hypochondriac

American  

[hahy-puh-kon-dree-ak] / ˌhaɪ pəˈkɒn driˌæk /

adjective

1. Psychiatry.

   1. relating to, having, or experiencing hypochondria, an excessive preoccupation with or anxiety about one's health.

      This biography of the poet paints him as a hypochondriac depressive.

   2. produced by an excessive preoccupation with or anxiety about one's health.

      Hypochondriac feelings overwhelmed her.

2. exhibiting excessive worry about one's health.

   Her hypochondriac roommate had been convinced that their apartment was killing them with black mold.

3. Anatomy, Zoology. of or relating to the hypochondrium.

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noun

1. Psychiatry. a person experiencing or subject to hypochondria.

2. a person who worries or talks excessively about their health.

hypochondriac British  

/ ˌhaɪpəˈkɒndrɪˌæk /

noun

1. a person suffering from hypochondria

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adjective

1. relating to or suffering from hypochondria

2. anatomy of or relating to the hypochondrium

hypochondriac Cultural  

1. A person who constantly believes he or she is ill or about to become ill.

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Usage

What does hypochondriac mean? Hypochondriac was once commonly used to refer to a person who constantly and excessively worries about their health, believing that they are or are about to become ill when there is really no reason to believe so. The condition of constantly worrying in this way was once commonly known as hypochondria (or hypochondriasis). However, mental health practitioners have largely stopped using the terms hypochondriac and hypochondria in favor of other terms due to such labels being seen as demeaning. People with the condition are now sometimes diagnosed with illness anxiety disorder. The chronic anxiety that the condition involves is often focused on particular ailments—such as heart or stomach pains—and may even be accompanied by physical symptoms. It’s normal to wonder if you’re sick when you have a cough or a runny nose, but illness anxiety disorder is recognized as a mental disorder when such worrying becomes constant and excessive, especially when there are no symptoms. In these cases, the anxiety often disrupts a person’s daily life. The words hypochondriac and hypochondria are still often used in a casual way outside of their use by medical and mental health professionals, such as in the context of a person who frequently becomes convinced that minor pains are a sign of a serious health problem. However, using the words in this way can be insensitive and offensive. Hypochondriac can also be used as an adjective describing things that involve hypochondria, as in hypochondriac tendencies. A less common variant of the adjective is hypochondriacal. These terms are also avoided by mental health professionals and can be considered insensitive in casual use. Example: Labeling patients as hypochondriacs only stigmatized them—it didn’t do anything to help their underlying anxiety.

Pop Culture

— The Hypochondriac: Molière’s last play, first performed in 1673. During the play’s fourth performance, Molière passed out on stage and died a few days later.

Other Word Forms

• hypochondriacally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of hypochondriac

First recorded in 1570–80; from New Latin hypochondriacus, from Greek hypochondriakós “affected in the upper abdomen”; See hypochondria, -ac

Explanation

If you obsess about your health and imagine you have the symptoms of a disease (or diseases), you may well be a hypochondriac and should seek therapy. The original Greek hypochondriakos referred to the region of the abdomen, an area that ancient doctors believed to be the seat of misery or melancholia. It stands to reason, then, that hypochondriacs are usually unhappy, simply because they always imagine they're sick.

Example Sentences

Q. Hypochondriac Girlfriend: My girlfriend of seven years is having a major bout of hypochondria.

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2015

Q. Hypochondriac Husband: My husband is 27 years old and has always been a very healthy individual.

From Slate • May 7, 2013

Hypochondriac, jittery, paranoid, the economic system settles down to feed upon its own inadequacies.

From Time Magazine Archive

In his bed, Hypochondriac Proust used to wear a long nightgown, sweaters, mufflers, stockings, gloves, a nightcap.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Ah! my dear friends," said Mr. Palmer, "I really am, I certainly am a sad—sad—" "Hypochondriac," said Mr. Walsingham.

From Tales and Novels — Volume 05 by Edgeworth, Maria