Key facts

• IAD (previously hypochondriasis) involves fear of serious illness 
• It is not made-up or a form of attention-seeking.
• It often has a huge impact on somebody's life and causes significant changes in behaviour
• CBT is proven to work well for people struggling with IAD and can alleviate fear and pre-occupation related to health.

Symptoms and Experiences

Illness anxiety disorder (IAD) is a recent term for what used to be called hypochondriasis. People with IAD strongly believe they have a serious or life-threatening illness. Their concerns are very real to them and the issue is one of intense anxiety, not attention seeking. Even if sufferers see a doctor and no illnesses are found, they are generally not reassured and their worry continues.

People with illness anxiety are easily worried about their own health status and sometimes they can also become very worried about their childrens' health.

This high level of anxiety can cause difficulty in daily life. People can often develop behaviours related to their anxiety such as googling symptoms, repeatedly checking themselves for signs of illness or frequently visiting their GP.  Because people also often seek reassurance from those close to them the problem can put a strain on relationships.

Conversely, people may also avoid situations related to illness, such as visits to the doctors and visiting ill family members.  They may become easily alarmed by information about illness and therefore avoid hearing about someone else's illness, reading about illness in the news, or watching television programmes related to hospitals and health problems.

Treatment

Illness anxiety may occur once, multiple times, or continuously.  It can wax and wane in intensity, sometimes in relation to stressful life events, but rarely goes away completely.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for Illness anxiety anxiety has been proven to be successful. Many research studies now indicate that, after the completion of CBT, people with illness anxiety report improvements in symptoms or complete recovery. Effective CBT therapy is successful in changing people's thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behaviour in relation to illness and health.  In successful therapy, the person with illness anxiety will take an active role and be willing to try new things as part of therapy  to overcome this problem.

The number of sessions that will be required for CBT therapy to be effective will depend on the severity and complexity of the problem. 

If you are concerned that you might be suffering from illness anxiety, try filling in this questionnaire. It can give you an indication of whether this type of anxiety has become a problem for you.