Health anxiety
Health anxiety is having health related fears that may or may not relate to actual illness or disease.
It is similar to obsessive compulsive disorder to the extent that a person becomes focused on recurrent thoughts and engages in repetitive behaviors designed to alleviate anxiety.
An individual may have a particular health concern, for instance developing COVID-19, experiencing heart problems, or being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness such as cancer.
Often there is considerable effort devoted to managing one’s fears and anxiety about health. Of course, this is a normal response to a new diagnosis. But many people with heightened health anxiety are fearful of a condition they do not have.
Information gathering is part of the process. Research may both decrease and increase anxiety. On the one hand, information may alleviate fears if it seems to disconfirm a particular diagnosis.
On the other hand, Google searches often increase a person’s anxiety, since search results offer a wide range of possible diagnoses for a particular symptom.
A person who regularly researches health-related topics may receive inaccurate or skewed information.
Websites and social media platforms use algorithms that show content that you are most likely to attend to.
It is easy to jump to conclusions. Simply put, nearly every symptom “could be” deadly … but this is unlikely!
A person’s health anxiety may lead to various health-related checking behaviors. To assess the presence of illness, repeated temperature checks, at-home testing, visual inspections, comparing symptoms with online descriptions, and doctor visits are frequently employed. Reassurance seeking is also common, referring to the manner in which a person often discusses their health related concerns and seeks the input of trusted individuals. Essentially, a person is trying to determine if everything is “okay”. It is common for a person experiencing health anxiety to reject the input of others, including professionals, to seek additional opinions.
Although proactive health behaviors, preventive actions, and timely responses are important parts of maintaining health, health related fears may lead to over-engagement in certain behaviors. Maintaining health is a balancing act, yet anxiety drives health-related behaviors to a point that health becomes an obsession that is time consuming and interferes with the ability to function in other areas.
During the pandemic, the scales certainly tipped in the direction of encouraging health related fears. At points, we were regularly told about rates of transmission and encouraged to take precautions. As life returns to “normal,” there is less of a focus on illness. However, some may find it difficult to shift back to normal routines.
Some useful questions to ask yourself:
Do I regularly have concerns about my health or the health of loved ones that interfere with my daily life?
Am I participating in meaningful and productive activities, or do my health fears hold me back?
Can I do the things I need to do, while keeping my mind focused on the activity at hand, or do my thoughts about my health get in the way?
Am I caught in a cycle of having one health related fear after another?
Seeking the right kind of help
If you have a serious Illness or a new and concerning symptom, of course, you should see a healthcare provider. If you were told that you have no reason to be concerned, but you still are, then consider seeking help from a mental health provider.
A psychological evaluation can help to determine the degree to which your health focus is related to fears and anxiety. A key factor to consider is the extent to which your thoughts and behaviors about health matters are interfering in your life.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective form of treatment for health anxiety. Skills are taught that focus on changing unhelpful thought patterns, eliminating checking and reassurance behaviors, and engaging in meaningful and fulfilling activities.
To learn more, please contact me for more information.
* The information and resources contained on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to assess, diagnose, or treat any medical and/or mental health disease or condition. The use of this website does not imply nor establish any type of therapist-client relationship. Furthermore, the information obtained from this site should not be considered a substitute for a thorough medical and/or mental health evaluation by an appropriately credentialed and licensed professional. *
