Question

Somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder are concerned with medical illness, yet they are different. Explain using a relevant example.

Answer 1

While both involve health anxiety, the key difference is the presence or lack of physical symptoms.

1. Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD): The person suffers from true, persistent physical symptoms (such as chronic pain or exhaustion) and responds with excessive, disproportionate worry.
   • Example: Someone with constant stomach aches spends hours every day researching terminal illnesses, thinking their pain signifies they have stomach cancer despite clear medical testing.
2. Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD): The person is scared of getting a serious disease but exhibits no noticeable physical symptoms. The focus is on the concept of being sick rather than any specific physical symptom.
   • Example: Someone who feels to be in perfect health becomes obsessed with the possibility of having HIV, regularly inspecting their body for non-existent rashes or lymph nodes and seeing doctors for “reassurance” testing.