HYPOCHONDRIASIS

DSM V

• Can begin during any age, but most common in people 20-30
• Simple occurrences turn into life threatening illnesses
• It is a lifelong illness where the person has periods of remission
• Patients will go to doctors already convinced they have a serious disease
• Patients often feel unsatisfied with the lack of recognition by doctors

CAUSES OF HYPOCHONDIRA

• Perception of normal sensations is magnified
• The belief that an illness may be deserved do to a past wrongdoing
• Benefits of being sick like recieving attention from others
• May be related to other psychiatric disorders like anxiety or OCD
• Brains of hypochondriacs have a higher activity level in the Amygdala

TREATMENT

• Psychotherapy, group therapy
• Behavior modification, cognitive therapy
• Treatment for anxiety and depression can help
• Drugs like Sertraline, Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, and paroxetine
• These treatments can mixed results depending on the patient

SYMPTOMS

• Having a long term intense fear about having an illness
• Worrying that minor symptoms mean you have a serious illness
• Seeing multiple doctors repeated times
• Having involed medical exams like MRI's repeated times

SYMPTOMS CONT.

• Frequently switching doctors seeking different opinions
• Continuosly talking about symptoms
• Obsessively doing health research
• Thinking you have a disease after reading about it

Social Effects
Hypochondria can have a varying effect on victims of the disease. The illness can become the center of their lives, focusing on nothing else. They spend all of their time scanning the Internet and medical books looking for a disease that matches their symptoms. They will become more and more preoccupied with their disease and usually will not be able to live a normal life.

ADDITIONAL INFO

• 5% of visits to doctors are caused by Hypochondria
• 10% of U.S. Medical costs are caused by Hypochondria
• It can occur equally between men and women
• Rarely do patients with hypochondriasis have a full remission