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Illness Anxiety Disorder: Know The Symptoms And Causes Of Hypochondriasis
Know The Symptoms And Causes Of Illness Anxiety Disorder
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Illness Anxiety Disorder, also known as Hypochondriasis is a health anxiety wherein you tend to excessively worry that you are or may become seriously ill. You might either have no physical symptoms or you may believe that normal body sensations or minor symptoms are signs of severe illness.
Mayo Clinic says that you may experience extreme anxiety that body sensations, such as muscle twitching or fatigue, are associated with a specific, serious illness. This excessive anxiety, rather than the physical symptom itself can result in severe distress that can disrupt your life. This is a long-term condition that can increase with age or during times of stress.
Symptoms Of Illness Anxiety Disorder
Here, take a look at the signs and symptoms of illness anxiety disorder.
- Being preoccupied with having or getting a serious disease or health condition
- Worrying that minor symptoms or body sensations mean you have a serious illness
- Being easily alarmed about your health status
- Finding little or no reassurance from doctor visits or negative test results
- Worrying excessively about a specific medical condition or your risk of developing a medical condition because it runs in your family
- Having so much distress about possible illnesses that it's hard for you to function
- Repeatedly checking your body for signs of illness or disease
- Frequently making medical appointments for reassurance — or avoiding medical care for fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness
- Avoiding people, places or activities for fear of health risks
- Constantly talking about your health and possible illnesses
- Frequently searching the internet for causes of symptoms or possible illnesses.
Causes Of Illness Anxiety Disorder
While the exact cause of illness anxiety disorder is not known, here, take a look at some of the factors that might lead to illness anxiety disorder.
- Beliefs: You may have a difficult time tolerating uncertainty over uncomfortable or unusual body sensations. This could lead you to misinterpret that all body sensations are serious, so you search for evidence to confirm that you have a serious disease.
- Family: You may be more likely to have health anxiety if you have parents who worry too much about their own health or your health.
- Past experiences: You may have had experience with serious illness in childhood, so physical sensations may be frightening to you.
Ways To Prevent Illness Anxiety Disorder
Here, take a look at some of the ways to prevent illness anxiety disorder.
- If you have problems with anxiety, seek professional advice as soon as possible to help stop symptoms from getting worse.
- Learn to recognize when you’re stressed and how this affects your body and regularly practice stress management and relaxation techniques.
- Stick with your treatment plan to help prevent relapses or worsening of symptoms.
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