Illness Anxiety Disorder (Hypochondriasis) Illustration - Woody Allen

This clip from Hannah and Her Sisters can be used to illustrate Illness Anxiety Disorder (which was called Hypochondriasis in the DSM-IV-TR). In this case, the patient Mickey (Woody Allen) does exhibit some mild symptoms (hearing impairment) and does exhibit, per Criterion C, a high level of anxiety about his health (“I am dying!“), and is easily alarmed about his personal health status (“I have a brain tumor“). Caveat: The first doctor does ask for a CAT scan (not shown) and his MD friend does acknowledge the possibility of a brain tumor (not shown either), and Mickey relaxes after his health status gets cleared, which is uncharacteristic of hypochondriacs, who are not easily convinced by medical evidence.