “a sore liver” or “tired veins” as a symptom of something major. Some fear they have problems in several bodily systems. Others focus on one organ. For example, they may be convinced they have heart disease or cancer. Negative results of diagnostic examinations do little to decrease a patient’s anxiety about his or her health, and he or she continues to seek medical attention. Unfortunately, because hypochondria can be so ingrained, many people won’t consider the possibility that they have a mental disorder and steadfastly refuse to seek help from mental health professionals.

General symptoms of hypochondria are:

Obsessive health research
Emotional distress
Frequent checking of your body for problems, such as lumps or sores
Thinking that you have a disease after reading or hearing about it
Avoidance of situations that make you feel anxious, such as being in a hospital
Excessive fear or anxiety about having a particular disease or condition
Worry that minor symptoms mean you have a serious illness
Seeking repeated medical exams or consultations
“Doctor shopping” or frequently switching doctors

Millions of people in the U.S. have hypochondria but most deny it. Many believe they are not getting good medical care. Most of the time, it begins in early adulthood. People with a history of serious illness are more likely to get hypochondria. Children sometimes like to pretend they are ill in order to avoid going to school but this is not hypochondria. Real hypochondria can be a life-long problem unless treated.

Some experts now believe that hypochondria is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and further research may help shed light on that connection. In addition, some research suggests that the body’s natural fight-or-flight response may be partly responsible. People with hypochondria often feel anxiety. Anxiety can cause a physiological arousal in the body that includes an increased heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness and other sensations.

Hypochondria is usually treated by 2 kinds of treatment. The first is psychotherapy by a primary care physician, who may consult with a psychiatrist. The first step is to make sure there is no physical basis for symptoms, such as illness, injury, medication use, or substance abuse. The psychiatrist will give you cognitive behavior therapy.

The second treatment is with antidepressants and other medications to treat hypochondriacal beliefs and attitudes, but there is not a lot of evidence to support this practice. Some research indicates that both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) may help relieve such symptoms as anxiety, fear of disease and somatic problems. However you should be more careful because it can cause side effects that may actually increase your health anxiety.

If you realize that your pursuit of a diagnosis has essentially taken over your life, that you worry constantly about your health, or that you don’t believe doctors who tell you that you’re in good health, consider talking to a mental health professional. It will be more help you. Delaying treatment can allow the hypochondria to become more severe, making it more difficult to treat.

sorrow and worry photo by Julia Freeman-Woolpert

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