Hypochondria

Hypochondria (sometimes hypochondriasis) is a type of somatoform disorder. Hypochondria is the unfounded belief that one is suffering from a serious illness. Hypochondria is often associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. Hypochondria can also be brought on by stress.

Related Topics:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder - Anxiety - Stress

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It should be noted that in some cases hypochondria is misdiagnosed when the patient is indeed unwell, but the physician is unable to diagnose the real illness. For this reason, a patient's condition should be thoroughly investigated before diagnosing hypochondria.

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Hypochondria was originally a term used for unidentifiable stomach pains that were a common concern in the ancient world. Eventually the term evolved to be the male counterpart to hysteria during the nineteenth century.

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There has been some evidence that anti-depressants can alleviate severe hypochondria.

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