Three Theories About Health Anxiety

Health anxiety disorder, also known as hypochondriasis, is extreme worry about how you will or might be sick. You might have no outward physical signs indicating you have a health problem. Or you might believe that minor symptoms or other normal body responses are indications of an illness, while a thorough checkup does not show a serious illness. Or, you might have had symptoms but ignored them and assumed they were of no significance. Or you might have dismissed the possibility that you might be ill as “just a common cold.”

Whatever your reasons for worrying, it can be debilitating. One solution is to learn about the different types of health anxiety. You can learn about and gain some relief from some of these common worries by obtaining self-help books, attending support groups in your area, or even getting psychotherapy from a trained counselor. Some people find that natural treatments such as supplements, meditation and herbal remedies provide much-needed reassurance.

Here are some of the different types of health anxiety disorders. They are: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Agoraphobia, and Social Anxiety. OCD involves overactive and repeated thoughts and actions related to specific symptoms; Agoraphobia involves the fear of social situations; and Social Anxiety is the concern or fear of specific types of public situations. In addition, you could have a problem with one or more of these conditions or several of them.

People who have OCD usually worry about one specific thing: whether or not they are doing or having a harmful thought or action. For example, if they consider themselves to be clean but have visible germs on their hands, this could be a sign of a very serious illness or condition like cancer. People with Agoraphobia, on the other hand, fret about germs creeping into their bodies through the use of public restrooms. When these symptoms are present and they cannot find a logical or rational explanation for their existence, a health anxiety diagnosis can be reached.

Health anxiety disorders can often be treated, especially if they are recognized early. If you are concerned about being sick or having a serious illness, then seeking the help of a qualified physician will likely result in a positive diagnosis. A physician will also likely take some medical tests to determine if there are any conditions that will need to be addressed. These tests may include blood tests or psychological tests. Once the cause of the symptoms has been determined, the appropriate treatment can be administered.

The most common treatment for a health anxiety condition is cognitive behavioral therapy. This form of treatment works well for most people because it addresses and corrects the irrational thoughts and behaviors that lead to the preoccupation. Cognitive behavioral therapy addresses these behaviors through the use of positive reinforcement and peer support. While these methods may not completely alleviate the preoccupied feelings, they can provide significant cognitive behavioral therapy that allows patients to gain a sense of control over their anxiety.

If your health anxiety leads to a persistent and severe worry about various health risks, then you should consider the possibility that it may be a symptom of a more serious illness. For this scenario, you would most likely seek medical testing. You might do this to rule out serious health problems like diabetes or HIV/AIDS. You may also do it to confirm that your worrying is not related to a psychological condition. However, sometimes patients are misdiagnosed with a medical condition when they really have a health anxiety problem.

Sometimes people with health anxiety assume that other symptoms they experience are actually symptoms of the same condition they are preoccupied with. This theory bails them out when they experience physical symptoms that seem to fit the profile of the same mental state they are preoccupied with. To learn how to cope with this symptom, consider how you physically feel when you obsess about being sick. If you describe these feelings to someone suffering from a similar disorder, you might be able to learn how to manage your anxiety without depending on medications.