Overview

Hypochondriasis (or hypochondria, sometimes referred to as health phobia) refers to an excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness. Often, hypochondria persists even after a physician has evaluated a person and reassured him/her that his/her concerns about symptoms do not have an underlying medical basis or, if there is a medical illness, the concerns are far in excess of what is appropriate for the level of disease. Many people suffering from this disorder focus on a particular symptom as the catalyst of their worrying, such as gastro-intestinal problems, palpitations, or muscle fatigue.

Hypochondria is often characterized by fears that minor bodily symptoms may indicate a serious illness, constant self-examination and self-diagnosis, and a preoccupation with one's body. Many individuals with hypochondriasis express doubt and disbelief in the doctors' diagnosis, and report that doctors’ reassurance about an absence of a serious medical condition is unconvincing, or un-lasting. Many hypochondriacs require constant reassurance, either from doctors, family, or friends, and the disorder can become a disabling torment for the individual with hypochondriasis, as well as his or her family and friends. Some hypochondriacal individuals are completely avoidant of any reminder of illness, whereas others are frequent visitors of doctors’ offices. Other hypochondriacs will never speak about their terror, convinced that their fear of having a serious illness will not be taken seriously by those in whom they confide.

What Are the Causes of Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorder is the sum of a number of influencing factors that help development of the problem. Many of these factors in one's life come by his or her chance of being born in a family that ultimately influences his or her lifestyle, inherited traits, family conditions, personality development under specific culture of the family, child raising habits and financial conditions, marital relation etc. Larger parts of these remain, uncontrollable except one's own personal will and choice.

The problem is substantially enhanced by alcoholism and drug abuse, or sometimes even due to prolonged usage of therapeutic drugs. Sometimes the disorder is associated with illness like hypoglycemia.

The interrelated factors that cause anxiety disorder are:

Environmental:

The immediate environment of an individual influences ones life the most in shaping up the character. Of course there is a great amount of hereditary influence. The roles of family, financial conditions, childhood experiences and so on are the inputs which shape up ones attitude towards the life.

Individual Personality:

Negative attitude assuredly works towards building lack of confidence in people as also their ability to withstand. Such people always feel neglected, and treat others with suspicion keeping the self on the inferior side of comparative scale. Thus they are always fearful and stressed.

Heredity:

It is often observed that the presence of inherited traits largely influences one's behavior, thoughts and action. One's family history, if examined appropriately, would reveal previous existence of such disorders, or closely resembling mental make up which reflects upon the behavioral pattern of an individual.

Trauma:

The root of anxiety disorder in one's life may arise out of certain traumatic experiences, immaterial in which stage of the life, like split in the family, death of a very dear one, or an accident.

Hypochondria - constantly visiting the Doctor:

Many falls pray to this kind of obsession that they must have to visit a doctor for most minor discomfort assuming it to be a beginning of some serious ailment.

Depression:

A Situation that turns into a mental illness that every situation is at a hopeless state of affair with possibility of reversal.

Sexual problems:

The mind numbing thought of underperformance.

Others:

Many a feelings are beyond our control of our body or mind, but these greatly influence actions and behavior which ultimately lead to promotion of anxiety disorders. The examples could be aggression, uncalled and unlikely entanglement in messy situations.

Medical situations that contribute to Anxiety Disorder:

Asthma

Adrenal Diseases

Cardiac problems

Diabetes

Epilepsy

Hypoglycemia

Migraines

Sleep Disorders

Thyroid problems.



Autor: Ryan Taylor

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Added: January 10, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

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