ABSTRACT

The term "hypochondriasis" derives from the Greek belief that the syndrome was caused by disturbances of the viscera below the xi phoid cartilage (Martin & Yutzy, 1994). Hypochondriasis may be defined as excessive preoccupation with fear of disease or strong belief in having disease on the basis of false interpretation of trivial physical signs or symptoms. Such preoccupation is usually unfounded and cannot be substantiated by complete physical examination and appropriate diagnostic procedures. The patient may start out with a transient thought concerning a specific disease following media coverage of it or upon hearing of someone who was diagnosed with the condition. Gradually, the patient begins to experience feelings that suggest to him or her that he or she has the same disease. Often, the patient will look for signs in support of this belief, eventually building a strong case in his or her own mind. The patient then tells family members and proceeds to see various doctors, seeking multiple diagnostic investigations. Most often, the patient will not be reassured by negative physical examination and laboratory investigations. However, some patients may agree with the physician that they may be exaggerating the extent of the feared disease, or that there may not be a disease at all. Such reassurance is usually short lived, and the patient soon

returns to the hypochondriacal state, coming up with a new set of reasons in support of his or her conviction and explaining why the investigations had failed to document the disease. Occasionally, patients will generate a different set of symptoms indicating another disease and go through the same cycle again. Generally, the false beliefs do not reach a delusional level, but, in many patients, it is fairly difficult to shake them.