A graduate student repeatedly visits the health center fearing meningitis with no physical findings. What is the most likely diagnosis?

The scenario describes a graduate student who is anxious about having a serious condition, specifically meningitis, despite a lack of physical findings to support this fear. This aligns well with the diagnosis of hypochondriasis, which is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness. Individuals with hypochondriasis often interpret minor or benign physical sensations as indicative of a severe disease, leading to persistent health-related anxiety.

In the context provided, the student's repeated visits to the health center suggest an ongoing concern about their health, reflecting the hallmark of hypochondriasis where the individual is so consumed by their fear of being ill that it significantly disrupts their daily functioning. Unlike conversion disorder, which involves specific neurological deficits stemming from psychological causes, or somatization disorder, which typically includes multiple physical complaints without a medical explanation, hypochondriasis specifically emphasizes the intense fear and belief in having an illness despite reassurance and lack of symptoms. Malingering, on the other hand, involves the deliberate feigning of illness for tangible benefits, which does not apply here as the student is genuinely fearful rather than seeking a reward.

Therefore, the most fitting diagnosis is hypochondriasis, as it encapsulates the student's disproportionate worry about meningitis in