What are the signs and symptoms of a hypochondriac, and is there a cure for it?

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Hypochondriasis or Somatization disorder is marked by multiple physical complaints that persist for years involving any body system. Most frequently, the complaints involve chronic pain and problems with the digestive system, the nervous system, and the reproductive system. The disorder usually begins before the age of 30 and occurs more often in women.

Somatization disorder is highly stigmatized and patients are often dismissed by their physicians as having problems that are "all in your head." However, as researchers study the connections between the brain, the digestive system, and the immune system, somatization disorders are becoming better understood and should not be seen as "faked" conditions which the patient could end if he or she chose to do so.

The symptoms are generally severe enough to interfere with work and relationships and lead the person to visit the doctor and even take medication. A lifelong history of "sickliness" is often present. However, despite thorough investigation, no specific underlying physical cause is ever identified to account for the symptoms. Stress often worsens symptoms.

It is actually one of the hardest disorders to treat because the patient is so convinced that the problem is physical, not mental. And despite tests saying its not physical, they never believe it.

Other Answers:
I don't know much about the disorder. I would definitely see a doctor. Ironic, isn't it?

everything a hypocondriac sees as wrong or ailment on others will become hers/his too

they start feeling every single thing and brainwash themselves so well that it mya even appear to be that they are ill or have all the illnesses and comploications a body can have as their own.

i dont know if there is a cure for that

Hypochondriasis is a disorder that psychologists classify in the same category as other somatic illnesses (a somatic illness is one that has a psychological rather than a physiological cause) and body dysmorphic disorder, a disorder in which the patient has a dangerously skewed view of his/her body. Hypochondriacs misinterpret bodily signals (pains, discomforts, and even every-day occurances) as symptoms of a major illness. A headache may be interpreted as a symptom of brain cancer, to give an overly-simplified example. Like all psychological disorders, the extent of hypochondriasis varies from person to person. Because the term "hypochondriac" has gained so much popularity in everyday usage, many people mistakenly believe that hypochondriasis cannot be a serious disorder, but that it is instead simply a "characteristic" or personality flaw. People who worry excessively about their health are called "hypochondriacs," when in fact hypochondriasis, in its more serious forms, can be almost crippling. Time and money may be consumed by visits to doctors to diagnose problems that the patients are truly convinced exist, no matter how many doctors tell them otherwise or how many tests come back negative.

As for a cure, unfortunately, the prognosis for truly serious hypochondriasis is not very good- most true hypochondriacs never seek psychological help, because they firmy believe their problems are physiological, not psychological. For those that do eventually seek help (usually on the advice of a physician), some therapists have had moderate success with stress-reduction therapy, which helps reduce the exaggerated stress reactions that hypochondriacs exhibit in response to innocuous, everyday symptoms.

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What are the signs and symptoms of a hypochondriac, and is there a cure for it?

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