Excessive Worry About Health Could be Signs of Illness Anxiety Disorder

January 20, 2025

Nose spray, pill pack, and a tissue

(Discover Magazine) – Colloquially, a constant concern for health is known as hypochondria. But medically speaking, when this concern tips over to obsessive or harmful behavior, it’s referred to as illness anxiety disorder. Fear or concern of serious illness can take over a person’s life. That’s separate from health anxiety and is also referred to as hypochondriasis.

“Essentially, a person with illness anxiety disorder is, what we would say, excessively worried about either being sick or getting sick,” says Scarella. “It’s a topic that sticks in their mind, that they think about, they ruminate about and is often upsetting for them.” (Read More)