Health Anxiety

HEALTH ANXIETY

Known also as Hypochondria or simply as Health Anxiety, Illness Anxiety Disorder is marked by fear about health problems. While many people are concerned about their health, those with Health Anxiety have extreme concerns in the face of minor or no symptoms. What’s more, their worry and symptoms lead to distress and impair their lives. The anxiety can be about any health issue, be it cancer, heart disease, something lethal or or something degenerative.

People with Healthy Anxiety may respond to their worries in a number of ways. Some avoid doctors while others seek a lot of reassurance from health care workers. Many people will check their bodies for signs of illness. Others will perform endless google searches in order to feel less fearful. Still others think and analyze in the hope that they will feel sure about the status of their health.

THERAPY FOR HEALTH ANXIETY

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for Health Anxiety. This approach includes education about the disorder which includes what strengthens and weakens it. Looking at thoughts via Cognitive Restructuring and facing fears through Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) are also part of CBT for Health Anxiety.

With Cognitive Restructuring, individuals learn to approach their thoughts with logic and reason. By accessing their rational minds, people learn to make choices based on the facts rather than their fears. Once people are able to access this more objective view, therapists guide those with Health Anxiety through ERP. In this process, people face their fears in order to increase their anxiety on purpose. While this may seem odd given that most people who come to treatment want less not more anxiety, this evidence-based treatment helps people to learn how to tolerate their feelings so that their emotions no longer have the same power over them. While many are scared at the idea of ERP, rest assured that this process is taken at each person’s pace. An ERP therapist will never force someone they are working with to take steps they are unwilling to take.

Mindfulness can be very helpful for those with Health Anxiety, too. Through mindfulness, individuals can learn to approach their thoughts and feelings with without judging them. This helps people to have a better relationship with these inner experiences.

INTERESTED IN THERAPY?

Are you or a loved one struggling with health anxiety and interested in therapy? Therapists at the Center for the Obsessive Mind specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders. You can learn more about the treatments and services we provide here.