What Is Health Anxiety? Signs, Symptoms, and How Therapy Can Help
Understanding Health Anxiety
Health anxiety is also known as illness anxiety or hypochondria. Health anxiety is when you become worried that something is wrong with your health, even when there’s little or no evidence to support it.
It’s normal to worry about your health from time to time, but with health anxiety, the worry takes over your life. You obsess about your health and constantly think worst the worst-case scenarios.
You might check your body for signs of illness, research symptoms online, or seek reassurance from doctors. Although these behaviours make you feel good temporarily, your anxiety returns soon after.
Health Anxiety: My Story (Source: Ellis Sara Smith)
Signs and Symptoms of Health Anxiety
Health anxiety involves excessive worrying about your health. It might include worrying that you have a serious disease or illness. You might obsess over body sensations and use that as evidence that there is something wrong with you.” This preoccupation persists even after medical evaluations provide reassurance.
Here are some common symptoms of health anxiety:
Constant Worrying. You’re always thinking about your health and fearing the worst.
Body Sensations. You might misinterpret normal body sensations, like a headache or a slight cough, as signs of a severe illness.
Frequent Health Checks. You may check your body for lumps, bumps, or other changes.
Doctor Visits. Despite many doctor visits and tests, you continue to worry that something is wrong.
Avoidance. You might avoid situations that could trigger your anxiety. For example, you avoid watching medical shows or hearing about illnesses.
Common Avoidances in Health Anxiety:
Avoiding medical shows, news, or discussions about illnesses.
Staying away from people who are sick or who talk about being sick.
Avoiding hospitals, clinics, or any places associated with illness.
Not engaging in activities that could cause injury or discomfort. For example, avoiding exercise or eating certain foods.
Avoiding reading or hearing about serious diseases, fearing they might trigger anxiety
Safety Behaviours in Health Anxiety:
Safety Behaviours are things that you do to protect yourself against your fears. They may appear like “coping strategies” but they could be contributing to your anxiety cycle. Learn more about safety behaviours.
Checking your body for signs of illness (e.g., lumps, rashes).
Seeking reassurance from doctors, friends, or family.
Excessive research on symptoms and medical conditions online (often called "cyberchondria").
Avoiding physical activities that might increase heart rate or cause discomfort. You fear they might indicate a serious health issue.
Carrying out frequent self-examinations (e.g., checking pulse, measuring blood pressure).
Seeking many medical opinions even after receiving a clean bill of health.
Monitoring vital signs, like temperature or heart rate, without medical advice.
How to Talk to Your Doctor About Health Anxiety
If you're living with health anxiety, going to the doctor can feel overwhelming. You might worry they’ll dismiss you—or worse, confirm your worst fear. On the flip side, you might avoid going altogether because it feels too scary.
The truth is: your doctor is there to support your health—including your mental health. But they may not know you're struggling unless you say it out loud.
Here are some tips to help you start the conversation:
1. Be honest about your worry.
You might say: “I’ve been feeling really anxious about my health lately. Even when test results come back okay, I still feel panicked.”
This gives your doctor a clear picture—and lets them know you're not just asking for tests, you're asking for help.
2. Explain how it affects your life.
Let them know if your anxiety is:
Disrupting your sleep
Leading to constant Googling
Causing you to avoid people or places
Making you afraid to exercise, eat certain foods, or go outside
This helps your doctor understand the impact beyond physical symptoms.
3. Ask for support, not just reassurance.
It’s okay to say: “I’d like help managing this anxiety, not just ruling things out.”
Your doctor may suggest speaking with a CBT therapist. You will want to find someone trained to help you break the cycle of fear and checking.
4. Bring written notes if it helps.
Sometimes anxiety makes it hard to remember what to say in the moment. Write down a few points ahead of time. Even reading them from your phone is okay.
You can download our free handout "Understanding My Health Anxiety" and bring this with you.
5. Remember: You’re not wasting their time.
Health anxiety is real. It deserves care and understanding, just like any other health issue.
