Differential Diagnosis for Health Anxiety
The patient's symptoms of excessive worry about their health and fear of dying can be attributed to various diagnoses. Here's a categorized differential diagnosis:
- Single most likely diagnosis
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): The patient's health anxiety and fear of dying are characteristic of GAD, which is a common mental health condition.
- Other Likely diagnoses
- Panic Disorder: The patient's fear of dying could be related to panic attacks, which are intense episodes of fear or discomfort.
- Illness Anxiety Disorder: This condition is characterized by excessive worry about having a serious illness, despite medical reassurance.
- Somatization Disorder: The patient's health anxiety could be a manifestation of somatization disorder, which involves physical symptoms with no clear medical explanation.
- Do Not Miss (ddxs that may not be likely, but would be deadly if missed.)
- Cardiac conditions (e.g., myocardial infarction, arrhythmias): Although the patient's symptoms are likely anxiety-related, it's essential to rule out life-threatening cardiac conditions.
- Pulmonary embolism: This is a potentially fatal condition that can cause sudden onset of anxiety, shortness of breath, and fear of dying.
- Neurological conditions (e.g., seizures, multiple sclerosis): Certain neurological conditions can cause anxiety, fear, and physical symptoms that mimic health anxiety.
- Rare diagnoses
- Hypochondriasis: Although this condition is now referred to as Illness Anxiety Disorder in the DSM-5, it's still worth considering as a rare diagnosis.
- Factitious Disorder: The patient's symptoms could be fabricated or exaggerated for attention or sympathy, although this is a rare and unlikely diagnosis.
- Mitochondrial diseases: Certain rare genetic disorders, such as mitochondrial diseases, can cause anxiety, fear, and physical symptoms due to energy production defects in cells.