Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRisk FactorsRelation to HypochondriasisIllness Anxiety DisorderCausesTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Risk Factors
Relation to Hypochondriasis
Illness Anxiety Disorder
Causes
Treatment
Nosophobia is theirrational fearof having a specific disease. The origins of the word Nosophobia come from ‘nosos’andphoboswhich meandiseaseandfear inGreek.In recent years, nosophobia has also been referred to as cyberchondria. This stems from the fact that a lot of the information that is at the root of the fear is found in “cyberspace” on the Internet.At a GlanceWe’ve all Googled something like “Why does my head hurt?” or “Chest pain causes” from time to time. And we know the Internet likes to greet us with suggestions that we could have cancer or heart disease or any number of other scary conditions. This is the kind of thing that contribute to an irrational fear of disease.In the world of healthcare professionals, it’s not unusual for medical students to overly concern themselves with symptoms they may have, nor for new psych students to self-diagnose with mental health conditions they are learning about.That’s why it’s important to speak to your doctor or primary healthcare provider about your concerns—they can assess your symptoms and determine if you do indeed have an underlying condition that needs to be treated.Risk FactorsThere are a number of risk factors that may contribute to nosophobia:Exposure to high levels of media coverage about disease and the risks of contracting diseasesHaving suffered traumatic health problems in the pastRepeated exposure to people with serious illnessesNosophobia is a type of specific phobia, and appears to be more common among students and researchers who spend a great deal of time reading about specific diseases.These conditions are often called “medical student’s disease.“Relation to HypochondriasisNosophobia is related to hypochondriasis, but there are several important differences between the two conditions. The most important difference is specificity.A person withhypochondriasisbelieves they have a life-threatening illness despite having little to no physical symptoms.Someone with nosophobia, however, is afraid of contracting a specific disease and becomes convinced that they could have the symptoms of that particular disease.However, not everyone who is afraid of getting sick or contracting a contagious illness suffers from nosophobia. Those who suffer from this phobia exhibit symptoms that can cause limitations in their lives. In order to be diagnosed with a specific phobia, the symptoms must be persistent, cause significant anxiety, and the fear must be out of proportion to the actual risk.Additionally, underlying conditions must be ruled out. If you’re afraid of a contracting a specific illness, and it turns out you have that illness or one that causes similar symptoms, then your fear may not be unwarranted. Treating the illness, then, may remove the symptoms and assuage your fears—this is an example of when you may not actually have a phobia.Illness Anxiety DisorderMany mental health specialists have termed both nosophobia and hypochondriasis as illness anxiety disorder.In fact, many people across the globe have been diagnosed with this condition, which can become debilitating as the sufferer is convinced that they have contracted a certain illness.The term “hypochondriac” has historically been a way to criticize or stigmatize someone who seems to sick a lot. We do our best to avoid demeaning language like this, and recommend the same for you. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is feeling sick but is labeled a “hypochondriac”—it’s no different than being unfairly called a liar. Remember that we can never know exactly what another person is going through.CausesIn addition to the risk factors above, here are some potential causes of a fear of illness:Anxiety about one’s health.Someone close to you dying from an incurable illness.Patients with other behavioral disorders, such asbipolar disorder,schizophrenia,clinical depression, orobsessive compulsive disordersmay be more likely to fear serious illness.Somatic amplification disorder, which is related to perception and cognition, can be a cause of nosophobia.In this situation, the person with nosophobia is negative toward the thought of being sick.Online reading or watching television shows about incurable diseases can trigger excessive fear of becoming ill.Major global disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, could spark nosophobia in individuals. (Remember, however, that a phobia is an unreasonable fear.)TreatmentNosophobia is slightly different from other phobias in that exposure therapy may not be a preferred method of treatment. In exposure therapy, you are exposed—in a safe, professionally monitored environment—to the fear object or something related to it. In this case, a doctor will not expose you to the disease you fear.Instead,cognitive behavioral therapycan help manage anxiety related to the fear of illness, and is often recommended.In addition to therapy, alternative techniques are also recommended. They include things like meditation, positive affirmations, and visualization.If you’re struggling with this fear, know that you’re not alone. Most of us don’t like to get sick, and may often feel nervous or afraid of certain illnesses that we’ve either observed or that may run in our families. Talk to your doctor about your options. Not only can they help lessen your fear, they may be able to provide you some solutions to help prevent illness, whether through dietary changes, exercise, or other lifestyle changes. These steps can also have the side effect of helping you to feel that you—and not your fear—are more in charge of your life.
