What you need to know about health anxiety (Illness anxiety disorder)

Illness Anxiety Disorder, also referred to as Health Anxiety or even hypochondriasis is characterized by fear of having or acquiring a serious illness. Physical symptoms are not present, or if they are, they are mild in intensity. In the event that there is a medical condition or risk of developing one, it would stand to reason that one would be more preoccupied with health than others. However, people with health anxiety will experience illness-related preoccupations that are both disproportionate and excessive, and cause high levels of anxiety and general distress. 

People with health anxiety often exhibit a range of behaviors that are health-related such as checking or body scanning for signs of illness, performing self-tests, or might avoid anything related to their health.

If the symptoms can be better explained by another mental disorder such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, body dysmorphic disorder, and delusional disorder then the diagnosis of health anxiety is not warranted.

(Do not attempt to self-diagnose. Always consult a professional as there are many factors to be considered before a diagnosis is made)

In order for the diagnosis to be considered, all the above have to be present for at least 6 months and to have caused significant impairment in functioning and relationships. People with health anxiety tend to seek reassurance from family and friends as well as health professionals, burning through their social capital. If you are supporting someone with Health anxiety be patient and try to support them without offering the reassurance they seek. 

People with health anxiety tend to present more often to medical settings as they firmly believe they have a medical problem. They tend to seek many diagnostic tests and procedures from many different physicians for the same problem and they receive multiple negative results. However, the most paradoxical thing is that, despite testing and negative results, the anxiety tends to increase after medical tests due to beliefs that something was missed or that something was caused during these procedures. People with health anxiety are often unsatisfied with their medical care and trapped in a vicious cycle of worry and reassurance seeking. 

Cognitive behavioural therapy takes into account the reality of the symptoms but offers an alternative believable and balanced explanation for them, other than a serious medical condition. 

Thought records or diaries are used in therapy to help clients identify unhelpful thinking and recognize their bodily responses and sensations early on. Behavioral experiments are carried out to reduce reassurance seeking and other checking behaviours and to monitor the effect the changes have on the anxiety levels and beliefs. 

You can try the CBTapp Diary feature to identify troubling health anxiety thoughts and worries and work through them. Head over to the Instructions section for a more in-depth guide!