Hypochondria Test

Testing for hypochondria, now known as illness anxiety disorder (IAD), involves a clinical assessment by a mental health professional. This includes structured interviews, psychological questionnaires, and ruling out actual medical conditions through physical exams and tests.

A person may be considered a hypochondriac if they exhibit persistent and excessive fear of serious illness, often misinterpreting normal bodily sensations as signs of disease. This anxiety leads to frequent doctor visits, excessive health-related research, or avoidance of medical care due to fear of bad news. Their distress continues despite medical reassurance and negatively impacts their daily life.

The two types of hypochondria, as categorized in the DSM-5, are illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder (SSD). IAD involves excessive worry about illness with few or no physical symptoms, while SSD includes significant distress over actual physical symptoms, even if they have no clear medical explanation. Both conditions involve health-related anxiety, but SSD is more focused on physical discomfort.