Nosophobia is theirrational fearof having a specific disease. The origins of the word Nosophobia come from ‘nosos’andphoboswhich meandiseaseandfear inGreek.
In recent years, nosophobia has also been referred to as cyberchondria. This stems from the fact that a lot of the information that is at the root of the fear is found in “cyberspace” on the Internet.
At a GlanceWe’ve all Googled something like “Why does my head hurt?” or “Chest pain causes” from time to time. And we know the Internet likes to greet us with suggestions that we could have cancer or heart disease or any number of other scary conditions. This is the kind of thing that contribute to an irrational fear of disease.In the world of healthcare professionals, it’s not unusual for medical students to overly concern themselves with symptoms they may have, nor for new psych students to self-diagnose with mental health conditions they are learning about.That’s why it’s important to speak to your doctor or primary healthcare provider about your concerns—they can assess your symptoms and determine if you do indeed have an underlying condition that needs to be treated.
At a Glance
We’ve all Googled something like “Why does my head hurt?” or “Chest pain causes” from time to time. And we know the Internet likes to greet us with suggestions that we could have cancer or heart disease or any number of other scary conditions. This is the kind of thing that contribute to an irrational fear of disease.In the world of healthcare professionals, it’s not unusual for medical students to overly concern themselves with symptoms they may have, nor for new psych students to self-diagnose with mental health conditions they are learning about.That’s why it’s important to speak to your doctor or primary healthcare provider about your concerns—they can assess your symptoms and determine if you do indeed have an underlying condition that needs to be treated.
We’ve all Googled something like “Why does my head hurt?” or “Chest pain causes” from time to time. And we know the Internet likes to greet us with suggestions that we could have cancer or heart disease or any number of other scary conditions. This is the kind of thing that contribute to an irrational fear of disease.
In the world of healthcare professionals, it’s not unusual for medical students to overly concern themselves with symptoms they may have, nor for new psych students to self-diagnose with mental health conditions they are learning about.
That’s why it’s important to speak to your doctor or primary healthcare provider about your concerns—they can assess your symptoms and determine if you do indeed have an underlying condition that needs to be treated.
There are a number of risk factors that may contribute to nosophobia:
Nosophobia is a type of specific phobia, and appears to be more common among students and researchers who spend a great deal of time reading about specific diseases.These conditions are often called “medical student’s disease.”
Nosophobia is related to hypochondriasis, but there are several important differences between the two conditions. The most important difference is specificity.
A person withhypochondriasisbelieves they have a life-threatening illness despite having little to no physical symptoms.Someone with nosophobia, however, is afraid of contracting a specific disease and becomes convinced that they could have the symptoms of that particular disease.
However, not everyone who is afraid of getting sick or contracting a contagious illness suffers from nosophobia. Those who suffer from this phobia exhibit symptoms that can cause limitations in their lives. In order to be diagnosed with a specific phobia, the symptoms must be persistent, cause significant anxiety, and the fear must be out of proportion to the actual risk.
Additionally, underlying conditions must be ruled out. If you’re afraid of a contracting a specific illness, and it turns out you have that illness or one that causes similar symptoms, then your fear may not be unwarranted. Treating the illness, then, may remove the symptoms and assuage your fears—this is an example of when you may not actually have a phobia.
Many mental health specialists have termed both nosophobia and hypochondriasis as illness anxiety disorder.
In fact, many people across the globe have been diagnosed with this condition, which can become debilitating as the sufferer is convinced that they have contracted a certain illness.
The term “hypochondriac” has historically been a way to criticize or stigmatize someone who seems to sick a lot. We do our best to avoid demeaning language like this, and recommend the same for you. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is feeling sick but is labeled a “hypochondriac”—it’s no different than being unfairly called a liar. Remember that we can never know exactly what another person is going through.
