Knowra Illness anxiety disorder Illness anxiety disorder Illness anxiety disorder is a mental disorder marked by persistent fear or preoccupation that one has or will develop a serious illness, despite few or no significant physical symptoms.
Health anxiety : Persistent worry about having or developing a serious illness, ranging from ordinary concern to clinically impairing anxiety. The broader pattern of distress that illness anxiety disorder names in its diagnosable form.
Somatic symptom disorder : A disorder involving distressing physical symptoms accompanied by excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors about them. It centers on significant symptoms, whereas illness anxiety disorder involves minimal or absent symptoms.
Cognitive restructuring : A therapeutic method for identifying and testing interpretations that contribute to distress. It examines conclusions that bodily sensations necessarily signal severe disease.
Avoidance behavior : Actions that reduce contact with situations, sensations, or information perceived as threatening. Some people avoid hospitals or medical information for fear of confirming illness.
Reassurance seeking : Repeatedly asking others or checking sources for confirmation that a feared danger is absent. Temporary relief can reinforce repeated checking and requests for certainty about illness.
Functional neurological symptom disorder : A disorder involving altered voluntary motor or sensory function incompatible with recognized neurological disease. It illustrates that distressing symptoms can occur without the disease a person fears.
Interoceptive exposure : A therapy technique that deliberately evokes feared bodily sensations to reduce avoidance and catastrophic responses. It can reduce fear of sensations interpreted as signs of illness.
Healthcare utilization : The use of medical services, including consultations, tests, and treatments. Persistent illness concerns can lead to repeated consultations or, for some, avoidance of care.
Body vigilance : Heightened monitoring of bodily sensations for signs of threat or disease. Close monitoring can make ordinary sensations seem like evidence of serious illness.
Medical diagnosis : The identification of a disease or condition based on clinical evidence and diagnostic criteria. The disorder concerns persistent illness preoccupation, not proof that every feared illness is absent.
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