Doctors at the Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital said that more and more young people are hospitalized due to disease anxiety disorder - a condition where patients always think they have a serious illness even though the test results are completely normal. Life pressure, stressful working environment and the habit of searching for diseases on the internet are considered to be the reasons for this situation to increase.
Recently, the Institute of Mental Health received a 27-year-old male patient, working as a garment worker, admitted to the hospital in a state of prolonged anxiety, frequent shortness of breath and arrhythmias. The recurrent symptoms caused the patient difficulties in daily life and work.
According to the family, from a young age, the patient was taciturn, introverted, thoughtful and perfectionist. He grew up in a situation of great psychological pressure when his father often drank alcohol, scolded his wife and children, and died early of cirrhosis when he was only 7 years old. After that incident, his mother became the main spiritual support, so the patient tended to emotionally depend on the family.
Due to difficult economic circumstances, the patient dropped out of school from 9th grade to work to help his family. He used to do many general labor jobs before becoming a worker at a garment factory. The working environment with high sales pressure often caused him to fall into prolonged stress.
In early 2025, the patient began to experience shortness of breath, especially when inhaling, accompanied by chest tightness and a feeling of choking in the throat. He has gone to many specialties, performed otolaryngography and lung X-rays. Initially, doctors diagnosed acute sinusitis and prescribed antibiotic treatment combined with nasal and throat hygiene. After treatment, symptoms decreased but quickly recurred.
Prolonged shortness of breath makes patients increasingly worried, always thinking they have a serious illness even though the examination results do not detect any abnormalities. This condition gradually seriously affects mental health, sleep quality and work efficiency.
According to doctors, the above case shows a clear link between prolonged psychological pressure and physical manifestations such as shortness of breath, chest tightness or cramped limbs. This is a fairly common condition in young people today, especially in those who work in high-pressure environments but share emotions little or have experienced many family upheavals.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Director of the Institute of Mental Health, said that disease anxiety disorder is a form of mental disorder that makes patients always believe that they are suffering from or about to suffer from a dangerous disease even though the tests are normal. Many people are constantly haunted by cancer, heart disease or liver disease and go for many check-ups even though doctors have confirmed that there are no signs of danger.
According to Dr. Duong Minh Tam, Institute of Mental Health, the rate of anxiety disorders in adults ranges from 2.1 to 13.1%, especially in medical examination and treatment facilities it can be up to nearly 20%. The disease usually appears in the age of 20-30 but can occur at any stage of life.
Experts divide people with this disorder into two main groups. One group regularly goes for examination, tests or changes doctors to find evidence that they have the disease. The other group avoids the hospital because they are too afraid of detecting a serious illness.
Many factors increase the risk of disease such as having experienced loss, living in a stressful family environment, being mentally abused or having a history of anxiety and depression. In addition, looking up too much disease information on the internet can also exacerbate fear. Many people read the symptoms online and then think they have a serious illness, thereby falling into a prolonged spiral of anxiety.
