Mental Health: What Is Health Anxiety? (Hypochondria) And 9 Tips To Help Ease It

Health anxiety, also known as hypochondria, is the irrational fear of having a serious illness. People with this type of anxiety worry constantly about their health and the health of others, to the point that it interferes with their normal daily activities.

Someone with health anxiety will worry about body symptoms even when there is no medical evidence that something is wrong. Even if doctors say that someone does not have a serious illness or injury, they still won't believe it.

Many people with health anxiety also have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). They may become obsessed with germs and cleanliness. They may wash their hands so often that they develop skin problems.

Sometimes these worries are focused on a specific organ in the body, such as the heart or brain. The person might be convinced they have a serious disease like cancer or multiple sclerosis. They will likely visit different doctors and perhaps even have surgery to find out what is wrong. If nothing is found, they may believe that doctors are not competent and go to another doctor for another opinion.

Health anxiety can often lead to depression, social isolation, and other emotional problems. It can also bring on physical disabilities from injuries caused by excessive exercise or from accidents related to work or travel.

If you have health anxiety, you will probably recognize some of the following behaviors:

• Monitoring bodily sensations and looking for signs of illness
• Frequent visits to the doctor and repeated requests for medical reassurance
• Avoidance of certain people or places that might trigger fear or anxiety
• Aggressive questioning of medical staff when they don't offer the reassurance that's needed
• Excessive use of the internet to diagnose symptoms and look for information about illnesses

There are things you can do to help manage your health anxiety. Here are 10 of them.

1. Get information

Knowledge is power when it comes to hypochondria. Make sure you understand what your symptoms mean. For example, if you have heart palpitations and think you’re having a heart attack, look up what an actual heart attack feels like so you can see if your symptoms match up. If they don’t, this will help alleviate some of your anxiety.

2. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is being aware of what's happening in the present moment without judging yourself or your thoughts and feelings. Practicing mindfulness can help you focus on what's happening in the here and now rather than worrying about what might happen in the future. You may find that mindfulness leaves you feeling calmer and more able to cope with health anxiety.

3. Avoid catastrophic thinking

When we experience stressful thoughts and feelings, our mind can run away with us and we start to imagine all sorts of negative outcomes. For example, if you have an odd ache in your stomach you might think: "It's cancer" or "I'm going to die". These are called catastrophic thoughts because they assume that only bad outcomes are possible — like a catastrophe.

4. Seek a professional

If you're experiencing symptoms of health anxiety, it can be hard to know what to do. A good first step is to speak to your doctor. Your GP will be able to check if the symptoms you're experiencing are due to an underlying health problem that needs treatment.

5. Stay away from 'Dr Google'

The internet has made us all into a nation of self-diagnosis – but it's best to avoid looking up symptoms online as you can easily convince yourself that you're ill when there's nothing wrong with you.

orraine Higginson, a nurse and expert on hypochondria, explains why it's not such a good idea to self-diagnose.

Her patients are worried they have cancer, diabetes or heart disease when they don't. They can't stop thinking about their health and are convinced they're terminally ill.

They keep visiting doctors, but the reassurance doesn't last long. What these people need is professional help for the psychological condition known as hypochondria.

Many of us turn to Dr Google when we're feeling unwell, but for some it's an obsession that becomes all-consuming.

The examples Lorraine hears from her patients are extreme: "They might wake up in the middle of the night worrying about their heart and think 'I can feel it thumping'. So they get out of bed and put their hand on their chest and count how many beats there are in 60 seconds ... that then feeds into their anxiety ... if they counted 12 beats that morning and now it's 14, then maybe there's something wrong with them."

6. Put things in perspective

It may help to remind yourself that most people don't get seriously ill when they have a symptom like chest pain or a headache, so the chance is that you won't either. It can also help to know that some bodily sensations – like dizziness or palpitations – are quite common in people without any physical illness at all, and there are many possible explanations for them other than serious disease. If you do feel unwell, try not to assume the worst and wait to see how things turn out before worrying too much.

7. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

This is a type of psychotherapy that is specific to anxiety disorders, and has been demonstrated as highly effective in treating health anxiety, hypochondriasis and illness anxiety disorder. Talk therapy is an empowering way to take control over your symptoms, learn coping skills and gain a better understanding of your thoughts and behaviors. CBT can be done one-on-one or in groups, both of which are effective ways to heal from health anxiety.

8. Progressive muscle relaxation.

This involves systematically tensing and then relaxing each muscle group in your body from head to toe, one at a time. Doing this exercise regularly can help reduce tension and stress throughout the day and make it easier for you to relax when you're worried about being sick.

9. Avoid distressing images and videos

The more you read about your symptoms, the more convinced you become that something is wrong with you. The more you read about your symptoms, the more convinced you become that something is wrong with you. If this gets out of hand, it can develop into a health anxiety disorder known as hypochondria. If this gets out of hand, it can develop into a health anxiety disorder known as hypochondria.

You need to bear in mind that not all aches and pains are symptoms of disease. Not everyone has perfect health. For example, many people experience back pain at some point in their lives, without having cancer or any other serious condition. A healthy mind is a bit like a healthy body — it needs regular exercise and self-care to remain strong and resilient to life’s challenges. Taking care of your mental health is especially important if you have a tendency towards anxiety or worry or if you’re under stress.