Persistently and full of worry, hypochondriacs look for signs of illness that might confirm their suspicions. They constantly check their own body and organ functions. Hypochondriacs sometimes measure body temperature and blood pressure hourly; they continually feel for lumps or other changes.
Hypochondria: not a male phenomenon
Perfectly normal physical reactions are often misjudged by hypochondriacs. If they are neatly out of breath after climbing four flights of stairs, they interpret this not as a sign of lack of fitness, but as the first indication of lung cancer. Research by the Psychological Institute of the University of Mainz found that about seven percent of Germans have exaggerated health fears.
Researchers at the Universities of Marburg and Dresden, on the other hand, consider hypochondria to be a rare condition. The psychologists surveyed 4,181 randomly selected Germans between the ages of 18 and 65 in a standardized interview. Only three of them showed symptoms of severe hypochondria, and less than three percent suffered from pronounced or unrealistic fears of illness.
Men and women are affected about equally often, and all age groups are represented. Thus, the fairy tale of exclusively male hypochondriacs is not tenable.
Hypochondriacs among medical students
Nevertheless, there are indeed clusters of hypochondriacal behavior: among medical students, for example. They tend to discover those symptoms in themselves that are currently the topic of the current lecture. As a rule, this mild form of hypochondria (“morbus clinicus”) passes quickly.
Television broadcasts on certain forms of illness also attract imaginary sick people. In the days following the broadcast of a program on colorectal cancer, Ebola viruses or avian flu, a conspicuously large number of people report to the viewers’ secretariats of the television editorial offices and to general practitioners who fear that they are suffering from precisely this disease. According to the report, the mere mention of a disease or the typical symptoms can bring on the complaints.
Triggers and causes
But also individual causes usually play an important a role:
- For example, hypochondriacs are often naturally anxious and cautious people who have been afraid of illness since puberty.
- They often experience a serious illness or hospitalization at a young age.
- Sometimes a chronically ill family member is the trigger.
- An anxious and overprotective environment also plays a role. For example, if the child is not allowed to go to school because of a harmless cold, but is put to bed.
- A very painful life event, such as the death of a loved one, can also trigger the disorder.
Diagnosis: hypochondriac
Discovering a hypochondriacal disorder is not easy. First, the doctor must make sure that none of the feared physical ailments actually exist. A thorough physical examination is important. If he does not find any disease, the next step is to talk to the patient, educate him and look for possible solutions together.
Various criteria also help with the diagnosis. Since illness anxiety can also be the result of or resemble some other mental illnesses, doctors must consider these possibilities. For example, the habit of hypochondriacs to constantly check their bodily functions (“checking behavior”) is reminiscent of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Just as these patients constantly check the door or the oven, hypochondriacs incessantly check their health.
In addition, the constant fear of a serious illness strikes at the mood. About half of hypochondriacs also suffer from a more or less pronounced form of depression. Therefore, as a rule, it is essential to consult a specialist who has experience with hypochondriacs: for example, a psychiatrist, psychotherapist or specialist in psychosomatic medicine. This is because permanent fear of illness is a mental illness, not a physical one.
