What is Illness Anxiety Disorder?
Illness anxiety disorder or hypochondria is an excessive, irrational and persistent concern about one's own health. The person worries because they interpret and relate physical sensations they have as indicators of either having or contracting a serious illness, even though these do not usually indicate illness.
In some people, the disorder follows an evolution or series of episodes, when they experience an increase in symptoms and occasional discomfort. For other people, the course is more chronic; that is, the symptoms are experienced continuously over a longer period of time.
How many people are affected?
Illness anxiety disorder affects between 0.5 and 4% of the population. It affects men and women alike and can begin in adolescence or at the beginning of adulthood.
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Published: 2 September 2024
Updated: 2 September 2024
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