ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Hypochondriacs are a Real Pain

Updated on September 2, 2015

Everybody knows one. They’re the person who constantly regales their circle of family and friends with talk about their newest aches and pains or medical condition. They are often so annoying people will cross the street to avoid them rather than be accosted by a comprehensive list of their ailments…real or imagined.

A hypochondriac is generally defined as a person affected with a psychological disorder, characterized by an excessive fear or anxiety and somatic apprehension, including attention to minute details of bodily functioning and exaggeration of symptoms, no matter how insignificant. They often arise after learning of them on TV, radio, in magazines or from an ailing acquaintance. A hypochondriac can frequently be identified by their inordinate number of medical exams or consultations.

However, hypochondriacs have a real psychological disorder. It is often chronic and sufferers are very anxious about their health. A hypochondriac fears even a minor physical symptom could be a sign of serious illness.

Even when reassured by physicians there is nothing wrong, a hypochondriac is firmly convinced there is. In actuality there is something seriously wrong…they are stricken with a condition known as hypochondriasis. Ironically, hypochondriacs can actually become sick and develop symptoms of a particular malady through excessive worry. Hypochondria occurs about equally in men and women. It can develop at any age, but most often starts in early adulthood.

Fortunately, there are treatment options available for those suffering from hypochondriasis. But left untreated, hypochondria can be seriously debilitating and affect daily functions. Psychiatric counseling and certain medications have been found to be helpful in relieving some, if not all, anxiety and suffering.

It's not certain why some are overwhelmed by perceptions they have a major, undiagnosed health issue. But the general medical consensus is personality, life experiences and inherited traits may play a major role. It’s difficult to identify a specific cause. Specialists tell us often a childhood illness, prior serious condition or even poor health of a loved one may be responsible. Other factors may also be involved. Risk factors include:

  • A family history of hypochondria
  • Psychiatric and personality disorders such as anxiety and depression
  • Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse during childhood
  • Witnessing violence
  • Death of someone close
  • Stressful experience with an illness or that of a loved one
  • Alcoholism and drug abuse

Even when reassured by physicians there is nothing wrong, a hypochondriac is firmly convinced there is. In actuality there is something seriously wrong…they are stricken with a condition known as hypochondriasis. Ironically, hypochondriacs can actually become sick and develop symptoms of a particular malady through excessive worry. Hypochondria occurs about equally in men and women. It can develop at any age, but most often starts in early adulthood.

Fortunately, there are treatment options available for those suffering from hypochondriasis. But left untreated, hypochondria can be seriously debilitating and affect daily functions. Psychiatric counseling and certain medications have been found to be helpful in relieving some, if not all, anxiety and suffering.

It's not certain why some are overwhelmed by perceptions they have a major, undiagnosed health issue. But the general medical consensus is personality, life experiences and inherited traits may play a major role. It’s difficult to identify a specific cause. Specialists tell us often a childhood illness, prior serious condition or even poor health of a loved one may be responsible. Other factors may also be involved. Risk factors include:

  • A family history of hypochondria
  • Psychiatric and personality disorders such as anxiety and depression
  • Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse during childhood
  • Witnessing violence
  • Death of someone close
  • Stressful experience with an illness or that of a loved one
  • Alcoholism and drug abuse

Signs one may be a hypochondriac can include:

  • Fearing minor symptoms are signs of something more serious
  • Frequently switching doctors to get a different diagnosis then “nothing is wrong”
  • Continuously talking about symptoms or suspected ailments with others
  • Numerous physical complaints that often change over time
  • Extensive research into specific illnesses and their symptoms
  • Major distress and worries interfere with social life or work
  • Believing a disease is present after reading or hearing about it

Treatment generally involves consistent care from a doctor, often in consultation with a mental health professional. Some studies have shown keeping a journal about what triggers anxiety can be extremely helpful. Additionally a doctor may prescribe some pharmacologic options. Some promising medications include fluoxetine, clomipramine, fluvoxamine, and imipramine.

An exercise program is another alternative. Not only is it physically healthy but it can relieve stress and contribute to one’s sense of well being.

Those having symptoms of hypochondria should consider talking to a mental health provider. However, not everyone worrying about health problems is a hypochondriac. Having symptoms of something a doctor can't diagnose can clearly cause anxiety, so in some cases a second opinion may be in order.

It’s important to note here, those searching for ailments matching their symptoms will more than likely find something. Minor ailments often have symptoms resembling more serious disorders. With the wealth of health information on the internet today, it’s easy to access information about everything that could possibly be wrong. That can needlessly fuel excessive anxiety. There's nothing wrong with being informed. That’s an important part of staying well.

Hypochondria symptoms may never completely disappear, but one can learn how to effectively cope with it.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)