What is Illness Anxiety Disorder? Somatic Symptom Disorder vs Illness Anxiety Disorder:

Having concerns about health is normal act. When someone have pain, anxiety or any other health related symptoms they feel worry. But excessive health worry turns into constant fear and anxiety. This consistent anxiety is called illness anxiety disorder. There are many things common in anxiety, OCD and anxiety. In this article we will discuss about differences in somatic symptom disorder vs illness anxiety disorder.

What is Diagnostic criteria of Illness Anxiety Disorder?

The diagnostic criteria of illness anxiety disorder according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is:

Diagnostic Criteria A.

Individual have persistent and significant fear of getting illness.

Diagnostic Criteria B.

Individual feel fear of illness but somatic symptoms of illness are not present. Sometime somatic symptoms are present with very mild intensity. If individual have another medical condition then individual have excessive preoccupations of illness.

Diagnostic Criteria C.

Individual experience high level of anxiety related to personal health issues.

Diagnostic Criteria D.

As result of preoccupation with anxiety due to illness individual have excessive health related behaviors. Like individual repeatedly check his or her body signs for illness.

Diagnostic Criteria E.

The behavior of illness anxiety is present for the duration of six months or more.

Diagnostic Criteria F.

The illness behavior is not due to presence of any other medical or psychological condition.

Hypochondriasis, also known as illness anxiety disorder. If we talk about Somatic symptom disorder vs illness anxiety disorder these are mental health problem. Somatic symptom disorder vs illness anxiety disorder are mental health issues in which a person worries too much about getting sick. In Somatic symptom disorder vs illness anxiety disorder individual have anxiety of getting a dangerous disease. This anxiety is experienced even when medical tests show no signs of illness.

People with Somatic symptom disorder vs illness anxiety disorder in both conditions often think that normal body feelings, like a headache, a muscle twitch, or a fast heartbeat, are signs of a serious illness.

The primary distinction between somatic symptom disorder vs illness anxiety disorder is that the former pertains to the apprehension of becoming ill, whereas the latter involves physical symptoms that induce discomfort.

What are Signs of Illness Anxiety Disorder?

People with illness anxiety disorder often have a consistent pattern of thoughts and behaviors, such as:

1. Individual are afraid of getting sick.
2. Individual is consistently looking for signs of illness in body parts. Individual check some signs like lumps or changes in color, on a regular basis.
3. A lot of people don’t go to the doctor or the hospital because they don’t want to hear bad news.
4. Too much research on the internet about illnesses and their signs.
5. It’s hard to focus on work or relationships when you’re not feeling well.

What are Causes and Risk Factors for illness anxiety disorder?

There is not single cause of illness anxiety disorder. It usually happens because of a mix of biological, psychological, and social factors.

1. People who have been very sick or seen loved ones suffer may become more aware of how their bodies feel.
2. Two personality traits that can make you more likely to worry about your health are anxiety and perfectionism.
3. Chronic stress and emotional pain can cause headaches and stomach problems, which can be mistaken for signs of a serious illness.

Treatment for Illness anxiety disorder:

The goal of treatment is to lower health anxiety, stop the cycle of obsessive thinking, and make life better. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the best treatment, and medication is only needed when it is needed.

1. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

People might use CBT to figure out what thoughts make them anxious. For example, if someone thinks they have cancer because they have a small rash, CBT can help them deal with that thought by using facts and logic. Patients gradually develop competencies to manage uncertainty and diminish their reliance on constant reassurance.

2. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) method that helps people slowly face their fears, such as going to the doctor or reading about diseases, without doing things that make them feel safe, like checking or asking for reassurance. This method has helped people with both somatic symptom disorder and sickness anxiety disorder because it teaches the brain how to handle not knowing what will happen.

3. Medication.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can help with severe anxiety or depression by lowering obsessive thoughts and muscle tension. Therapy and medicine work best when they are used together.