Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide
Illness Anxiety Disorder
DEFINITION
- Illness anxiety disorder (IAD) is characterized by ≥6 months of excessive anxiety and preoccupation with either having or developing a serious medical illness despite experiencing few to no physical symptoms.
- IAD is classified under the Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition Text Revision (DSM-5-TR).[1]
- Other diagnoses under this section include somatic symptom disorder, functional neurological disorder (conversion disorder), and factitious disorder.
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Last updated: July 16, 2025
Citation
Young, Lisa, et al. "Illness Anxiety Disorder." Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2025. Johns Hopkins Guides, www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787072/3.1/Illness_Anxiety_Disorder.
Young L, Lenihan V, Thornquist MH, Bienvenu O. Illness Anxiety Disorder. Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787072/3.1/Illness_Anxiety_Disorder. Accessed October 7, 2025.
Young, L., Lenihan, V., Thornquist, M. H., & Bienvenu, O. (2025). Illness Anxiety Disorder. In Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787072/3.1/Illness_Anxiety_Disorder
Young L, Lenihan V, Thornquist MH, Bienvenu O. Illness Anxiety Disorder [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. [cited 2025 October 07]. Available from: https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787072/3.1/Illness_Anxiety_Disorder.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Illness Anxiety Disorder
ID - 787072
A1 - Young,Lisa,BS, BA
AU - Lenihan,Victoria,M.D.
AU - Thornquist,Mary,Pharm.D
AU - Bienvenu,O. Joseph,M.D., Ph.D.
Y1 - 2025/07/16/
BT - Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide
UR - https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787072/3.1/Illness_Anxiety_Disorder
PB - The Johns Hopkins University
DB - Johns Hopkins Guides
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
