Health anxiety, also known as hypochondria, is a condition in which a person experiences excessive worry about having or developing a serious illness. If it isn’t addressed, health anxiety can start to interfere with daily life, affecting mental health, relationships, and workplace performance.
People with health anxiety might find themselves constantly worrying about their health, frequently checking for signs of illness, avoiding activities or places for fear of getting sick, or misinterpreting normal bodily sensations as serious illnesses.
The exact cause of health anxiety is unknown. However, it can be influenced by past experiences of serious illness, having a family member with health anxiety, or having a loved one who has or had a serious illness. Health anxiety has also been linked with diagnosable mental health disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The constant fear of ill health
Almost everyone worries intermittently about their physical health or the risk of contracting an illness. This is completely normal and it’s always important to be vigilant of potential health risks. However, people with health anxiety live in constant, debilitating fear that they have a serious disease.
The symptoms they worry about can manifest anywhere in the body. A headache is proof of a brain tumour. Stomach pain is a sign of pancreatic cancer. Sore muscles indicate multiple sclerosis. Hypochondriacs may find themselves searching for proof that they are seriously ill online or regularly visiting the doctors for reassurance or tests, when in fact they are experiencing mild symptoms of something far less worrisome.
Can I be affected?
It is difficult to determine the exact percent of people that have health anxiety, but we know that the prevalence of the condition is increasing. This is thought to be linked to cyberchondria, the excessive use of ‘Dr. Google’, which can inflame medical anxieties and distress.
More women than men experience health anxiety, and it generally emerges in middle adulthood. In children, the disorder tends to manifest as recurrent abdominal pain or headaches.
When hypochondriacs are unable to effectively manage their anxiety due to a lack of support or awareness, they may repeatedly call their GP with complaints and concerns. This results in the use of a disproportionate number of medical appointments.
Symptoms
Symptoms of health anxiety involve preoccupation with the idea that you're seriously ill, based on normal body sensations (such as a noisy stomach) or mild symptoms (such as a minor rash). Signs and symptoms may include:
- Preoccupation with having or developing a serious disease or health condition
- Worrying that minor symptoms or bodily sensations indicate a serious illness
- Being easily alarmed about your health status
- Finding little to no reassurance from doctor visits or negative test results
- Worrying excessively about a specific medical condition or your risk of developing a medical condition because it runs in your family
- Being so distressed about possible illnesses that it's hard to function
- Repeatedly checking your body for signs of illness or disease
- Frequently booking medical appointments for reassurance or avoiding medical care for fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness
- Avoiding people, places or activities due to a fear of health risks
- Constantly talking about your health and possible illnesses
- Frequently searching the internet for causes of symptoms or possible illnesses
Treatment options for health anxiety:
1. Psychotherapy
A therapist can help someone experiencing health anxiety explore how they’re feeling and manage the negative impact on their daily functioning. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective type of therapy to manage health anxiety. This type of therapy utilises cognitive restructuring, which is a technique that helps individuals recognise and challenge irrational thoughts of ill health or vulnerability to disease. CBT aims to modify maladaptive beliefs and behaviours to reduce health-related distress.
2. Medication
If health anxiety is affecting a person’s wellbeing, consulting a GP to explore all options, including medication, can provide them with a sense of clarity and direction. Certain medications, such as SSRIs or Beta-Blockers, have been shown to be effective in managing health anxiety.
3. Self-help strategies
If health anxiety is persistent and impacting you at home, at work, or in relationships, it’s always advisable to seek professional support from a mental health professional or from your GP. It’s also important to practice adequate self-care and so you can develop a repertoire of coping skills to manage the anxiety independently.
4. Keep a diary
Tracking how often you check your body, seek reassurance, or search for health-related information can be helpful. To do so, keep a diary of these behaviours; this provides you with more context and information. Are there any repeated triggers for safety behaviours? Do you check for the same concerns or do they change each time? Is there an underlying reason for these behaviours?
5. Challenge negative thoughts
By challenging distorted, anxious thoughts about ill health, you can develop healthier thought patterns which are grounded in the core belief that you are resilient and capable of managing or overcoming illness. Write down health worries and counter them with more balanced thoughts (e.g., “headaches can often be a sign of stress”).
6. Stay busy
When the urge to check your body or Google your symptoms emerges, it’s easy to spiral into rumination and catastrophic thinking. By distracting yourself and redirecting your focus to something enjoyable, like reading a book or calling a loved one, you can avoid over-engaging or over-identifying with anxious thoughts.
7. Resume normal activities
When we feel worried about our health, we may begin to avoid anything that feels threatening or triggers our anxious thoughts.
For instance, someone with health anxiety might feel so worried about coming into contact with illnesses on public transport that they avoid it entirely. Consequently, they may visit their loved ones less often and feel isolated, which can worsen their anxiety.
Whilst avoidance can provide short-term relief, it amplifies our anxious thoughts in the long term. By gradually engaging in activities you’ve been avoiding due to health worries, you can challenge the avoidance cycle and reinforce feelings of resilience.
8. Use the Wisdom app
Our health and wellbeing app offers a range of mindfulness techniques, such as guided meditations and breathing exercises, to manage feelings of anxiety in the moment. Mindfulness has been clinically proven to be effective in anxiety management and can offer short-term relief and a long-term practice. The app also features a contact centre which allows you to access confidential counselling support 24/7, 365 days of the year.
Supporting people who may have health anxiety
It can be difficult to recognise if an individual is struggling with health anxiety, particularly if there are no obvious signs. Even if there are signs, initiating conversations about an individuals’s mental health can feel daunting. By organising regular check-ins with the individual that always feature a discussion around general wellbeing, we place ourselves in the best position to identify mental health concerns, including health anxiety, and encourage open communication within our organisations.
If an individual discloses that they are experiencing health anxiety, active listening is essential. Active listening is a communication skill that involves centring the experience of the other person and allowing them to feel fully heard and understood. This is a skill that we can develop and refine over time, and it is fundamental in creating strong relationships with your team. Active listening involves:
- Listening to understand rather than to respond and offering full attention.
- Displaying your engagement with open body language, by using affirmative nods or sounds, and by maintaining eye contact.
- Asking exploratory and clarifying questions, i.e., “can you tell me a bit more about that?” or “can I check that I understand what you’ve shared with me?”
After understanding the experience and the needs of your the individual, signposting is an invaluable tool. They may feel confused, uncertain, or unaware of the support options available, which may leave them feeling stuck. By signposting your people to the organisation’s employee assistance programme (EAP), their GP, or an anxiety charity (such as Anxiety UK), you offer them the permission to seek help as well as a sense of clarity and direction.
How can an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) help?
An EAP enables you to direct your people to confidential support from qualified and registered mental health professionals if they are struggling with health anxiety or any other mental health concerns. At HA Wisdom Wellbeing, our EAP provides your people 24/7 access to counsellors who utilise solution-focused brief therapy techniques to explore the individual’s presenting issues, current coping strategies, and available support options. Our counsellors are trained to offer in the moment therapeutic support, provide psychoeducation, and collaboratively implement appropriate coping skills on the call, leaving them feeling understood and in control.
