What is the Difference Between Somatic Delusions and Hypochondriasis

Somatic delusions and hypochondriasis are two different mental disorders. These conditions involve major changes in thinking, emotion and/or behaviour or problems functioning in social, work or family activities.

The key difference between somatic delusions and hypochondriasis is their nature. In somatic delusions, people have a false belief that their internal or external bodily functions are abnormal while in hypochondriasis, people fear that they have a serious medical condition or that they have a high risk of becoming ill.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Somatic Delusions  
3. What is Hypochondriasis
4. Similarities – Somatic Delusions and Hypochondriasis
5. Somatic Delusions vs Hypochondriasis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Somatic Delusions vs Hypochondriasis
7. FAQ – Somatic Delusions and Hypochondriasis

What are Somatic Delusions?

Somatic delusion are delusions that make a person believe there is something wrong with their body, either internally or externally. Somatic delusions are caused by high dopamine levels, hyperperfusion of the brain, genetics, and paranoid personality disorder. The common symptoms of this condition are fears of infestation or infection, distorted body image, and imagining unpleasant odors.

Figure 01: Somatic Delusions

Somatic delusions can be diagnosed through physical examination and psychological evaluations. Furthermore, treatment options for somatic delusions include taking antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine inhibitors (SNRIs), and psychotherapy (cognitive behavioral therapy and family therapy).

What is Hypochondriasis?

Hypochondriasis is also called anxiety illness disorder. People with this condition fear that they have a serious medical condition or that they are at high risk of becoming ill. Some of the symptoms of this condition include avoiding people or places, repeatedly seeking for signs of illness, high levels of anxiety about the health, and exaggerating the symptoms and their severity. Moreover, hypochondriasis can be caused by childhood illness or trauma, extreme stress, health anxieties, mental issues like depression and trauma like rape, physical or emotional abuse.

Figure 02: Hypochondriasis

To diagnose hypochondriasis, healthcare providers use medical history, reviewing about the symptoms and psychological evaluation. Furthermore, treatment options for hypochondriasis include taking drugs such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications and mental health therapy (psychotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Similarities Between Somatic Delusions and Hypochondriasis

1. Somatic delusions and hypochondriasis are two different mental disorders.
2. People with both conditions may be afraid that they have horrible disease.
3. Both these conditions can be diagnosed by using criteria listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic and statistical manual mental health disorders- DSM-5.
4. They can be cured by taking medications such as antidepressants.

Difference Between Somatic Delusions and Hypochondriasis

Definition

1. Somatic delusion is a condition that makes people believe there is something wrong with their body, either internally or externally.
2. Hypochondriasis is a condition where people have a persistent fear that they have a serious illness despite few or no symptoms.

Cause

1. Somatic delusion can be caused by high dopamine levels, hyperperfusion of the brain, genetics, and paranoid personality disorder.
2. Hypochondriasis can be caused by childhood illness or trauma, extreme stress, anxiety, trauma like rape, physical or emotional abuse.

Signs and Symptoms

1. The signs and symptoms of somatic delusion include fears of body dysmorphia, unwavering mouth odor, anxiety, nervousness, nagging feeling of wires and coils in mouth, spending hours’ time examining the mouth and body, and feeling that medical exams and tests are not adequate.
2. The signs and symptoms of hypochondriasis include avoiding people or places due to worry about catching an illness, constantly researching diseases, exaggerating the symptoms and their severity, high level of anxiety, obsessions with body functions, oversharing the symptoms, and body issues with others.

Diagnosis

1. Somatic delusions can be diagnosed through physical exam and psychiatric evaluation. The additional tests include urine tests, blood tests, imaging tests such as CT or MRI, and X-rays.
2. Hypochondriasis can be diagnosed through medical history, physical exam, and psychiatric evaluation.

Treatment

1. Treatment options for somatic delusions include taking antidepressants, serotonin and norepinephrine inhibitors (SNRIs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and psychotherapy.
2. Treatment options for hypochondriasis include taking drugs such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, stress management, exposure therapy, and psychotherapy.

The following table summarizes the difference between somatic delusions and hypochondriasis.

Summary – Somatic Delusions vs Hypochondriasis

Somatic delusions and hypochondriasis are two different mental disorders. People with both these conditions have high levels of anxiety. But people with somatic delusions have an incorrect perception that their internal or exterior body functions are abnormal while people with hypochondriasis worry excessively and unnecessarily about having a serious illness. This is the summary of the difference between somatic delusions and hypochondriasis.

FAQ: Somatic Delusions and Hypochondriasis

1. What are examples of somatic delusions?

• Common examples of somatic delusions include the belief that one is infested with insects or parasites, emitting a foul odor, that parts of the body are not functioning, or that certain parts of the body are irregular and ugly, despite a lack of objective evidence.

2. What is the best therapy for somatic delusions?

• Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the research-proven methods for treating patients diagnosed with somatic delusional disorder. The other treatments options include taking drugs such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, stress management and exposure therapy.

3. What is the root cause of hypochondriasis?

• Hypochondriasis can be caused due to different factors such as childhood illness, childhood trauma, extreme stress, mental health issues like anxiety, depression, trauma like rape, physical or emotional abuse.

4. Is hypochondriasis a type of OCD?

• OCD is a long-lasting disorder in which a person experiences uncontrollable and recurring thoughts and engages in repetitive behaviors. Although obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) of some people focuses on their health, hypochondriasis is not a form of OCD.

5. What is the best treatment for hypochondriasis?

• The treatments for hypochondriasis available include taking medications like antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine inhibitors (SNRIs), group therapy, behavior modification, and cognitive therapy.

Reference:

1. “What Is Illness Anxiety Disorder?” Cleveland Clinic.
2. Harshi, Dhingra. “Somatic Delusion: Definition, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments.” The Diamond Rehab Thailand.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Types of Delusional Disorders 1” By MissLunaRose12 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

2. “Photo of Man Leaning on Wooden Table” (CC0) via Pexels

Related posts:

What is the Difference Between Atelectasis and Pneumonia What is the Difference Between Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Starvation Ketoacidosis What is the Difference Between Fluent and Non Fluent Aphasia What is the Difference Between Chancre and Chancroid What is the Difference Between PFO and PDA