Hypochondriac - Why do you worry?

Do you worry about your health? All the time?

So much so that worrying about your health is now making you sick?

You might be a hypochondriac.

This is not a judgement. In fact, increasingly, being one is being seen as a condition that needs treatment.

So what makes you a hypochondriac? What can you do if you are one?

The origin of the word comes from the Greek word hypokhondria, which means under your cartilage. In this case, the cartilage being referred to was around your lower ribcage, an area of your abdomen actually known as the hypochondria.

Hypokhondria also meant melancholy or depression without cause.

In the medical language, the word hypochondria does not exist. Instead, the condition is called Somatic (Body) Symptom Disorder.

Someone afflicted would check repeatedly if they have a disease. Insignificant signs, pain, a rash would lead them to believe they had a serious disease.

For a long time, it was dismissed as untreatable. Or something that did not merit treatment. You could have heard terms like “it is psychosomatic” or “it’s in your head.”

But medical science is evolving. We recognize that the mind and body are connected. What you feel in your mind affects your body, and vice versa.

In any case dismissing someone’s anguish does not make it go away.

One way to deal with it is through psychology. Perhaps there was some childhood trauma or the loss of a loved one. An event like that can leave deep scars.

Upbringing and genes both play a role. If your role models are the worrying type, you might believe that is the right thing to do.

While there is no specific gene for being a hypochondriac, stress and anxiety do get passed on from one generation to another.

So instead of dismissing someone’s worry, treat it like a medical condition.

Treat it with love and compassion and show them that perhaps there isn’t any reason to worry. If you are worrying about a non-existent condition, isn’t that better than having one?

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