hypochondriasis

noun

hy·​po·​chon·​dri·​a·​sis ˌhī-pə-kən-ˈdrī-ə-səs 

-ˌkän-

plural hypochondriases ˌhī-pə-kən-ˈdrī-ə-ˌsēz 

-ˌkän-

: excessive concern about one's health especially when accompanied by imagined physical ailments

specifically : illness anxiety disorder

The diagnostic criteria for hypochondriasis also require that the patient's concern about illness persist for at least six months and cause clinically significant distress or functional impairment.

—Arthur J. Barsky

Hypochondria, known as hypochondriasis in medical terminology, is generally defined as abnormal preoccupation with one's health and a fear of having or getting a disease despite physical evidence to the contrary.

—Jean Marbella

Examples of hypochondriasis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s separate from health anxiety and is also referred to as hypochondriasis. —Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2025

Researchers also found that hypochondriasis can impact quality of life; people without hypochondriasis were more likely to be educated, married and make more money than hypochondriacs. —Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2023

Over roughly nine months of observation, 268 hypochondriacs and 1,761 people without hypochondriasis died. —Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2023

Hypochondria used to be called hypochondriasis. —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2022

During medical school, hypochondriasis and disease obsessions ruled the day. —Russell Johnson, STAT, 7 Feb. 2023

As a neurotic 27-year-old New Yorker with a cocktail of mental-health issues—anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and hypochondriasis—travel seemed impossible for most of my life. —Gilad Gamliel, Outside Online, 10 Feb. 2020

The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders replaced hypochondriasis with two alternatives: somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder. —Emily Sohn, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2018

Word History

Etymology

hypochondria + -asis, variant of -iasis

First Known Use

1722, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

hypochondriasis

noun

hy·​po·​chon·​dri·​a·​sis -ˈdrī-ə-səs 

plural hypochondriases -ˌsēz 

: excessive concern about one's health especially when accompanied by imagined physical ailments

specifically : illness anxiety disorder

The diagnostic criteria for hypochondriasis also require that the patient's concern about illness persist for at least six months and cause clinically significant distress or functional impairment.

—Arthur J. Barsky, The New England Journal of Medicine