Parkinson's Disease as Illness Anxiety Disorder: A Rare Case Report

Illness anxiety disorder (IAD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by excessive fear and anxiety about developing a serious illness. Individuals with IAD constantly search for signs of serious illness, despite negative test results. This case report presents a patient with IAD who was concerned about developing Parkinson's disease. A 37-year-old married woman was worried about developing Parkinson's disease. Same as her mother, she had an anxious personality, albeit there was no history related to Parkinson's disease in her family, and all physical examinations were normal, but she exhibited a hand tremor. After the second pregnancy, she experienced depression, and after her father's death, the situation got worse. There are rare cases of illness anxiety disorder (IAD) related to other neurodegenerative disorders like multiple sclerosis in the literature review, but we believe this is one of the first and very rare reports regarding a patient with illness anxiety disorder who believes in involving Parkinson's disease, and it progresses. We are of the opinion that treatment for this disorder can be more useful to eliminate overvalued ideation and treat the patient.