A forum titled Reducing the Social and Economic Burden of Hypochondria, organized by the World Psychiatric Association, was held recently in Yokohama. Psychiatrists, public health officials, and representatives from private health organizations from China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan and Vietnam attended the forum.

Currently, hypochondria ranks fourth among reasons cited as burdening global health, and it is expected to take second place by the year 2020. According to research conducted by Australia, Spain, and the US, hypochondria may result in a significant drain on a country’s economic resources.

During the forum, discussions centered around the negative effects of hypochondria on a nation’s economy, before being detected by a county’s medical system. Some measures were introduced to assist in developing tools and indexes to collect information on the effects of hypochondria in Asia. It is understood that the development of appropriate analytical apparatus will be critical in better controlling the financial burden caused by hypochondria.

World Psychiatric Association is the biggest psychiatry organization in the world, with more than 150, 000 psychiatrist members from over one hundred nations and regions.

(china.org.cn by Li Liangdu, September 13, 2002)