Is Hypochondria a form of OCD? - Hypochondria Message Board

scaredbuthopeful · 10-17-2003, 02:33 AM

Hello all...
Ok im not really sure if hypochondria is a form of OCD or is it a illness all in itself. My husband and I have been fighting really bad lately and Im beginning to think that this could be the end of our marriage. He thinks that I should be getting treatment for hypochondria. And at this point I just dont know anymore. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Nicki

cabins513 · 10-17-2003, 12:42 PM

scaredbuthopeful,
Hypochondria is very much a form of OCD. The true medical term for this type of OCD is Health Anxiety. your obsession is your health, and your compulsions are constant reassuring that you are ok..you may or may not have rituals w/ this type of OCD. Your husband is right... you should consider therepy, and/or medication. Much of this has to do w/ a chemical imbalance in the brain which needs medication to fix, just like if you have an iron deficiency..you will need to take medicine to replace the iron...just think of it that way.

Good Luck and God Bless

scaredbuthopeful · 10-17-2003, 04:31 PM

Thanks for the reponse. The thing is I have been taking meds for this. The doctor started me out on Zoloft but I was having to many side affects with it. So now they have changed me over to Celexa. My husband is mad about the whole thing. He says that the meds are just for depression and not for hypochondria. So im not sure how to explain it to him.

Sanguine · 10-17-2003, 04:54 PM

Yes, I'd say hypochondria is a more specific form of OCD, and a lot of people experience it. Perhaps what you want to explain to your husband is that all of the anxiety disorders have a lot in common, and as such they are treated in basically the same way. Since anxiety disorders are often accompanied by depression, it is believed that serotonin is the common variable that is responsible for these disorders. As such, anxiety disorders and depression are all treated by SSRI type medications. Whether it's hypochondria, panic disorder, social phobia, GAD, etc., you're going to treat it with CBT, SSRIs, or both. And, oftentimes, these anxiety disorders can be comorbid with one another.

Hope this helps...

plg115 · 10-25-2003, 01:51 PM

There is a website called [url="http://www.healthanxiety.com"]www.healthanxiety.com[/url]
This has a message board that might help with your condition.