psychiatric disorders
Illness Anxiety Disorder
Introduction
Illness anxiety disorder is preoccupation with and fear of having or acquiring a serious disorder. Diagnosis is confirmed when fears and symptoms (if any) persist for≥6 months despite reassurance after a thorough medical evaluation. Treatment includes establishing a consistent, supportive physician-patient relationship; cognitive-behavioral therapy and serotonin reuptake inhibitors may help. (See also Overview of Somatization .) Illness anxiety disorder (previously called hypochondriasis or hypochondria, terms that have been abandoned because of their pejorative connotation) most commonly begins during early adulthood and appears to occur equally among men and women. The patient's fears may derive from misinterpreting nonpathologic physical symptoms or normal bodily functions (eg, borborygmi, abdominal bloating and crampy discomfort, awareness of heartbeat, sweating). 