In addition to the risk factors above, here are some potential causes of a fear of illness:
Nosophobia is slightly different from other phobias in that exposure therapy may not be a preferred method of treatment. In exposure therapy, you are exposed—in a safe, professionally monitored environment—to the fear object or something related to it. In this case, a doctor will not expose you to the disease you fear.
Instead,cognitive behavioral therapycan help manage anxiety related to the fear of illness, and is often recommended.In addition to therapy, alternative techniques are also recommended. They include things like meditation, positive affirmations, and visualization.
If you’re struggling with this fear, know that you’re not alone. Most of us don’t like to get sick, and may often feel nervous or afraid of certain illnesses that we’ve either observed or that may run in our families. Talk to your doctor about your options. Not only can they help lessen your fear, they may be able to provide you some solutions to help prevent illness, whether through dietary changes, exercise, or other lifestyle changes. These steps can also have the side effect of helping you to feel that you—and not your fear—are more in charge of your life.
7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Milosevic I. McCabe RE.Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear: The Psychology of Irrational Fear. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood; 2015.Schmidt C.Scientific American.Cyberchondriacs Just Know They Must Be Sick. April 5, 2019.Meng J, Gao C, Tang C, Wang H, Tao Z.Prevalence of hypochondriac symptoms among health science students in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS ONE. 2019;14(9):e0222663. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222663Cleveland Clinic.Illness Anxiety Disorder: Beyond Hypochondriasis. Reviewed July 25, 2015.Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders.Behavior Disorders: Definitions, Characteristics & Related Information.Satsangi AK, Maria PB.Anxiety and psychosomatic symptoms in palliative care: from neuro-psychobiological response to stress, to symptoms’ management with clinical hypnosis and meditative states.Annals of Palliative Medicine.2018;7(1):75-111.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Treatment.
7 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Milosevic I. McCabe RE.Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear: The Psychology of Irrational Fear. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood; 2015.Schmidt C.Scientific American.Cyberchondriacs Just Know They Must Be Sick. April 5, 2019.Meng J, Gao C, Tang C, Wang H, Tao Z.Prevalence of hypochondriac symptoms among health science students in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS ONE. 2019;14(9):e0222663. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222663Cleveland Clinic.Illness Anxiety Disorder: Beyond Hypochondriasis. Reviewed July 25, 2015.Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders.Behavior Disorders: Definitions, Characteristics & Related Information.Satsangi AK, Maria PB.Anxiety and psychosomatic symptoms in palliative care: from neuro-psychobiological response to stress, to symptoms’ management with clinical hypnosis and meditative states.Annals of Palliative Medicine.2018;7(1):75-111.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Treatment.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Milosevic I. McCabe RE.Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear: The Psychology of Irrational Fear. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood; 2015.Schmidt C.Scientific American.Cyberchondriacs Just Know They Must Be Sick. April 5, 2019.Meng J, Gao C, Tang C, Wang H, Tao Z.Prevalence of hypochondriac symptoms among health science students in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS ONE. 2019;14(9):e0222663. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222663Cleveland Clinic.Illness Anxiety Disorder: Beyond Hypochondriasis. Reviewed July 25, 2015.Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders.Behavior Disorders: Definitions, Characteristics & Related Information.Satsangi AK, Maria PB.Anxiety and psychosomatic symptoms in palliative care: from neuro-psychobiological response to stress, to symptoms’ management with clinical hypnosis and meditative states.Annals of Palliative Medicine.2018;7(1):75-111.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Treatment.
Milosevic I. McCabe RE.Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear: The Psychology of Irrational Fear. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood; 2015.
Schmidt C.Scientific American.Cyberchondriacs Just Know They Must Be Sick. April 5, 2019.
Meng J, Gao C, Tang C, Wang H, Tao Z.Prevalence of hypochondriac symptoms among health science students in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS ONE. 2019;14(9):e0222663. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222663
Cleveland Clinic.Illness Anxiety Disorder: Beyond Hypochondriasis. Reviewed July 25, 2015.
Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders.Behavior Disorders: Definitions, Characteristics & Related Information.
Satsangi AK, Maria PB.Anxiety and psychosomatic symptoms in palliative care: from neuro-psychobiological response to stress, to symptoms’ management with clinical hypnosis and meditative states.Annals of Palliative Medicine.2018;7(1):75-111.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Treatment.
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