What disorder is indicated by someone who takes excessive vitamins and believes a minor ear infection is a brain tumor?

The scenario describes a person exhibiting excessive concern about their health and misinterpreting minor symptoms as signs of severe illness, which aligns with the characteristics of somatic symptom disorder. This disorder is marked by an obsession with physical symptoms, often leading to significant distress and impairment in daily functioning. The individual’s behaviors—such as taking excessive vitamins—suggest that they are preoccupied with their health, despite the absence of a serious medical condition.

In somatic symptom disorder, the emphasis is on the symptoms themselves and the distress they cause the individual, rather than on a specific delusional belief about a serious illness. This disorder can manifest in various ways, including excessive health-related behaviors and persistent concerns over physical symptoms. Therefore, in this case, the person’s misinterpretation of a minor ear infection as a brain tumor illustrates this disorder’s core features effectively, justifying the identification of somatic symptom disorder as the correct answer.