Illness anxiety disorder

{{Psychology}}
{{cquote|As I got in I was almost in tears. I sat there and I was shaking and I couldn't breathe|||Stephanie Huynh, a woman with IAD<ref>[http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/article/2016/09/12/it-possible-think-yourself-sick Is it possible to think yourself sick?] '''SBS'''</ref>}}
'''Illness anxiety disorder''' (IAD), also called health anxiety,<ref name="also_called">[http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hypochondria/Pages/Introduction.aspx] '''NHS Choices'''</ref> '''somatic symptom disorder''',<ref>[https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9983.php Hypochondria: What is illness anxiety disorder?], Medical News Today, 24 July 2017</ref> or '''hypochondria''',<ref name="also_known_as">[http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/clinical-updates/psychiatry-psychology/diagnostic-statistical-manual-mental-disorders-redefines-hypochondriasis DSM-5 redefines hypochondriasis] '''Mayo Clinic'''</ref> is a relatively common disorder in which a person worries excessively about their health. This sometimes can be classified as [[Self-diagnosis|self-diagnosis]], but that's sort of a grey area. This is a genuine mental illness that often causes constant suffering for those who have this illness.<ref name="uni">[http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/hypochondriasis Hypochondriasis] '''University of Maryland Medical Center'''</ref> They struggle with relationships, simple daily activities, and keeping a job.<ref name="uni"/> 

It shares similarities to {{wpl|obsessive-compulsive disorder||.}} Sufferers have persistent fears of potential illnesses and compulsions. They often compulsively visit the doctor.<ref>[http://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/hypochondriasis- Hypochondriasis] '''Harvard Health Publications'''</ref> Approximately 75 to 85% of people with illness anxiety disorder have {{wpl|depression||,}} {{wpl|anxiety disorder|anxiety|,}} or another mental illness.<ref name="uni"/> 

This condition is often lifelong.<ref>[https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001236.htm Illness anxiety disorder] '''Medline Plus Gov'''</ref>

Famous people with IAD include Andy Warhol, Marcel Proust, and [[Adolf Hitler]].<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15825245 Adolf Hitler's medical care], Doyle, D, J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 2005 Feb;35(1):75-82.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/17/health-and-wellbeing-anxiety Confessions of a hypochondriac], Louise Carpenter, The Guardian, 17 Jan 2010</ref>

==Symptoms of illness anxiety disorder==
* Worrying about one's health
* Constantly checking one's body for signs of illness
* Avoiding certain areas out of fear of infection
* Frequent doctor visits due to fear of illness
* Being alarmed about health test results
* Compulsively researching symptoms
* Not feeling better despite reassurance

In a cruel twist of fate, anxiety can cause mysterious symptoms like aches and pains, nausea, insomnia, dizziness, and more.<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happiness-in-world/201003/psychosomatic-symptoms Psychosomatic Symptoms] - Psychology Today</ref> To someone with IAD, this might be evidence that they are dying, and medical test results are likely to be inconclusive about the cause. The anxiety causes physical symptoms, the physical symptoms cause anxiety, and the vicious cycle continues.<ref group=note>See also our article on the [[placebo effect]], which is probably related to this phenomenon.</ref>

People with IAD may hop from doctor to doctor, constantly fearing that their symptoms may be a terrible disease that has been overlooked by everyone else. Or they may avoid visiting the doctor for fear of getting terrible news.<ref name="sandiego">[https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-ill-illusions-ailments-may-be-imaginary-but-2010mar23-htmlstory.html Hypochondriacs can worry themselves sick] - San Diego Union-Tribune</ref>

==Causes==
Causes of IAD include:<ref name="cleveland">[https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/hypochondriasis Hypochondriasis] '''Cleveland Clinic'''</ref>
*[[Child abuse]]
*Severe stress
*Illness or death of a loved one<ref name="sandiego" />
*Other mental illnesses
*History of illness in childhood

It appears that people in their 20s are particularly susceptible.<ref>[http://pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=107&pid=33&gid=000089 Hypochondriasis], Penn State Hershey Medical Center</ref>

==Treatment==
Once IAD has been identified, treatment can provide some relief. Options include:

