Overcome Health Anxiety with Online Therapy

Category: Health Anxiety Online Therapy | Last updated: February 1st, 2022 | Reviewed and approved by:
Dr. Steven Gans, MD
Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD

Are You Health Conscious or Health Anxious?

Almost every one of us gets concerned about our health and well-being. And that concern can motivate us to try to optimize our eating, sleep and to lead a healthy lifestyle. Being health conscious can be great. It helps a lot in leading a healthy, happy, successful and meaningful life.

However, problems arise when this health consciousness gets transformed into “health anxiousness”. If you become too obsessed about your health and if you get too apprehensive that you are suffering from a severe illness (without the presence of such medical symptoms), then you may be experiencing health anxiety. In the past, psychologists referred to this as “hypochondria”. However, it is now called Illness Anxiety Disorder.

Illness Anxiety Disorder is a somatic symptom disorder in which the person suffering from it gets overly anxious or obsessed over his/her physical conditions. They see even a minor problem as an exaggerated severe illness. People suffering from Illness Anxiety Disorder often require continuous care, support and assurance from health service providers, family and acquaintances.

See if you recognize yourself in the symptoms of health anxiety:

Being preoccupied with having or developing a serious disease or health condition
Worrying that minor symptoms or body sensations mean you have a serious illness
Being easily alarmed about your health status
Finding little or 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
Having so much distress about possible illnesses that it's hard for you to function
Repeatedly checking your body for signs of illness or disease
Frequently making medical appointments for reassurance — or avoiding medical care for fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness
Avoiding people, places or activities for fear of health risks
Constantly talking about your health and possible illnesses
Frequently searching the internet for causes of symptoms or possible illnesses

What’s more, people with Illness Anxiety Disorder can also experience additional mental health issues, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Clinical Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Treatment Procedures

The good news is that Illness Anxiety Disorder can be treated. Effective methods of treatment include Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy and support. You can receive these types of treatment here at Online Therapy.

Reviews

Our online therapy services have received 3836 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Very helpful so far."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Doc is great, the video never seems to connect right the first time"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Very helpful self paced counselor supported therapy. So far giving insight and helpful tools for daily life."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Helped me a lot in being more calm, present, reacting better, and thinking better, I feel more hope than ever before & I am happier"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Amazing service!"

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"Fairly quick responses and some helpful and easy suggestions to implement in my life."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Great to be able to do the worksheets"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"This online therapy platform offers a balanced blend of live sessions with licensed therapists and structured, self-guided worksheets. The live sessions provide real-time support, emotional connection, and personalized guidance, while the worksheets encourage reflection and skill-building between appointments. This combination helps reinforce therapeutic progress and provides practical tools for managing mental health. Ideal for those seeking flexibility, accountability, and a more active role in their therapy journey."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Therapy has been truly insightful and inspiring, not to mention the affordability of the program. Great stuff all around."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I have done a month so far of online therapy, and its really helped me, i really like how you can choose text, phone, or video. and you go your pace with the modules you work together with your therapist with.
The only thing i really didn't like is if something has come up that i couldn't make an appointment on the phone appointment but you can make a text appointment you cant change that yourself.
The reason why i think i have had such a good experience online therapy is because of my therapist Loree Mastel-Marr, she has been so helpful and patient, positive, supportive, and i can joke around with her at the right times in a session when i need, she gets back to me right away when i send messages, i really cant say enough good things about her. She's awesome!"

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