Illness Anxiety Disorder

Psychoneuroimmunology studies the associations concerning the mind, the brain and the immune system. It studies the effects of stress, anxiety, and environmental situations on the immune system. In times of COVID-19, when everyone is worried about their physical immunity and mental health, psychologists see an increase in the number of cases of Illness Anxiety Disorder. In this condition, the patient suffers with preoccupation of thoughts about having serious illness and is continuously anxious about its possibility. This results in deep anxiety about one’s health. Patients with this disorder are overly concerned about an undiagnosed, negative diagnosis and are unable to trust their doctor. In the times of covid-19, we saw many people complaining about a diagnosis, faulty diagnosis, and not trusting their doctor’s – mental health practitioners. A characteristic feature of illness disorder is constantly worrying about developing an illness without having any physical symptoms or biological reports indicating an illness.

Author:
Dr. Deependra Sharma, Dean, Unitedworld School of Business (UWSB)

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