
Nosophobia or Hypochondriasis are terms used for the fear of illness or disease. The word Nosophobia originates from ‘nosos’ and phobos which are Greek for disease and fear respectively. Hypochondriasis originates from Latin word for ‘upper abdomen’.
These days, doctors do not use the term Nosophobia or Hypochondriasis to diagnose patients suffering from an excessive fear of illness. The diagnosis of such patients would be made as ‘Illness anxiety disorder’. Hundreds of people around the world are diagnosed with this condition. Life often becomes miserable for the patients as well as their loved ones since simply hearing or thinking about a disease can drive one to a full-fledged panic attack.
Causes of Nosophobia and Hypochondriasis
- Most people are anxious about their health; usually this is a short termed condition in a majority of the cases. However, in Hypchondriasis, the patient constantly dwells on the idea of disease. A majority of the patients are usually suffering from a disease already and their phobia could be a result of that.
- Often a phobic might have seen his near and dear ones suffer from a disease or even die from it.
- Typically, people with anxious or nervous mindsets or those with pre existing pituitary gland/amygdale related disorders might be more affected by Nosophobia. Patients suffering from Bipolar disorders, Schizophrenia, Clinical depression or obsessive compulsive disorders are also likely to fear illness and disease constantly. Usually they aren’t aware of their depression and therefore tend to think that their symptoms are manifesting owing to some other disease.
- Nosophobia is mainly seen pertaining to cardiovascular disorders, cancer, tuberculosis, Venereal diseases etc.
- The fear of illness could arise due to somatic amplification disorder which is related to perception and cognition. Thus the phobic develops a habit of reacting negatively to thoughts pertaining to sickness and that in itself becomes severely debilitating or is ‘blown-out-of proportion’ compared to the actual risk.
- Reading about the incurable diseases online or in the media through TV or movies etc can also cause an excessive fear of Illness.
- In some cases, major disease outbreaks, such as the recent Ebola crisis could also likely trigger this phobia in nervous individuals.
- Mothers or caregivers who have been over-caring or over-protective about minor health conditions can unknowingly trigger Nosophobia in children.
Symptoms of Nosophobia
Nosophobia manifests itself differently in different patients.
- Most phobics suffer from various physical symptoms like headaches, nausea, dizziness, body ache, itching, diarrhea, night sweats etc. They often visit their doctor frequently for these symptoms and feel frustrated when they feel the doctor is unable to cure them.
- They are constantly anxious and disinterested in anything. Their sex life might be affected negatively as well as their other social activities.
- Depression is a major symptom of the disorder. Due to this, they may have weight changes, lack of appetite or conversely they might turn to food for relief.
- Some patients tend to have OCD or the excess fear of germs accompanying their Nosophobia or Hypochondriasis. As a result they might constantly wash their hands or bathe frequently to rid themselves of it.
- Their preoccupation with disease often leads them to seeking help from local healers, alternative therapies etc. They tend to order vitamins and other immunity medicines spending huge amounts of money in the process.
Life becomes difficult not just for the phobic but his/her family members as well.
Treating the fear of illness
The key to treating Nosophobia is to help the patient manage his/her anxiety about illness. Often self help techniques like meditation, positive affirmation and visualization can help provided the phobic has faith in them. Else the only way to reduce anxiety is through drugs which are bound to have side effects. Medicines like Fluoxetine etc can help manage the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain to reduce the panic attack experienced by the Nosophobe.
Clinical trials have also shown that Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT is useful in effectively treating fear of illness. It is like talk therapy where the phobic is made to relive his worries to reduce the frequency and intensity of bothersome symptoms s/he experiences due to this phobia.
Gradual exposure therapy is also as effective as CBT techniques in helping reduce panic attacks experienced due to the fear of illness and thereby improving the overall condition.
I am suffering from a debilitating fear of getting breast cancer or any other type of illness for that matter. I had a mammogram and am making myself sick with waiting for results. It’s like living hell for me.
Hi Sherry
I am Peter & i am suffering like you from that damn fear & especially Cancer, diabetes & cardiovascular dis. I live in hell as well. If you find any solution pls inform me.
I hope God will heal.
God is already with you peter. God is each and every time with you. But you are not feeling him only because your fear is not allowing you to feel Him. Every living things which is born will die for sure. Its not important how they’ll die. So what is important here. Important is to feel yourself to feel for better. Remember your feeling must not be disturbed by your body condition. Feel the GOD. He is everywhere . He is around you. He wants to help you. He loves you. But why can you not feel him? You are not feeling only because you are feeling something negative. Too much care about something will surely make you dull.
I am more surprised why people thinks life exists only in the human body. There is other things also that makes you more important than your body. You are the owner of your body. Think like an owner not like a slave. You are the owner of your body. When you were child.. you were careless about the body. So you were always happy. But now you’re a grown up so your happiness should be more matured. But things are now different. Your body matured but your thinking is matured as a slave. Mature yourself dear. Think positive. Think about something good that makes you happy. Think about God. Think about what are the good things that will make you and your God happy. Don’t make a room for negative thoughts.
This is beautiful
I’m constantly looking for something to be wrong I make myself crazy all day with negative obsessive thoughts I read this above and it helped!
If i get a uti I fear cancer. The thought that they tell me i have cancer and the thought of knowing I may die. I have a dropped bladder and i am so afraid. It happens with colds, virus, i think the worst case scenario. I hate that i get like this. Its humiliating.
I just subscribed and I wanted to say Hi and that this fear of diseases is changing my life and my parents are worried about me as well. I wasn’t afraid until I heard that we had rats in our apartment and I knew that they carry diseases and I read webpages about those diseases and now I’m so worked up about it that I think I’m having a panic attack and then I feel so tired afterwards.
God has the power to remove all the silly,stupid fears which are not in Him
Obviously you have not been diagnosed with a serious incurable illness, God also has the power to give you the compassion you need.
My fear is particularly about getting Diabetes. I have had a lifelong fear of it. I have had a lifelong fear of this disease. I am terrified of losing my sight and losing limbs because of circulation problems. Someone in my family talked about people who had it. She didn’t realize her description of the horrors of the disease traumatized me. Now, it seems like unqualified medical professions want a lot of people to have the disease. I guess it is a profitable disease.
I am worried about getting the stomach bug because when I was 9 I had it bad and I’ve been worried my entire life
I’m not afraid of getting sick but of sick, mentally ill, and paralyzed people. I’ve always been that way, and I can’t go to hospitals or nursing homes without getting anxious. I don’t know why. It’s weird.