23rd Annual OCD Conference

A person preoccupied with having or getting a serious illness can be diagnosed with OCD, Illness Anxiety, or even Somatic Symptom Disorder. Hypochondriacal presentations warrant one of these 3 diagnoses, yet which to diagnose can be complex and confusing to even an experienced therapist. Whether or not there's a medical explanation, the patient's suffering is authentic. However, the associated thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are excessive. Extreme worry about illness, making catastrophic conclusions about health, interpreting bodily symptoms as threatening, repeatedly checking for bodily abnormalities, and seeking medical reassurances are just some of the common presentations in all 3 diagnoses. Through case vignettes, this panel will illustrate the main differences amongst these 3 diagnoses, while also navigating through some of the not-so-obvious symptoms.