University of the People
HS 4241-01 – Psychopathology and Mental Health
Learning Journal Unit 4
May 05, 2025
Reaction to "Living as a Hypochondriac"
Jessica Semaan’s personal essay “Living as a Hypochondriac” (2017) is a raw and intimate
look into her struggles with health anxiety—specifically, the constant fear of illness that
plagued her mind despite medical reassurances. In her article, Semaan details the exhausting
cycles of fearing death, overanalyzing bodily sensations, and Googling symptoms late into
the night. She explores how trauma, particularly childhood abuse and neglect, played a role in
shaping her fears. Importantly, she does not just describe the torment of hypochondria but
also the broader psychological factors behind it and her journey toward healing through
therapy, acceptance, and mindfulness.
Reading this article struck a personal chord with me. While I have never identified as a
hypochondriac, I have had moments where anxiety about health became all-consuming.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, I recall obsessively checking my temperature
and panicking over minor throat discomforts. Much like Semaan, I would turn to Google for
answers, only to find catastrophic diagnoses that heightened my fear. What made Semaan’s
story especially moving was how deeply she connected her hypochondria to unresolved
emotional pain—something I believe many people overlook when evaluating physical
complaints.
My first reaction to the article was empathy. I didn’t feel bothered or skeptical—I felt
compassion. Her vulnerability in sharing something so personal and stigmatized was
admirable. I was particularly struck by her reflection that “being a hypochondriac is living in
constant fight or flight,” which connects directly to the concepts from this unit regarding the
psychological roots of somatic symptom disorders. As Barry (2012) notes, individuals with
somatic symptom disorders often have a history of trauma or emotional suppression, and their
physical symptoms can be unconscious attempts to express distress.
If I could speak to the author, I would ask what role her support system played in her healing.
She mentions therapy but does not elaborate on whether friends or family understood or
validated her experiences. Given what we’ve learned in this unit about the importance of
caregiver responses (Flatt, 2010), I’m curious how much of her recovery involved
interpersonal support beyond clinical help.
Reading this article made me realize how easily society dismisses or mocks those with
hypochondria, labeling them as dramatic or attention-seeking, when in fact they are living
with chronic anxiety. It also raised questions about how healthcare providers can better
distinguish between somatic symptom disorders and genuine medical issues without
alienating the patient. This is especially relevant in light of Pridmore’s (2021) discussion of
diagnostic challenges and the risk of mislabeling symptoms when the psychological
component is overlooked.
The unit has deepened my understanding of this article by giving me a framework to interpret
Semaan’s story—not just as a narrative of irrational fear, but as a case of somatic distress
rooted in emotional trauma. The DSM-5 no longer uses the term hypochondriasis, instead
grouping it under Illness Anxiety Disorder, which better reflects the cognitive and emotional
patterns seen in people like Semaan. This shift in terminology and approach encourages more
empathetic care and acknowledges that the suffering is real, even if not medically explained.
In conclusion, Jessica Semaan’s article is a compelling, honest, and powerful exploration of
what it means to live with health anxiety. It held my interest because it went beyond
symptoms and diagnosis to the human experience behind the condition. This reading,
combined with the unit materials, has broadened my empathy and understanding of
individuals who cope with psychological distress in physical terms.
References
Barry, D. (2012). Somatoform disorders. In K. Key (Ed.), The Gale encyclopedia of mental
health (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 1459-1461). Gale.
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX4013200448/GVRL?
u=lirn17237&sid=GVRL&xid=47a64522
Flatt, G. C. (2010). All in your head: A comprehensive approach to somatoform disorders in
adult disability claims. Washington University Law Review, 87(6), 1397.
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA238426234
Pridmore, S. (2021, February). Chapter 22: Somatic symptom disorder and related disorders.
In Download of psychiatry. University of Tasmania.
Semaan, J. (2017, December 29). Living as a hypochondriac. Medium.
https://jessicasemaan.medium.com/living-as-a-hypochondriac-71b30abb0eab
