Hypochondriasis is best described as?

• A. A chronic preoccupation with having a serious illness despite medical reassurance.
• B. Unexplained symptoms in many organ systems with no medical pathology.
• C. Deliberate fabrication of symptoms for attention.
• D. Persistent fear of something.

Answer: (D)

Hypochondriasis is shown by a persistent preoccupation with having a serious illness despite medical reassurance. The worry centers on body sensations being signs of serious disease, and this belief remains even after exams and tests come back normal. It’s not about unexplained symptoms across many organs, nor about deliberately fabricating symptoms for attention. In today’s terms, this pattern is often called illness anxiety disorder when there are few or no real somatic symptoms, with somatic symptom disorder used if prominent physical symptoms are present.