Table 3.32, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Illness Anxiety Disorder Comparison (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder? ›

Both conditions can impact daily functioning and involve excessive health concerns, but SSD involves distressing physical symptoms with no clear medical cause, while IAD is marked by excessive worry about developing a serious illness.

You may have health anxiety if you: constantly worry about your health. frequently check your body for signs of illness, such as lumps, tingling or pain. are always asking people for reassurance that you're not ill.

Antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are proven to be effective in this condition. [2] Patients who respond to antidepressant therapy are recommended to receive maintenance treatment for at least 6 to 12 months.

The key distinction between illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder is that an individual with illness anxiety disorder does not typically present with any somatic symptoms.

"With illness anxiety you really think something is wrong, but factitious disorder, you don't think something is wrong with you," said Morton. "You just want to get attention. You're falsifying signs and symptoms to get attention from doctors and to get a diagnosis."

Illness anxiety disorder

They may frequently check themselves for signs of illness and take extreme precautions to avoid health risks. Unlike somatic symptom disorder, a person with illness anxiety disorder generally does not experience symptoms.

Diagnosis of Illness Anxiety Disorder

The patient has no or minimal somatic symptoms. The patient is highly anxious about health and easily alarmed about personal health issues. The patient repeatedly checks health status or maladaptively avoids doctor appointments and hospitals.

An anxiety disorder is a type of mental health condition. If you have an anxiety disorder, you may respond to certain things and situations with fear and dread. You may also experience physical signs of anxiety, such as a pounding heart and sweating. It's normal to have some anxiety.

In the vast realm of mental health, neurological anxiety stands as one of the most prevalent disorders. It's a pervasive issue that affects millions worldwide. However, anxiety is not solely a psychological phenomenon. It's intricately linked with our nervous system.

Look around you and name three things you see. Then, name three sounds you hear. Finally, move three parts of your body — your ankle, fingers, or arm. Whenever you feel your brain going 100 miles per hour, this mental trick can help center your mind, bringing you back to the present moment, Chansky says.

What is the number one drug for anxiety? ›

The most prominent of anti-anxiety drugs for the purpose of immediate relief are those known as benzodiazepines; among them are alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan).

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective form of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders. Generally a short-term treatment, CBT focuses on teaching you specific skills to improve your symptoms and gradually return to the activities you've avoided because of anxiety.

You may be more prone to illness anxiety disorder if you have a family history of: Childhood trauma, such as child abuse or neglect. Extreme stress. Health anxieties or other anxiety disorders in your family.

There are some findings that risk factors for illness anxiety disorder include a lower educational level, lower income, and a history of childhood illness or abuse. A cognitive model of illness anxiety disorder suggests that patients misinterpret bodily symptoms by augmenting and amplifying their somatic sensations.

The psychiatric differential diagnosis for illness anxiety disorder includes the following disorders: somatic symptom, adjustment, conversion, body dysmorphic, mood, anxiety, and psychotic, and personality. Some of these are discussed in more detail below.

Illness anxiety disorder= Symptoms are very MILD or ABSENT, and the main problem is the high level of WORRY about having a serious illness. Somatic symptom disorder= symptoms are DEF PRESENT. The main problem is preoccupation with symptoms themselves, not a concern that they might be indicative of a serious illness.

In DSM-IV, the key difference is that factitious-disorder patients feign illness, and somatoform-disorder patients actually believe they are ill.

According to DSM-IV, somatization disorder has a specified number and type of somatic symptoms, whereas hypochondriasis is characterized by abnormal attitudes and beliefs about illness [16]. The criteria for hypochondriasis mention bodily symptoms but do not indicate what these might be.

A somatic symptom disorder, formerly known as a somatoform disorder, is any mental disorder that manifests as physical symptoms that suggest illness or injury, but cannot be explained fully by a general medical condition or by the direct effect of a substance, and are not attributable to another mental disorder (e.g., ...