*[[Cognitive behavioral therapy]]<ref name="uni"/>
**Online Cognitive behavioral therapy works too<ref name="conversation">[https://theconversation.com/health-check-how-do-you-know-if-youre-obsessed-with-your-health-70048 Health Check: how do you know if you’re obsessed with your health?] '''The Conversation'''</ref>
*Group therapy<ref name="uni"/>
*Behavioral stress management therapy<ref name="uni"/>
*Anti-anxiety pills<ref name="uni"/>
*Self help<ref name="conversation"/>

==Cyberchondria==
"Cyberchondria" is caused by looking up diseases and symptoms on the [[internet]]. People may mistake symptoms of a mild problem for a severe problem, such as thinking that a stress headache is actually [[cancer]].

Research has shown that people who google their symptoms commonly take the result that comes up first in the search engine as the most probable cause, despite the fact that this is not even slightly how search engines work.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-c-senelick-md/cyberchondria-you-can-cat_b_859085.html Cyberchondria: How the Internet Is Making Us Paranoid About Health], Richard C Senelick, Huffington Post, 2011</ref>

==And the healthcare system==
This disorder poses obvious problems for any [[healthcare]] system. They consume time for healthcare professionals, with frequent visits to GPs and specialists, and often prove to be difficult patients: they are more likely to be more demanding of and dissatisfied with their physician, but also to be more help-rejecting.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4229056/ Hypochondriacal attitudes and beliefs, attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine and modern health worries predict patient satisfaction], Sofia Fionda and Adrian Furnham, JRSM Open. 2014 Nov; 5(11): 2054270414551659.</ref>

Estimates of the cost of IAD vary widely. In the US, the figure of $20 billion per year is often used, going back to the early 2000s.<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/08/11/sick-with-worry Sick With Worry], The New Yorker, 11 Aug 2003</ref><ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jan/20/health/he-hypochondria20 When illness is imaginary, it's entirely a different case], LA Times, 20 Jan 2003</ref> In 2017 it was reported that IAD could cost the British National Health Service £56 million per year.<ref>[https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-09-cyberchondria-uk-health-56m-year.html 'Cyberchondria' costs the UK health service £56m a year], Medical Express, Sept 2017</ref> Research in the UK has shown that 25%-50% of patients visiting their GPs may have unexplained pain or other unexplained symptoms.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/all-in-the-mind-the-cases-that-doctors-cant-explain-891292.html All in the Mind], The Independent, 12 August 2008</ref>

This illustrates the importance of proper treatment for people with IAD: instead of constantly visiting the doctor about (often [[psychosomatic]]) symptoms, they should get appropriate anxiety treatment to help fight back against their habitual worrying.

==Alternative medicine==
Some practitioners of alternative medicine recommend [[marijuana]] as a treatment.<ref name=herbpathy>[https://herbpathy.com/Herbal-Treatment-for-Hypochondria-Cid4390 Hypochondria], Herbpathy</ref> Marijuana has also been recommended for other anxiety-related conditions, but without any evidence from clinical trials.<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/mind-tapas/201303/medical-marijuana-psychiatric-disorders Medical Marijuana for Psychiatric Disorders], Psychology Today</ref> Bamboo shavings are also suggested as a herbal cure.<ref name=herbpathy/> Bamboo may be useful if you are a {{wpl|panda||,}} but its impact on humans isn't so clear.

==See also==
* [[Self-diagnosis]]
* [[Phobia]]
* [[Paranoia]]
* [[Placebo effect]]
* [[Factitious disorder]] (in which someone ''intentionally'' fakes an illness)
* [[Morgellons disease]] (a ''specific'' "skin disorder" that all properly-conducted scientific studies indicate is entirely in the sufferer's mind)

==External links==
*[https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/hypochondriasis Hypochondriasis] ''Cleveland Clinic''
*[http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/article/2016/09/12/it-possible-think-yourself-sick Is it possible to think yourself sick?] ''SBS''
*[http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=53 Overcoming Health Anxiety], free online self-help course

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
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[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Mental health]]

Categories: Medicine, Mental health