hypochondria

hypochondria

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hy·po·chon·dria .hī-pə-'kän-drē-ə n extreme depression of mind or spirits often centered on imaginary physical ailments specif HYPOCHONDRIASIS

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n.
preoccupation with the physical functioning of the body and with fancied ill health. It may amount to a handicapping neurosis and dominate a person's life. In the most severe form there are delusions of ill health, usually due to underlying depression. When symptoms reach the level sufficient to be classified as a disorder, it is called hypochondriasis (in DSM-IV) or hypochondriacal disorder (in ICD-10). Treatment with reassurance, antidepressant drugs, and/or psychotherapy is usual, but the condition is often chronic.
hypochondriac adj. n.

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hy·po·chon·dria (hi″po-konґdre-ə) 1. plural of hypochondrium. 2. hypochondriasis.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • hypochondria — 1839, illness without a specific cause, earlier (1660s) depression or melancholy without real cause, earlier still (late 14c.) ipocondrie upper abdomen, from L.L. hypochondria the abdomen, from Gk. hypokhondria (neuter plural of hypokhondrios),… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Hypochondria — Hy po*chon dri*a, n. [NL.] (Med.) An excessive concern about one s own health, particularly a morbid worry about illnesses which a person imagines are affecting him, often focusing on specific symptoms; also called {hypochondriasis}. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • hypochondria — hypochondria; hypomania /haypakondriya, hipa/haypameyn(i)ya, hipa / See insanity …   Black's law dictionary

  • hypochondria — hypochondria; hypomania /haypakondriya, hipa/haypameyn(i)ya, hipa / See insanity …   Black's law dictionary

  • hypochondria — ► NOUN ▪ abnormal chronic anxiety about one s health. ORIGIN Greek hupokhondria, denoting the soft body area below the ribs, originally thought to be the seat of melancholy …   English terms dictionary

  • hypochondria — [hī΄pə kän′drē ə] n. [ModL < LL, pl., abdomen (the supposed seat of the condition) < pl. of Gr hypochondrion, soft part of the body below the cartilage of the breastbone < hypo (see HYPO ) + chondros, cartilage, by dissimilation <… …   English World dictionary

  • hypochondria — [16] Originally, hypochondria was an anatomical term, denoting the ‘area of the abdomen beneath the ribs’. It comes via Latin from Greek hupokhóndrion, a compound noun formed from the prefix hupo ‘under’ and khóndros ‘cartilage’. This particular… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • hypochondria — [16] Originally, hypochondria was an anatomical term, denoting the ‘area of the abdomen beneath the ribs’. It comes via Latin from Greek hupokhóndrion, a compound noun formed from the prefix hupo ‘under’ and khóndros ‘cartilage’. This particular… …   Word origins

  • Hypochondria — Hypochondrium Hy po*chon dri*um, n.; pl. L. {Hypochondria}, E. {Hypochondriums}. [L., fr. Gr. ?, from ? under the cartilage of the breastbone; ? under + ? cartilage.] (Anat.) Either of the hypochondriac regions. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • hypochondria — noun Etymology: New Latin, from Late Latin, plural, upper abdomen (formerly regarded as the seat of hypochondria), from Greek, literally, the parts under the cartilage (of the breastbone), from hypo + chondros cartilage Date: 1668 extreme… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • hypochondria — hy|po|chon|dri|a [ˌhaıpəˈkɔndriə US ˈka:n ] n [U] [Date: 1500 1600; : Late Latin; Origin: (plural), parts of the body just below the chest (which was thought to be where hypochondria came from), from Greek, parts below the central bone in the… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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