Final answer:
Illness anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive worry about having or acquiring a serious illness, often despite medical reassurance and without significant physical symptoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
After contracting an actual acute illness, some individuals may exhibit signs of illness anxiety disorder as they fear they are not over the illness or worry that they need to limit activities. Unlike panic disorder, conversion disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, illness anxiety disorder is specifically characterized by excessive preoccupation with the belief of having or acquiring a serious illness, despite medical reassurance and the absence of significant physical findings.
Illness anxiety disorder involves a level of worry about health that is out of proportion to any actual physical problems. Sufferers of this disorder are often consumed by the idea that they are ill or will become ill, and this concern can significantly interfere with their daily life. This condition, formerly known as hypochondriasis, is related to anxiety disorders wherein stress and emotional factors can potentially lead to or exacerbate the perceived symptoms of illness.