Somatic symptoms that are considered normal physiological sensations are primarily linked to which disorder?

Illness anxiety disorder is characterized by an intense preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness, despite the presence of few or no somatic symptoms. Individuals with this disorder often misinterpret normal bodily sensations as signs of severe disease. This linkage is crucial because those experiencing illness anxiety tend to focus on ordinary physiological sensations, which can trigger significant anxiety and concern about their health.

In contrast, the other disorders listed involve different dynamics. Somatic symptom disorder includes the presence of actual physical symptoms that cause distress and dysfunction, but they may not always correlate with a medical condition. Conversion disorder involves neurologically-based symptoms that cannot be explained by medical conditions, manifesting in physical ways due to psychological conflicts. Factitious disorder involves intentional falsification of symptoms to assume the sick role, which is distinct from simply misinterpreting normal sensations as indicative of illness. Understanding the distinctions helps clarify why illness anxiety disorder specifically correlates with the misinterpretation of normal physiological sensations.