hypochondriasis
Let an agent explain hypochondriasis and health anxiety in general terms from psychiatric sources, describe classification, causes and treatment, distinguish health anxiety from body dysmorphic disorder and from justified medical concern, and route personal concerns to clinicians.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain hypochondriasis and health anxiety in general terms from psychiatric sources, describe classification, causes and treatment, distinguish health anxiety from body dysmorphic disorder and from justified medical concern, and route personal concerns to clinicians.
A condition marked by persistent preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness despite little or no medical evidence, now classified as illness anxiety disorder or health anxiety and grouped with somatic symptom disorders and the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, with modern forms such as cyberchondria driven by online searching; related but distinct conditions include body dysmorphic disorder and its variants such as muscle dysmorphia, and media terms such as Snapchat dysmorphia and Barbie syndrome describe appearance concerns rather than illness anxiety.
What it is for: Not applicable; a mental health condition.
It can be explain the condition; relay classification and treatment; distinguish related conditions; route personal concerns.
Distinguishing features
Illness preoccupation
Reassurance seeking or avoidance
Treatable with CBT
Reclassified diagnosis
What it looks like
Not a visible object; persistent worry about illness.
Physical character
prevalence of health anxiety: about 3-5 percent - estimates vary
DSM-5 reclassification: 2013 year - into illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder
How it is recognised
Excessive fear of having a serious illness
Illness anxiety disorder, health anxiety, cyberchondria; body dysmorphic disorder and muscle dysmorphia as related conditions
Reasonable concern about symptoms is not a disorder; somatic symptom disorder involves distressing symptoms
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - in registry terms
is treated by - as first-line treatment
In practice
Families and kinds
illness anxiety disorder or health anxiety
somatic symptom disorder with health anxiety features
cyberchondria
body dysmorphic disorder and muscle dysmorphia as related obsessive-compulsive spectrum conditions
media terms such as Snapchat dysmorphia and Barbie syndrome for appearance concerns
Identifiers
ICD-11 6B23 hypochondriasis
MeSH D006998 hypochondriasis
Standards and regulation
Diagnostic criteria in ICD-11 and DSM-5
Clinical guidelines on health anxiety treatment
Failure modes and hazards
Agents giving personal diagnosis or dismissing real symptoms
Stigma from the older term hypochondriac
Confusing health anxiety with body dysmorphic disorder
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Help Support first.
Safety.
Crisis
Crisis support.
Crisis
Crisis.
- What support exists for someone in severe distress about their health or appearance? action
- Is the user in crisis, which needs immediate support services? boundary
Care
Getting help.
Care
Care.
- How can someone seek assessment for health anxiety, and how are physical symptoms also properly checked? provenance
- Is the user asking about their own symptoms or worries, which need a clinician? boundary
Understand The condition.
Clinical.
Definition
Definition and classification.
Definition
Definition.
- What is hypochondriasis or illness anxiety disorder, and how did DSM-5 and ICD-11 reclassify it? definition
- Is the question about health anxiety, body dysmorphic disorder or reasonable medical concern? boundary
Related
Related conditions.
Related
Related.
- How do body dysmorphic disorder, muscle dysmorphia and media terms such as Snapchat dysmorphia differ from health anxiety? definition
- Which entry fits the specific condition? action
Treat Causes and treatment.
Clinical.
Causes
Causes.
Causes
Causes.
- What factors contribute to health anxiety, including cyberchondria, with research attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Treatment
Treatment.
Treatment
Treatment.
- What treatments such as CBT and medication do guidelines recommend, in general terms? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Context History and society.
Context.
History
History.
History
History.
- How has hypochondria been understood from ancient humoral theory to modern psychiatry? provenance
- Which entry fits the history of psychiatry? action
Society
Society and media.
Society
Society.
- How do online health information and social media shape health and appearance anxieties, with findings attributed? provenance
- Which entry fits cyberchondria? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should body dysmorphic disorder be a separate primary entry?
- How should clinical guidelines be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming distinct disorders and media terms; should they be split off?