Hypochondria

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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Factors that may increase the risk of developing or triggering hypochondria include:

  • Having a serious illness during childhood
  • Knowing family members or others with a serious disease
  • The death of a loved one
  • Having an anxiety disorder
  • A rigid belief that being in good health means that you are free of all physical symptoms or sensations
  • Having close family members with hypochondria
  • Feeling especially vulnerable to illness or disease

Hypochondria occurs about equally in men and women. It can develop at any age, even in children, but it most often begins in early adulthood. Current estimates suggest that 1 to 5 percent of the population has hypochondria.

References
  1. Hypochondriasis. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Oct. 28, 2008.
  2. Oyama O, et al. Somatoform disorders. American Family Physician. 2007;76(9):1333-1338.
  3. Abramowitz JS, et al. Hypochondriasis: Conceptualization, treatment, and relationship to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America 2006;29:503-519.
  4. Bouman TK, et al. A psychoeducational approach to hypochondriasis: Background, content, and practice guidelines. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. 2008;15:231-243.
  5. Thomson AB, et al. Psychotherapies for hypochondriasis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007:CD006520.
  6. Harding KJ, et al. Advances in understanding illness anxiety. Current Psychiatry Reports. 2008;10:311-317.
  7. Greenberg DB, et al. Somatization disorder. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 10, 2008.

DS00841

Nov. 25, 2008

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