Hypochondria

Hypochondria (sometimes hypochondriasis) is the unfounded belief that one is suffering from a serious illness. Hypochondria is often associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

It should be noted that in some cases hypochondria is misdiagnosed when the patient is indeed unwell, but the physician is unable to diagnose the real illness. For this reason, a patient's condition should be thoroughly investigated before diagnosing hypochondria.

See also:

• Munchausen syndrome