If you’ve been struggling with constant worry about your health, you don’t have to figure it all out alone. Your doctor and your therapist can be on the same team—yours.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to talk to your doctor about your health anxiety. Sometimes people don’t have a good relationship with their doctor. You can access private therapy without a referral from your doctor. Check your benefits to see if you have coverage for psychological services.
At Virtual CBT Psychotherapy, we specialize in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Book a free consultation to learn how we can help.
Treatment for Health Anxiety
Health anxiety can feel overwhelming, but there are effective treatments. Therapy can help you manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
CBT is one of the most effective treatments for health anxiety. It helps you understand the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. In therapy, you’ll work on identifying and challenging the thoughts that fuel your anxiety. You’ll learn healthier ways to cope with your fears.
Book a free consultation with us to learn how our clinic can help.
Learn more about how CBT for health anxiety.
Exposure Therapy.
A form of CBT, exposure therapy gradually exposes you to the situations or thoughts that trigger your anxiety. Over time, this helps reduce your fear and anxiety response, teaching you that these situations aren’t as dangerous as they seem.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
A form of CBT therapy that includes exposure and the elimination of safety behaviours. In ERP, you gradually face the situations, thoughts, or triggers that make you anxious. Exposures may include: reading about illnesses or visiting a doctor’s office.
When you do exposures, you will drop your usual safety behaviours, such as seeking reassurance or checking symptoms. By staying in these situations and resisting the urge to do safety behaviours, you learn that the fear will lessen on its own over time. This process helps you break the cycle of health anxiety and build confidence in managing your worries.
Mindfulness-Based Therapies.
Mindfulness practices, like meditation and deep breathing, help you stay grounded in the present moment. These techniques can reduce the intensity of your anxiety and help you focus on the here and now, rather than worrying about what could go wrong. It is important to schedule your mindfulness-based skills so that they do not become safety behaviours.
Medication.
In some cases, doctors may prescribe medication, such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. Medication can be particularly helpful when combined with therapy. You may want to consider making an appointment with your doctor if you have severe anxiety.
Support Groups.
Joining a support group can connect you with others who are going through similar experiences. Sharing your fears and learning from others can provide comfort and reduce feelings of isolation.
If you’re struggling with health anxiety, remember that you’re not alone, and help is available. With the right support and treatment, you can learn to manage your anxiety and live a healthier, more peaceful life.
7 CBT Tips for Managing Health Anxiety
Challenge Your Thoughts. When you start worrying about your health, ask yourself, “Is there solid evidence for this fear?” Try to find alternative explanations for your symptoms, like stress or lack of sleep, rather than assuming the worst.
Limit Symptom Checking. Reduce the number of times you check your body for signs of illness. Set specific times during the day for checking, and decrease the frequency over time. Reducing checking behaviours can help break the cycle of anxiety.
Practice Mindfulness. Focus on the present moment rather than worrying about what might happen. Mindfulness exercises, like deep breathing or meditation, can help calm your mind and reduce anxiety.
Avoid “Doctor Shopping”. Resist the urge to seek many medical opinions once you’ve had a clean bill of health. Trust the advice of your healthcare provider and avoid unnecessary tests and visits.
Challenge Avoidance. Gradually expose yourself to the situations or information you usually avoid. This can help desensitize you and reduce the power these triggers have over you.
Set Worry Time. Choose a specific time each day to focus on your health worries. When anxious thoughts arise outside of this time, remind yourself to save them for later. This can help contain your anxiety and prevent it from taking over your day.
Focus on What You Can Control. Shift your focus from what you fear might happen to what you can do to stay healthy, like eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Taking positive actions can help reduce feelings of helplessness and anxiety.
Self-Help Books for Health Anxiety
Overcoming Health Anxiety by Katherine Owens PhD (Author), Martin M. Antony PhD (Author)
Connect with a CBT Therapist for Health Anxiety
At Virtual CBT Psychotherapy, we have a variety of anxiety specialists to choose from. Book a free consultation to learn how we can help. Our Clinical Directors will match you with a therapist. Learn more about our anxiety therapists. You can choose to work with a social worker, registered psychotherapist or psychologist.
