Health anxiety
When every sensation feels like a warning.
Health anxiety (sometimes called illness anxiety or hypochondria) is a persistent fear of being seriously ill. It's exhausting, and it's treatable.
Signs you might recognize
The worry that won't settle.
Each check or search brings brief relief, then makes the next worry stronger. Here's what that can look like.
- Checking
Body checking and symptom Googling
Scanning for lumps, checking your pulse, taking your temperature or searching symptoms online, again and again.
- Reassurance
Needing someone to confirm you're fine
Repeated doctor visits, tests or questions to loved ones. The relief rarely lasts, and the doubt comes back.
- Avoidance
Steering clear of anything health-related
Avoiding doctors, hospitals, medical shows or news stories, or avoiding exercise because of how it makes your body feel.
- The cost
A life organized around “what if”
Hours lost to worry, less attention for the people and things you care about, and a feeling that you can't relax until you're sure you're okay.
How treatment works
Breaking the cycle.
Health anxiety runs on a cycle. A sensation leads to a scary thought, then a check or a search, a bit of relief and then more doubt. Exposure-based therapy helps you step out of that loop, so sensations can come and go without taking over your day. Medical care becomes something you use when you need it, not something you use for reassurance.
Health anxiety can look a lot like OCD, and many of the same tools help, including ERP. In some cases, I also use inference-based CBT (I-CBT), which helps you trust what your body is actually telling you over “what if it's serious?”
Health anxiety questions
What people often ask.
Does this mean you'll dismiss my symptoms?
Do I have to stop seeing my doctor?
Is this the same as OCD?
Ready to take the first step?
Request a free 20-minute consultation. If I'm not the right fit, I'll help you find someone who is.