HYPOCHONDRIASIS
\hˌa͡ɪpə͡ʊkˈɒndɹɪˌasiz], \hˌaɪpəʊkˈɒndɹɪˌasiz], \h_ˌaɪ_p_əʊ_k_ˈɒ_n_d_ɹ_ɪ__ˌa_s_i_z]\
Sort: Oldest first
-
Slight melancholy, fear of illness, etc.
By William R. Warner
-
This disease is probably so called, from the circumstance of some hypochondriacs having felt an uneasy sensation in the hypochondriac regions. The disease seems really to be, as Pinel has classed it, a species of neurosis, and of mental alienation, which is observed in persons who in other respects are of sound judgment, but who reason erroneously on whatever concerns their own health. Hypochondriasis is characterized by disordered digestion, without fever or local lesion; flatulence; borborygmi; extreme increase of sensibility; palpitations; illusions of the senses; a succession of morbid feelings, which appear to simulate the greater part of diseases; panics; exaggerated uneasiness of various kinds; chiefly in what regards the health, etc. Indigestion has usually been considered the cause of hypochondriasis. They are, unquestionably, much connected with each other: but there is every reason to believe, that the seat of the affection is really, though functionally, in the brain. The disease almost always appears at the adult age, most commonly in irritable individuals; and in those exhausted, or rather in the habit of being exhausted by mental labour, overwhelmed with domestic or public affairs, etc. The treatment is almost entirely moral. The condition of the digestive function must, however, be accurately attended to.
By Robley Dunglison
By Willam Alexander Newman Dorland
Word of the day
Dopamine Acetyltransferase
- An enzyme that catalyzes the of groups from acetyl-CoA to arylamines. They have wide specificity for aromatic amines, particularly serotonin, and can also catalyze acetyl transfer between arylamines without CoA. EC 2.3.1.5.