It is wrong to think that people with hypochondria are imagining symptoms and visiting a doctor because they want more attention; these people really feel the symptoms of the disease, and their experience can be so intense that it disrupts the everyday life.

 Being concern about health is one of the basic emotions that accompany us throughout life. Any discomfort or pain can be a distress signal, which tells us that something is wrong with our body and that we should seek help. Doctors are always faced with a patient's health concerns. However, every health care worker should particularly pay attention to the patient who has a constant fear of serious illness.

 The word "hypochondria" comes from the Greek word hypochondrium and indicates the area of the abdomen (stomach) located near the liver, under the right rib cage. The name was adopted because the majority of patients occupied by fear of the disease were primarily complaining about the symptoms that appear in this part of the body.

 Hypochondriasis, or somatic symptom disorder, is a serious medical condition. As a rule it begins in childhood, often accompanied by symptoms of depression or anxiety. It can develop later in life in response to stressful situations, such as a loss of a loved one. The main feature is a constant preoccupation with the fear of serious illness.

 Most people consider themselves healthy until proven otherwise. Hypochondriacs, however, consider themselves permanently ill, and they need frequent medical confirmation that they are healthy. They often interpret rapid breathing or heart rate, indigestion or headaches as a sign of a severe disease, such as heart attack, colon cancer or a brain tumor.

 It is wrong to think that people with hypochondria are imagining symptoms and visiting a doctor because they want more attention.

These people really feel the symptoms they describe. Their experience can be so intense that it preoccupies their thoughts and feelings, and it disrupts the everyday life. A hypochondriac is under a lot of stress every day, so s/he can feel very tired and unmotivated for normal activities.

Excessive concern often causes negative impact on the relationship between health workers and hypochondriac. Hypochondriac will do a large number of unnecessary medical tests, which have a negative result, and will make a doctor to question the veracity of the symptoms that the patient feels. The patient, on the other hand, begins to doubt doctor`s diagnosis, starts changing doctors and seeks additional medical tests, in order to find the confirmation for the imagined illness.

 Obsessed with fear, hypochondriacs often search through the literature or Internet sites looking for an explanation for their symptoms, thereby increasing doubt in their doctor. This is creating a vicious circle of mistrust between doctor and patient. Depending on the intensity of manifestation of hypochondria, there are psychological counseling and psychiatric treatments that could be advised.

 The proper approach to hypochondriacs is the appreciation of his/ her apprehension of the disease, because although unfounded, fear and intense symptoms are real. In this way, one can achieve trusting relationship, which is crucial in overcoming the problems. A quality diet, regular exercise and learning relaxation techniques are healthy alternatives.

Symptoms without appropriate findings

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) hypochondriac is a person who feels the constant physical symptoms of the disease for at least half a year, without proper medical findings, and because of these symptoms s/he often visits the doctor and experiences a fear of the disease on daily basis.